Now to see if I can get rejected by Medicaid on time...
To quickly recap yesterday's post, I'm a small business owner who was already insured. Yesterday, I got a letter saying my High Deductible Health Plan was jumping from $115.90/mo. to $238.14/mo. I'm currently grossing $253.75/mo., so you can see how this is problematic... I'm in a situation where food/shelter are provided, but I do have other expenses. If I was making $30,000 or up, I might be able to shrug off the extra $1466/yr as doing my part to help those less healthy than I, but at my current income level, it's a distressing amount.
State Farm was very gracious about understanding why I could not afford paying double for my plan and gave me the number for an independent agent
who could help me navigate the government site.
I asked her about those of us who make too little to qualify for a subsidy. She said they had been advised to tell people under the poverty level to apply for Medicaid, then use their rejection letters to file an appeal to get a subsidy. (As I said yesterday, this should be automatic, but...government.) Her concern was that I wouldn't get my rejection letter on time.
It was her belief that if I overestimated my income to $12,000 so I could get the subsidy with less hassle, I would be required to repay the entire credit ($154 x 12= $1848) if I didn't manage to actually make enough money to qualify for it, and that's quite a gamble.
The healthcare.gov website however gives a much bleaker answer.
Before anyone starts getting on my case for not having done this sooner. Please remember I got this notice YESTERDAY. Last year my insurance premium actually went down a tad, and $115.90 was doable and I was happy with my insurance/doctor, so I was trying to be a responsible citizen and let it ride.
UDPATE: I called the marketplace help line and they sent me here: https://www.healthcare.gov/can-i-appeal-a-marketplace-decision/ so now I'm filling out a form.
UDPATE 2: Nope, we're just screwed.
State Farm was very gracious about understanding why I could not afford paying double for my plan and gave me the number for an independent agent
who could help me navigate the government site.
I asked her about those of us who make too little to qualify for a subsidy. She said they had been advised to tell people under the poverty level to apply for Medicaid, then use their rejection letters to file an appeal to get a subsidy. (As I said yesterday, this should be automatic, but...government.) Her concern was that I wouldn't get my rejection letter on time.
It was her belief that if I overestimated my income to $12,000 so I could get the subsidy with less hassle, I would be required to repay the entire credit ($154 x 12= $1848) if I didn't manage to actually make enough money to qualify for it, and that's quite a gamble.
The healthcare.gov website however gives a much bleaker answer.
Before anyone starts getting on my case for not having done this sooner. Please remember I got this notice YESTERDAY. Last year my insurance premium actually went down a tad, and $115.90 was doable and I was happy with my insurance/doctor, so I was trying to be a responsible citizen and let it ride.
UDPATE: I called the marketplace help line and they sent me here: https://www.healthcare.gov/can-i-appeal-a-marketplace-decision/ so now I'm filling out a form.
UDPATE 2: Nope, we're just screwed.
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