Will Trump Extend Open Enrollment?

Are There Any Open Enrollment Extensions? Many people were unable to get through to the Marketplace Call Center before open enrollment ended, but there is a short grace period. Don’t give up yet. Trump has refused to extend the national deadline past Friday, 12-15-2017 at midnight although some states have extended their deadlines. Those are listed…

Do Young People Need Health Insurance?

Being 26: Do You Need Health Insurance? In the last 26 years, the cost of the hospital healthcare and doctor visits have jumped about 3.5 times while drug costs have increased almost 7 times. A person turning 26 this year was born around 1992. According to KFF figures, hospital spending in 1992 in the US…

Can Domestic Partners and LGBT Couples Get Marketplace Insurance?

Domestic Partners and LGBT Couples Can Get Marketplace Health Insurance. If you have an unmarried partner, LGBT or not, your eligibility for subsidies and tax credits depends on how you file your taxes and on state regulations. Some insurance companies offer coverage for unmarried domestic partners, and some do not; you need to check the…

Affordability Exemptions and the Cost of Healthcare

Can I get an Affordability Exemption on 2018 Medical Plans? The Affordability Exemption uses the cost of insurance rather than the cost of healthcare. Companies profit hugely from our healthcare system. People don’t.  Healthcare itself is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Affordability is based on a percentage of household income, either 8.05% 0r 9.56%, and affects both employer…

Aging Without Medicare Part B

What if you Don’t Have Medicare Part B? Many Americans enroll in Medicare Part A because it is free if you have enough Social Security quarters of employment. Part B has a fee, and you need to sign up for it and start paying for it during your first Medicare enrollment period or pay a…

The Best Supplement for Original Medicare

What is the Best Supplement for Original Medicare? If you anticipate needing a significant number of health care visits or care in a facility, you may want to think about adding a Medicare supplement and Part D drug plan to Part A and Part B. Part B has an annual deductible of $183 for 2018.…

Federal Funds Running Out For Children’s Health Insurance Plans

Federal Funds Have Not Been Approved For Children’s Health Insurance Plans The GOP has not extended funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Plan because the House, Senate, and President have failed to agree.[cite]House to Vote on Child Health Care, but Funding Will Remain in Limbo[/cite] CHIP covers 8.9 million children and 370,000 pregnant women in this…

What To Do If You Can’t Afford Health Insurance

The Issue We all need healthcare and health insurance, and the cost of medical care has exploded. We need to find a good way to manage the cost of insurance and care. The difficulty is compounded because wages and income have been stagnant for most of us. Even if you have a full-time job, you…

Understanding Medicare Cost-Sharing

What is Medicare Cost-Sharing? When you use Medicare, you share the cost of your care by paying premiums, deductibles, copayments, co-insurance, and out-of-pocket maximums. If you receive a paycheck, part of your check will be set aside for Medicare. You pay for the program when you work and pay again when you use it. When you…

Get Ready for 2018 Open Enrollment

ObamaCare’s open enrollment period for 2018 starts on November 1st, 2017 and ends on December 15th, 2017.  This is what you need to know to enroll for 2018. Some states have longer enrollment periods, so you will have to check your state’s rules. • Open enrollment is the only time you can get cost assistance, enroll…

Focus on the ACA, Not Obama

The ACA Is Ours, Not Obama’s. We need a bipartisan repair of the Affordable Care Act that focuses on people, not parties. All sides worked on the ACA with Obama. Medicare and Medicaid are not JohnsonCare; Social Security is not RooseveltCare. The ACA cannot be ObamaCare. It belongs to all of us. Franklin D. Roosevelt…