If you are under 30 or obtained a “hardship exemption” you qualify for a high deductible, low premium, catastrophic plan. Catastrophic health plans are the cheapest plan you can get that counts as minimum essential coverage. Catastrophic plans can be good for those who want cheap, barebones care. Catastrophic plans tend to trade a low… Read More
There are several reasons you may have to file taxes under ObamaCare (the Affordable Care Act). Learn how to file your ObamaCare taxes in 2019 and beyond. This section includes tips on: how to make a Shared Responsibility Payment for not having coverage, how to report health coverage known as Minimum Essential Coverage, how to… Read More
What is Actuarial Value? Actuarial value is average total of costs for covered benefits covered by a health plan. Let’s look at how ObamaCare’s metal plan actuarial values work and how actuarial value applies to all plans in general. FACT: Actuarial Value (AV) in regards to health insurance was created by the Affordable Care Act to rank ObamaCare’s… Read More
Here is our ObamaCare Thanksgiving list of the reasons we are grateful for the Affordable Care Act. Before you read our ObamaCare Thanksgiving list, take a moment to listen to a Thanksgiving message from our President. We are grateful to the Affordable Care Act because: • 8 million got affordable coverage through the marketplace and millions more got covered last… Read More
Shopping for Health Insurance Outside of the Health Insurance Marketplace If you make too much for cost assistance or want to see your private health plan options, you may want to shop outside of the Health Insurance Marketplace. There are three main ways to get covered in the individual and family market under the Affordable… Read More
ObamaCare’s open enrollment period for 2015 starts on November 15th, 2014 and ends on February 15th, 2015. Let’s review the most important things to know about open enrollment in the health insurance marketplace for 2015. • Open enrollment is the only time you can get cost assistance, enroll in a plan, or change plans. This is true whether you… Read More
How Medicare Works Medicare, or Original Medicare, is a federal program offered to seniors when they reach 65, people with certain disabilities, and those with ESRD. Original Medicare includes Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance). Supplemental Medicare options are also offered to “fill the gaps” in Medicare coverage. Supplemental Medicare… Read More
What is Medigap Insurance? Medigap, or Medicare Supplement Insurance, “covers the gap” between Original Medicare and your medical costs. Supplemental Medigap plans are sold by private companies and make sense for seniors who have costs that aren’t covered under traditional Medicare Part A and B. If Original Medicare isn’t covering your medical needs, you’ll want… Read More
Medicare Open Enrollment Medicare open enrollment is the time when you can enroll in Medicare. Medicare Part A, B, C, D, and Medigap have different enrollment period dates. Below we will review all the Medicare open enrollment dates and attempt to provide every detail and answer in the simplest way possible. When in doubt go to Medicare.gov or… Read More
What is Medicare Advantage? Medicare Advantage, or Medicare Part C, is a health plan that offers Medicare Part A, B, and typically D benefits through a private company. Medicare Advantage offers everything Original Medicare Part A and Part B offers but with better benefits and coverage options. Typically however this comes at a higher upfront… Read More
Everything You Need To Know About Short Term Health Insurance Under the Affordable Care Act Short term health insurance is meant to provide temporary health coverage. Short term plans don’t have to offer all of ObamaCare’s benefits and protections. Pros and Cons of Short Term Health Insurance The pros and cons of short term health… Read More
What is a Qualified Health Plan? Under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) is a health plan certified by the marketplace to meet new benefit and cost sharing standards. Qualified Health Plans include all the metal plans sold on the marketplace and count as minimum essential coverage. Let’s take a look… Read More
Guide to Buying Health Insurance: How Health Insurance Works Our guide to buying health insurance walks you through how health insurance works and how to buy health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare). Below we take a look at how ObamaCare affects buying health care plans, different ways to buy health insurance under… Read More
The Types of Health Insurance Plans Sold On and Off of ObamaCare’s Marketplace There are four types of health insurance plans available through ObamaCare’s Marketplace. They are Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum health insurance plans. These Qualified Health Plans represent four tiers of coverage and are sometimes referred to as “metal plans” due to their… Read More
How to Use Your State’s Health Insurance Marketplace to Buy “Affordable” Health Insurance ObamaCare’s Health Insurance Marketplace, or ObamaCare Marketplace, is your State’s price comparison website for subsidized health insurance under the ACA. The following guide will explain the marketplace and how you, your family, and your business can compare health plans and qualify for… Read More
Supplemental Health Insurance and ObamaCare Supplemental health insurance, or Supplementary insurance, is meant to supplement your plan and is not ObamaCare compliant on it’s own. Supplementary insurance is sold by private companies and can help pay some of the health care costs that your plan doesn’t cover, like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. There are a… Read More
Everything You Need to Know About Health Insurance for 2015 and Beyond We take an in-depth look at health insurance in the US, including how it works, what key health insurance terms mean, and how ObamaCare changes things. We touch on every detail you need to know to understand the complex gateway to health care in… Read More
Fixed Benefit Health Insurance and ObamaCare Fixed benefit health insurance, or indemnity insurance, is not ObamaCare compliant and is not the same as major medical plans sold on the marketplace. Fixed benefit plans are sold by private companies and pay a specific amount each time you see a doctor or go to a hospital. The… Read More
Understanding ObamaCare (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) ObamaCare is a nickname for The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (sometimes called the Affordable Care Act, ACA, or PPACA for short), a health reform law signed on March 23, 2010, by President Barack Obama. ObamaCare seeks to reform health insurance and healthcare in the United… Read More
The following is a summary of every provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act HR3590. Most of what you need to know about the PPACA is contained in title I – Quality, Affordable Health Care For All Americans. Title I contains almost all of the new benefits, rights, and protections, rules for employers,… Read More
Learn About Your State’s Health Insurance Exchange Marketplace ObamaCare’s state Health Insurance Exchanges are now open for business. You can find your state’s Health Insurance Marketplace and apply for health coverage today. Use the list of state-based marketplaces (also referred to as exchanges) to locate your state’s marketplace or check if your state uses the… Read More
Qualifying for Coverage Outside of Open Enrollment A special enrollment period is a period outside of open enrollment in which you can get coverage due to qualifying life events. You may qualify for special enrollment if you have certain “qualifying life events” like a change in family status (having a baby, getting married, adoption, etc), losing… Read More
No More Pre-existing Conditions Since 2014 ObamaCare eliminated pre-existing conditions starting in 2014. No more pre-existing conditions means you can’t be denied coverage, charged more, or denied treatment based on health status. Considering 1 in 2 Americans has a health condition that qualifies as a pre-existing condition, the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) doing away with pre-existing… Read More
A Quick Summary of ObamaCare and How it Works The following ObamaCare Summary offers a quick overview of what you need to know about health care reform under the Affordable Care Act. The summary includes a breakdown of how ObamaCare works, how to get covered under the new system, how to get cost assistance, the… Read More
How the Affordable Care Act Affects Young Adults ObamaCare (the Affordable Care Act) allows young adults to stay on their parents plan until 26 and offers young people cheaper health insurance due to cost-assistance through their State’s health insurance marketplace. Young people can stay on their parents plans until 26. In many cases young people with limited… Read More