<p>I think Hanna went direct to an agent. People were surprised by her low premium without subsidies.</p>
<p>Hanna ended up buying an off-exchange policy. It’s all good; she wasn’t eligible for subsidies, and she’ll get her insurance, which is what matters.</p>
<p>Thanks for the update :)</p>
<p>Yes- insurance- no matter where it’s coming from, is what’s important.</p>
<p>
I’ve got a maybe-verification problem, which is why I was trying to reach Covered California. They’ve been sending me repeat letters, about 6 or 7 so far, all saying that my application is verified and that I am eligible for a subsidy. However, the last letter that showed up also said that they had difficulty verifying my social security # and asked me to send them a copy of my ss card. But that doesn’t make a lot of sense, given that they must have verified my income against tax returns-- however, I’d be happy to send them my social security card if they really need it. But the web site doesn’t cooperate if I try to upload it. </p>
<p>(I’m kind of figuring that if they really, truly need that they will ask again – but it would be nice if they would answer the phone so I could confirm)</p>
<p>calmom - How do you verify their mail as authentic? I am wondering about imposters asking for your SS number.</p>
<p>“Hanna, assuming health insurance industry is a business who like to make money, I’d think they shut out people with pre-existing conditions because on the average, they are costly.”</p>
<p>Right, but how costly? BCBS set the price for the plan I bought with the understanding that people with preexisting conditions had to be included, and that those folks were likely to rush to sign up first. Yet they think they’re going to make money selling plans at this price. They must believe either that a lot of healthy people are going to sign up along with the previously uninsurable, or else that there are a lot of “sick” people like me who are actually fairly cheap in practice despite our higher actuarial risk.</p>
<p>I had a name discrepancy a few years ago- lived and filed taxes under my full name (first maiden married) for decades- then an I9 for a fed project detected my SSN was officially still my maiden name (yes, after decades of marriage.)</p>
<p>“Covered California reportedly getting swamped with enrollees”</p>
<p>Too many customers is great. A lot better than not enough. I remember the old days when people said AOL was going out of business because it was hard to sign on. Too busy. I bet AOL would love those days to return. </p>
<p>The lines for a Star Wars movie. One of the Hunger Games movies… All good. People camping out to buy an Apple product. Yeah… Nobody wants an Apple product. :)</p>
<p>Nobody should be giving out his or her SS number in an email. If you ever get one of those emails from a bank, the emails are fake. </p>
<p>LF, thanks for the kind words. :)</p>
<p>What if’s can be a useful tool here - we have lurkers who will never post, but who read the thread. There are a lot of questions about ACA, premiums and all the moving parts - if we have them, others might, too. </p>
<p>I cannot tell you how many times I have searched the internet for an answer, whether it was how to fix my ice maker or reset my iphone or some crazy thing, and someone else before me had the very same question or solution.</p>
<p>So this is interesting. I just found an email (sent about a week ago) from BCBSM. My plan, the crappy plan for young adults, is the only pre-ACA individual plan that is going to be offered through next year (though you had to enroll before Dec 1st). They are expanding the plan to include things they didn’t before (prescriptions, preventive care, etc). </p>
<p>This was also in the letter: </p>
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</p>
<p>Of course, no word on how much the new premium is going to be. I am supposed to be getting something in the mail, but haven’t yet. I have to call soon anyway to make sure I’m transitioned into the new plan but I just thought it was interesting.</p>
<p>My new bill hasn’t been posted yet either so I can’t see the new price.</p>
<p>At holiday lunch today. Informal conversation about enrolling on dotgov. In this state it’s the dotgov site. Nobody is having any problems at all since dec 1. </p>
<p>Just FYI.</p>
<p>ETA: we were offered our old policy for one more year this past week, and will be signing up for that one. It’s 200 more a month, but that’s fine.</p>
<p>Good for BCBS for saying in their letter than a lot of their subscribers could do better on the exchange.</p>
<p>Here is the whole letter: </p>
<p>[Newsroom</a> ? Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will continue effort to transition members and enroll new customers into ACA-compliant health plans](<a href=“http://www.bcbsm.com/content/microsites/blue-cross-blue-shield-of-michigan-news/en/index/news-releases/2013/november-2013/bcbsm-continues-transition-compliant-plans.html]Newsroom”>Our News)</p>
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</p>
<p>I don’t know if this means my plan is jumping up 30%+ or if that’s just what would’ve happened to the other plans.</p>
<p>"ETA: we were offered our old policy for one more year this past week, and will be signing up for that one. It’s 200 more a month, but that’s fine. "</p>
<p>What is the difference between this and the other one you said was pricey?</p>
<p>
They don’t send email. They send the mail as a PDF attachment to a message that is available after logging into the system, and also as paper mail. (The stuff that comes in a sealed paper envelope, after being left in my mail slot). I should be able to upload documents from within my account, but I get an error message if I click on the link to do that. </p>
<p>So it’s essentially like reading your PM’s on CC – as if every time you got a PM, you also got a paper letter in the mail two days later with the same thing in it. (Going “paperless” does not seem to be an option).</p>
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</p>
<p>Well, it’s less money in premiums, for one thing. Under the new rules, our policy price is ridiculously high, imho. </p>
<p>Our deductible is much lower by about ten thousand.</p>
<p>Better prescription coverage.</p>
<p>We don’t use any of it, ever. But, the less in premiums makes it more attractive for the next year.</p>
<p>Plus, once all the employer policies come into these policies, which I believe they will be made to do, for administrative reasons, I think the premiums in the individual market will come down a bit.</p>
<p>ETA: of course BCBS will tell them they can do better in the subsidized markets. They get the same premium whether they are paid by subsidy or not. It’s just good business sense.</p>
<p>I understand you come out ahead but where is the difference in the benefits that makes the new plan much more expensive? Is it the only difference your new pool?</p>
<p>“ETA: of course BCBS will tell them they can do better in the subsidized markets. They get the same premium whether they are paid by subsidy or not. It’s just good business sense.”</p>
<p>Actually, they are now required to put that info into letters. </p>
<p>Also, BCBS is not the only insurer in most markets, so it does not necessarily follow that the people who they are telling about subsidized plans on the exchange will pick a BCBS plan.</p>
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</p>
<p>As far as I can surmise from what is going on, those of us in the individual market are being made to pay a rate which covers the risk of the previously uninsurable and pre-existing in a way which makes it so that we all pay the same amount</p>
<p>It’s a particularly unfair deal given the number of us vs. the number of those needing to be off-set due to chronic disease and ill health. But, I highly doubt it will continue. I am seeing that the insurance companies will be offering the same plans to the employer market, just for ease of administration. At that point, I expect we will all be slowly pooled together based on age and community and not whether or not we have employer provided insurance.</p>
<p>This will also happen quickly, as most employers have plans to either drop or phase out spousal coverage. So…</p>
<p>I see this as being the worst year for those who previously had good rates due to good health before. So, one year reprieve is a good thing, for us, anyway, financially.</p>
<p>ETA: Emily. You and I both know that the insurance companies want those who paid little in the subsidized markets ASAP. They get their premiums from the taxpayers, at that point, but it’s a higher premium.</p>
<p>It’s a narrow enough market that it really doesn’t matter overall if a customer chooses another insurer. I mean, in a truly competitive market with dozens of competitors, it’s tough to lose a customer – but in a small, restricted market with only a handful of dominant players, every company will end up with plenty of customers, and any person who stays in the market is a potential future customer during the next open enrollment period. </p>
<p>Anyway, I don’t want to get sidetracked into a discussion of market economics – I’m just pointing out that it’s actually in the interest of all the companies participating in the exchange that their competition remain viable.</p>