<p>If I am not mistaken, they offer the same plans on the websites that you get from exchange but they can’t offer the subsidies.</p>
<p>EDIT</p>
<p>Medicaid - no issues in states that joined the plan.</p>
<p>people not eligible for subsidies - if they can decide on a plan, they can buy the exact plan directly from the insurance company.</p>
<p>People qualifying for subsidies - Need to go through State or Federal exchange in order to receive them. The fed exchange still has issues with enrollment and Covered CA has no issues (at least what people with experience here say). Not sure where most other states fall.</p>
<p>I don’t know why people wouldn’t use the exchange - it’s one stop shopping. It is still all private insurance - so at least initially, I would certainly look at what all the different plans and insurance companies have to offer. </p>
<p>It’s like going to Orbitz to see all the different airlines, flights, and prices to your destination. </p>
<p>I like to use site’s like that when traveling to a new destination, but If I am going to my mom’s in Florida, I just go to Jet Blue site because that is the airline I like to fly there and I know they are always much cheaper - even though Southwest is more convenient for me to use. I have to drive 2 hours to take Jet Blue, while Southwest flies from my local airport.</p>
<p>Another question: If some low income young people are now not getting subsidies, does that mean they can buy in the private market cheaper than on the exchange? And what will that do to the numbers?</p>
<p>Emily is very positive that this will be good for those of us without employer provided insurance. LOL!</p>
<p>However, I was under the impression that the exchange plans tended to have narrower networks and more limited choices. Would that be because it’s subsidized? That makes sense.
Maybe it varies state to state but that was my impression and I’m reasonably well-informed on all of this now.</p>
<p>Emily is telling you to see what works best for you and let the rest of us see what’s best for us. And the rest of the country. If you can’t find a workable plan, you may be one who is disadvantaged by this program. There has been a long running conversation with another poster who may not make out well. I regret that. But one’s own experience is not enough to project utter failure for the rest of the program.</p>
<p>In CA, maybe another million will sign up by 12/31. Maybe that many wont. But the process is still open. I think we can- and will- deal with the situation when we can get a clear view of it. Speculating about numbers is still speculating. However, if the media accurately reported the number who have currently enrolled, that wouldn’t be speculating.</p>
<p>ps. I hope all on this thread have taken a serious look at what’s offered. If your current plan does not meet minimum qualifications, no matter how convenient it was for you, it won’t be legal. You will have to change, whether the date is delayed or not. If you don’t care about the new, better minimums, sorry. </p>
<p>You need to look at coverage, what levels and how. Run a couple of scenarios. Just a few doc visits, up to a real crisis. If you have questions about your own doc or an OON doc or facility, ask. If you are worried something like Blue Card will go away, ask what provisions replace it. </p>
<p>Much earlier, on the parent thread to this one, it was clear that some facilities not included will eventually be. Those facilities stated they are still negotiating, it’s still “on the table.” It remains to be seen whether what one “thinks” this is on 11/23, is what it is on 1/1 or later in 2014 and beyond.</p>
<p>There are already websites out there one can check plans outside of the fed site. It is not hard for people to find out which plan they want if they don’t need a subsidy. Everyone in California on this site seems to know exactly what they want, how they will buy it and so on but no one has stated they have enrolled. frugaldoctor is the one who originally proposed that one can go the company websites and buy and he took 20 minutes to do so after the plans opened up on October 1st.</p>
<p>“GP if they get rid of Blue Card, did you clarify how OON emergencies will be handled?”</p>
<p>By law, every insurer has to cover emergency care in network. The Blue Card allows you to get non-emergency medical care from any provider in the country that accepts Blue Cross/Blue Shield.</p>
<p>“Roughly 2,700 people are enrolling per day.”</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how many become paying customers.</p>
<p>“Are the exchange plans worse than the off-exchange plans for full payers?”</p>
<p>They are the same (pretty bad) except some insurers like Anthem have what is called non-mirror plans. They are essentially identical but have slightly different copays and deductibles. All have the identical networks for their regions. (at least in Ca.)</p>
<p>“Our “own” GP has no intention of purchasing through the exchange”</p>
<p>True</p>
<p>“I will probably be going into the individual market in the near future”</p>
<p>No you won’t; the individual market will not exist for non-grandfathered people after Jan 1.</p>
<p>“I don’t know why people wouldn’t use the exchange”</p>
<p>Because why would I disclose a whole bunch of personal financial and other confidential info in a non-secure website if I didn’t have to.</p>
<p>If I am not mistaken, the skinny networks provided by the insurers on the exchanges vary by state. CA providers have them as do providers in some other states…apparently. Other states have providers giving the same coverage on or off exchange. YMMV as they say.</p>
<p>“It will be interesting to see how many become paying customers.”</p>
<p>What do you think happens to all those people? They will decide to be uninsured?</p>
<p>“No you won’t; the individual market will not exist for non-grandfathered people after Jan 1.”</p>
<p>What has grandfathering got to do with anything unless you are talking about an exact plan someone had in 2010? Anyone CAN go buy a policy before March 15th.</p>
<p>Any one can also move from employment based to individual market when COBRA type conditions apply at any later date.</p>
<p>Bay - I think it was thumper1 who brought healthsherpa to CC crowd.</p>
<p>“Do you think that between now and just before Christmas, including Thanksgiving and Black Friday, there’s going to be a tsunami of people rushing to the exchange to sign up? A 10 times increase per day? Just to get to the same number as those who lost their coverage. That’s just to get to 1,000,000 enrollees, those who lost their coverage. But there are reportedly 7,000,000 uninsured in California. Let’s give them until March 31 to get some coverage for the year. That’s 2.3 million for Jan, 2.3 million for Feb. and 2.3 million for March. A 20 times plus increase over current enrollment rates.”</p>
<p>I dont see the above happening. Those numbers are not the benchmarks. I dont know where you got those benchmarks. I think reaching those numbers are mathematically impossible because there are fewer uninsured people than that in Cal who are eligible to buy insurance.</p>
<p>I guess if I thought those were the numbers that had to be reached I would be pretty depressed. ;)</p>
<p>Teaxaspg, I would speculate that some of these people will go uninsured rather than pay for insurance, particularly if they are currently uninsured.</p>
<p>The individual market as I knew it will not exist after Jan 1. You can either buy plans on or off the exchange. This is not the individual market for which I bought my insurance the last 20 years. I only mentioned people who were grandfathered (bought plans prior to March 2010) because they will be able to keep their individual plans if they want to.</p>