The Federal Poverty Level changed a teeny bit, which moved the lower end of the subsidy level up by a couple of hundred dollars. Unfortunately Virginia is not a Medicaid expansion state, so there is a Medicaid gap.
Can she possibly find a way to raise her income a little? Can a relative/friend/you pay her a couple of hundred dollars to do some job?
However, medical insurance plans find it harder to ignore Sutter Health, which has a fairly large market share and also tends to be expensive.
“Can she possibly find a way to raise her income a little? Can a relative/friend/you pay her a couple of hundred dollars to do some job?”
It would have to be reported W2 wages, correct?
I’d have her look for a temporary part-time job.
" Her premium for her current BCBS silver plan doubled, too."
Is that increase before or after the subsidy is applied?
My one kid really can’t change eye docs. He sees a glaucoma specialist…as he was diagnosed with glaucoma at age 20. When his insurance didn’t cover his eye doc, he paid out of pocket at a reduced rate paid the day of the visit.
He will look for his 2018 plan on November 1.
I’m more worried about rate increases for kid 2 in Georgia. She is not subsidy eligible and buys directly from the company. Her premium last year was $375 a month with Anthem. Hoping one of the Ambetter or Kaiser plans won’t be too much more!
“Is that increase before or after the subsidy is applied?” It was after. She will be looking at other options. She already works 2 part ime jobs while she auditions for her next gigs. ACA at least got her insurance.
You can report income that’s not on a W2. It’s taxable, but if a couple hundred bucks moves her into subsidy territory it’s well worth it.
Sutter Health is why insurance is more expensive in the SF Bay Area than in Los Angeles. They buy up doctors and hospitals, then raise their prices.
@Singermom07 – if your daughter made barely enough to qualify for the subsidy last year, then this year when she applies she has to put down that she expects to make the little bit more that qualifies her next year. So for 2017, the number to qualify (100% FPL) - is $11,880 and for 2018 it will be $12,060. So when she fills out the online application form she says that her monthly income is $1,010. There’s no penalty for falling short, and whose to day that she can’t make another $200 in 2018 above and beyond what she made in 2017. The application is going to validate if the numbers are close enough.
This wouldn’t work if she had no income or if her income was very far from qualifying-- but the whole system is built on making a projection of something that hasn’t happened yet.
And yes, she should indeed try to raise her income, but she doesn’t have to raise her income in the final months of 2017 in order to buy insurance for 2018. She just has to make a projection.
Are the gigs she auditions for paid? If so, then her income is going to fluctuate in any case – she has no way to possibly know in 2017 what she will make in 2018. So she makes her best guess, and guesses optimistically.
And she should try to work extra shifts or find higher paying jobs or whatever in 2018 to increase her income, not because she needs it for ACA, but because it’s tough to live on $12K a year. But again – she doesn’t have to figure out the “how” of it now, and if she guestimates that she’ll make $12,200 in 2018 and in 2019 when it’s all tallied up it turns out she’s only made $10,500… no penalty. Her subsidy on the tax return is just reconciled as if she had made exactly 100% of the FPL.
@thumper1 You can look now for both your kids on healthcare.gov. as the plan offerings are already up for viewing. You/your kids don’t need to wait until 11/1 to check out options. Also, even though your daughter isn’t eligible for a subsidy, she should be able to buy off the exchange (since there is no medicaid expansion) so worth checking out the options.
Yes, kid 2 will be buying directly from either Kaiser or Ambetter. Hoping to keep cost $400 a month…or less.
Kid one says he will deal,with this November 1. I don’t blame him.
@thumper1 What I meant to say was look on the exchange for your daughter in addition to buying direct to compare.
Here’s a story that was on the front page of the Washington Post today: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/what-its-like-to-look-for-health-insurance-now-that-trump-has-tried-to-undermine-obamacare/2017/10/26/693b50b0-b593-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html?utm_term=.4833c4bbf636
It says that buying insurance off the exchange may be cheaper. I hadn’t thought of that. But does that mean that ACA protections, like for pre-existing conditions, don’t have to be met?
My own personal experience is that Sutter is up to 3X as expensive as other providers. This is based on tracking the charges for CPT codes used for my own office visits. Sutter is a predatory organization. And yes, they are the reason for the high costs in my area.
My current group of providers is going Sutter next year. Small groups can not survive once the big boy is in the area.
@Barbalot, we’ve been saying in this thread that people who are not subsidized should check off exchange policies. For Silver, in many states it will be a lot cheaper.
If you buy ACA-compatible plans off the exchange, you get all the same protections: the free preventative care, the protection for pre-existing conditions, the ten essential benefits (like mental health care). And if you buy ACA-compatible plans off exchange you obviously won’t have to pay the tax penalty for not having insurance.
You could also buy a short term plan or an association plan off the exchange. Those are cheaper, but they do not offer the ACA protections and they don’t count as insurance for purposes of the enrollment tax penalty.
@dietz199, Often we disagree, but we are as one in our opinion of Sutter.
My doctors’ group got gobbled up by Sutter. We stuck it out for a while but next year we’re probably going to Kaiser. I love my doctor, who I’ve seen for over 30 years, but we can’t justify paying $8400 a year extra to see her.
The least expensive gold option for next year is cheaper than the least expensive silver option in about a sixth of counties using Healthcare.Gov to market plans…
See link below for article and map of counties.
I visit various online groups that deal with health care. Lots of people are confused. I’m seeing several different reactions:
Subsidized people going online, seeing enormous subsidies, and saying, There is some mistake. My subsidy can’t be that big! But because of Silver Loading and Silver Switcharoos, their subsidy IS that big. Lots and lots of subsidized people are going to get free Bronze.
Subsidized people who got their renewal letters saying, *Oh no! My premium went way up, and I won’t be able to afford my insurance! * Mostly (but see @patsmom above), those people are going to be fine. The letters are using wrong subsidy amount. Their premium went way up, but their subsidy went way up too.
Unsubsidized people with Silver saying, Oh no! My premiums went up a huge amount! Some of those people are fine. They can either buy Gold or Bronze or in some cases go off exchange for Silver. Their premiums will have gone up (unless they live in Alaska), but not by the huge amount they said.
It’s all very confusing. If Congress gets its act together and pays the CSRs next year, it’s going to be confusing again. Those windfall free Bronzes and those whopping subsidies will go away.
"
2) Subsidized people who got their renewal letters saying, Oh no! My premium went way up, and I won’t be able to afford my insurance! Mostly (but see @patsmom above), those people are going to be fine. The letters are using wrong subsidy amount. Their premium went way up, but their subsidy went way up too."
The letters are using 2017 subsidy amount not 2018 subsidy amount. Don’t panic. And shop around on exchange -
as well as off exchange if you aren’t eligible for subsidies.
I’m still waiting for my renewal letter. Says alot about how interested my insurer is in customers on the exchange.
Or just disorganized. 
But just go on healthcare.gov and see all your options, @shellfell.