So got a call the other day from a couple looking for health insurance. Well, Karen was; Carl is on Medicare. Karen's 63, and a cancer survivor (Yay!!). Their current, grandfathered Anthem plan sports a $5,000 deductible, and runs about $540 a month, and that's become something of a budget burden for them. They reached out to me to see if they could get something cheaper.
After determining that they're not eligible for a Special Open Enrollment, I explained that there's not a lot that we can do for them. Yes, there are cheaper alternatives, but they're either underwritten, or exclude pre-existing conditions (or both), or offer much more limited benefits than their current plan.
Out of curiosity, I looked at the 404Care.gov site, and saw that the least expensive offering there featured a $7,900 deductible (almost 60% higher than their current plan), and cost almost $640 (about 20% higher than their current plan). They would almost certainly qualify for a subsidy, but that, too, is a moot point until the Fall.
I felt bad explaining to them that, as frustrating as it is, their current policy is the least bad alternative (at least until the next Open Enrollment period). I truly hate that, but I couldn't in good conscience recommend any other plan.
/sigh
After determining that they're not eligible for a Special Open Enrollment, I explained that there's not a lot that we can do for them. Yes, there are cheaper alternatives, but they're either underwritten, or exclude pre-existing conditions (or both), or offer much more limited benefits than their current plan.
Out of curiosity, I looked at the 404Care.gov site, and saw that the least expensive offering there featured a $7,900 deductible (almost 60% higher than their current plan), and cost almost $640 (about 20% higher than their current plan). They would almost certainly qualify for a subsidy, but that, too, is a moot point until the Fall.
I felt bad explaining to them that, as frustrating as it is, their current policy is the least bad alternative (at least until the next Open Enrollment period). I truly hate that, but I couldn't in good conscience recommend any other plan.
/sigh
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