If you're on Obamacare like me, call Healthcare.gov to see if you can lower your monthly premium

[LaMouffette]

The number is 1-800-318-2596, or go to the Healthcare.gov website for more information.

I called yesterday and was able to lower the monthly premium for myself and my husband. Every little bit helps.

From the Kaiser Family Foundation website:

The March 2021 COVID-19 relief legislation, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), extends eligibility for ACA health insurance subsidies to people buying their own health coverage on the Marketplace who have incomes over 400% of poverty. The law also increases the amount of financial assistance for people at lower incomes who were already eligible under the ACA. Both provisions are temporary, lasting for two years, retroactive to January 1, 2021. A more detailed explanation of these enhanced and expanded subsidies and other coverage provisions of the ARPA can be found here, and an earlier analysis and interactive comparison of ARPA and ACA subsidies can be found here.

[link:https://www.kff.org/health-reform/issue-brief/how-the-american-rescue-plan-act-affects-subsidies-for-marketplace-shoppers-and-people-who-are-uninsured/|]

[OneGrassRoot]

1. Cut my premium in half...

Granted, my premium doubled as a result of the GOP tax changes, but the extra subsidies enabled me to return to the more affordable premium that I had prior to doing my 2020 taxes.

[LaMouffette]

2. Same here! So that's why our premium doubled in 2020! I should have suspected as much.

[LizBeth]

6. Interesting. I went from bronze to silver in 21 and it did increase more than I thought.

[dalton99a]

3. Kick

[dchill]

4. Thank you for this!

[LaMouffette]

8. You're welcome! Good luck!

[LizBeth]

5. Thank you. I received an email yesterday and asked if anyone knew it was legit. Glad you posted.

I will give them a call today.

[LaMouffette]

9. You're welcome! You have to go through the whole lengthy phone call with a Healthcare.gov person,

but it's not too bad. Took about 20 minutes. And it was worth it.

[LizBeth]

11. I have been dealing with IRS and state UI. Healthmart will be a piece of cake.

[LaMouffette]

15. My sympathies! My husband was on state UI years ago and their website was a nightmare.

[LizBeth]

18. So so hard getting thru, over 400 dials before an answer and over 2 hour wait, sent elsewhere

for another hour wait. But, they were very helpful whatever I had. same with IRS. They charged me 4k but when I called, after sending in payment, the IRS representative said she thought H&R made the mistake and send those numbers in I would get money back. It is getting a person I have found the issue with.

[Ron Green]

7. One risk pool is a health care system. Multiple risk pools is an investment scheme.

We have enough investment schemes in this country; we need a health care system.

[LaMouffette]

10. I agree. I wish they would start lowering the eligibility age for Medicare until it covers everyone.

Of course, that would be too simple!

[LizBeth]

12. I will be 60 in Oct. Sure would be grand if they lowered age but I do not know much about it.

Still have to pay and I do not know it is much better than what I am getting now with ACA.

[LaMouffette]

16. I'll be 60 soon, too. I don't know much about Medicare, either, but people who are on it raise holy

hell whenever the (Republican) politicians threaten it, so I'm thinking it must be pretty good.

[LizBeth]

19. Just what you are saying.

[Ron Green]

13. Even the word "Medicare" has been hijacked by the insurance companies

to sell private plans to seniors. Splitting people into profitable pools for themselves and unprofitable pools for the government is their business model, and too many Americans seem to be OK with that.

[LaMouffette]

14. Yup, you are right. I would love to see insurance companies become extinct.

[Cal Carpenter]

17. Saved $108/month. Heads up - the online process is convoluted and counterintuitive

For anyone who already has ACA coverage/subsidies and wants to do it online, log in to your healthcare.gov account. Open your 2021 application and choose "Report a Life Change" on the left.

Say you want to report a life change, even if you don't. Click through your whole application, most of it will auto-fill from what was already there.

You will promptly get a notice telling you your new total subsidy. Then it will ask you to select a plan. Go through that process - your current plan will be the top choice. Select it. (Unless, of course, you do want to change to a different plan)

I won't know for sure until my next auto-pay happens, lol, but I'm pretty sure that's it!! That's how it went for me, anyway.

Like I said, counterintuitive having to tell it you're reporting a life change when you're not. It feels like you're starting from scratch having to fill out the application again. It made me so nervous that I was going to screw something up. I think there should have been a way to just say "Nothing has changed, I'd like to find out if I qualify for more subsidy and apply it to my current plan", but alas that would be too simple, I suppose..

Still impressed that they got it ready so fast.

Next step, MFA!!! I'm grateful for the ACA because at least I have insurance, but it's still way too expensive for many and it's way too complicated a process to reapply every year, get a demand for more documents and more documents almost every year, prices go up every year, choices get worse, and even with the newest changes there are far too many slipping through the cracks.

WE CAN AND MUST DO BETTER THAN THIS.

[LaMouffette]

21. Thanks for sharing the steps for doing it online! I have never been able to access my account online

I've always had to go through it by phone with a Healthcare.gov person. But without exception, they have all been extremely helpful and pleasant.

I'm grateful for the ACA, too, but like you, I'm shocked by how much the insurance company's monthly premiums would be for me and my husband if we did not receive the ACA subsidies: about $800/month for me and $700/month for my husband! To use President Biden's word, I can't help but feel like we, as taxpayers, are getting "fleeced" by the insurance companies. I would so like to get insurance companies out of the health care equation for good!

[Kali]

25. this is correct but be aware

it may reset your deductibles

[Cal Carpenter]

26. Ugh, that would be terrible for a lot of people

I would have thought they'd have included something in the bill so insurance companies wouldn't do that as long as you aren't changing plans!

In my case this year so far, that isn't going to be much of a problem even if it happens (*fingerscrossed*) - we haven't spent much at all yet, just a couple of prescription co-pays. And because we getting older, and in some previous years having had to pay high deductibles when expensive health issues cropped up, we have a more expensive plan with lower deductibles now.

But that could really screw people who have spent a lot out of pocket already. I suppose it may behoove them to wait until next tax season - if I remember right, if you don't do this now and just keep paying what you already have set up, you may get a good refund at the end of the year. I could be wrong about that though...

[crickets]

20. Thanks, LaMouffette! K&R for the post and the discussion.

[LaMouffette]

22. You're very welcome!

[W_HAMILTON]

23. I just went through and did this myself, but BEWARE!

While I did receive a greater health insurance subsidy when I had a representative walk me through the process, when it came to choosing a healthcare insurance provider, I told her that I wanted to keep my current medical insurance policy; I asked her if the amounts I have already paid towards my deductible, out-of-pocket maximum would be reset, and she said that I would need to check with my current healthcare insurance provider to answer that question. I am waiting to hear back from them.

Just a heads up.

[LaMouffette]

24. Thanks for posting, W_Hamilton! I hadn't thought of asking that when I went through it.

You would think that would be one of the things they would have to disclose to you, among the list of 20-plus things the person at Healthcare.org asks you (You do understand that . . . ? By accepting this, do you . . . ? Are all your statements true to the best of your knowledge . . . ?), but I can see that being something they might not bring up or know about themselves.