For everyone who is buying their health insurance on Healthcare.gov, you have thirty nine to forty three hours to make your selection. Open Enrollment Period (OEP) ends at midnight between December 15 and 16th local time.
Healthcare.gov sometimes gives a short extension and a “waiting in line” opportunity for people who had opened up new accounts but had not completed a choice. Do not count on these extensions.
Go make a reasonable choice. Accept that you are unlikely to make a perfect choice but that you can make a good enough choice.
If you need help, ask away in comments.
Baud
It’s the end of open enrollment as we know it, and I feel fine.
Cornelius
I have a question! Our family income is above CHIPS eligibility in Georgia, yet the system deferred my 16 year old son’s marketplace eligibility while the state of Georgia conducts some kind of ‘review’ to determine his eligibility for CHIPS. This did not happen last year. I was thinking to call healthcare.gov to try to expedite getting him onto our marketplace plan if it’s possible at all, though I’m not optimistic about that. I am concerned he will have a coverage gap while we wait for Georgia to inevitably deny CHIPS. Is there anything we can do to get him on our BCBS plan before the 1st? Thanks!
MomSense
Do you know how UI benefits are treated when it comes to determining income?
WaterGirl
@Baud: Speaking of which, when do you get your test back?
different-church-lady
Baud
@WaterGirl: I’m negative. Thanks for asking.
David Anderson
UI is counted as part of your ACA subsidy relevant income. If someone thinks that they will have UI for next year, include that estimated income in your estimated guess of what you’ll make next year for subsidy calculations.
As soon as that changes, go back into Healthcare.gov or your state based marketplace to update the income calculation.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
What happens if your address of record changes in mid-year? Asking because I’ve got a situation: I may be an expat, but I’ve been maintaining Stateside health insurance through my family’s address in New York. I’m losing that this year because they’re also becoming expats. I have a health condition that, lacking insurance, will lead me down the bankruptcy-or-death route if it becomes acute. And if that condition becomes an uninsurable pre-existing condition because of a break in the continuity of my medical coverage…
…I might be in trouble.
David Anderson
@Bruce K in ATH-GR: Good question; I am not sure as your situation is very rare.
I would seek a navigator. I would also think that you would qualify for a SEP due to movement of permanent address if you came back to the states.
WaterGirl
@Baud: So happy about that. Very happy. Do you have to take one more test, or are you home free?
Baud
@WaterGirl:
No one mentioned a second test.
Are any of us really home free?
WaterGirl
@Baud: You make an excellent point. Sad to say.
different-church-lady
@Baud:
Well, we knew that. ?
sab
David Anderson: We used to laugh at my mother about her best honorific, but you are that: a good egg.
Lobo
For what it is worth: Choice & Medicare – Medicare advantage plans that have zero premiums and are more generous. People pick them.
motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2020/12/how-do-people-really-decide-which-health-care-plan-to-choose/
Chris T.
I’m no longer in California (having moved north for retirement purposes and because the state kept catching fire) but am still on the CoveredCA mailing list, and they’ve just extended their enrollment period another week or two. We (spouse and I) are in the WA health plan system now instead, and have not seen anything from them, but we’re already registered for 2021.
David Anderson
@Lobo: Kevin does not quite know everything that he is writing about.
StringOnAStick
We both retired and will have less than 35k income next year so we applied for an ACA plan and are happy with first being able to get one and for the help we got from a navigator. Medicare age is 2 more years for us.
ProfDamatu
I could have sworn that when I initially logged on to the Marketplace, I only comparison shopped. When I came back a week later, I found that my choice had been registered. Which was fine, as it was for the plan I would have chosen (amazingly, my carrier is actually offering this year’s plan again next year; first time that’s happened in four years).
I’ve already received next year’s insurance card, but I suppose I’ll make one more call tomorrow to make sure they’ve got all the info and are going to properly continue billing. Not that I don’t trust them, but, well…if you could pick customers to shed “accidentally on purpose,” I’d probably be one of them.