[Aug 14] Obamacare deadline

[robcat2075]

If you have an "Obamacare" marketplace health insurance policy (thanks, Obama!), the subsidies for lower incomes were increased in the recent economic stimulus act (thanks, Biden!).

To get the increased subsidy you need to re-do your policy selection at Healthcare.gov.

Basically, you log in, click on your 2021 application, claim a "life change event" (like "income change", no explanations needed), and then re-confirm all the answers you made before. When you get to the end, your current policy will be shown with the new lower price, which you will choose to accept.

Mine was about $100 lower!

But you have to do this by today, May 31 to get the new price in June.

If you don't read this until after May 31 you can still do this maneuver in June... to get the new price in July.

If you have a marketplace policy you probably already got an email explaining this, but... who reads emails?

[ExZacLee]

Dude thanks for this, I just read about the may deadline a couple of days ago. My wife's plan is a marketplace plan that only covers emergencies, and we have a baby on the way. Mayhap...

[robcat2075]

I heard on NPR this morning that there are still two weeks in this special pandemic window and ... some new free(?) options have been added for people who have been on unemployment this year.

I didn't catch all the details, I was painting the house while I was listening, but if you need something like this... you'll want to start looking into it.

[BGuttman]

The main free one is still Medicaid (provided you meet the income limits). The free regular insurance policies have very high deductibles ($6000).

[robcat2075]

The main free one is still Medicaid (provided you meet the income limits). The free regular insurance policies have very high deductibles ($6000).

Yes, the main free one is Medicaid. Yes, the free regular ones are "Bronze".

But with the new pandemic subsidies the Silver plans are much cheaper... and, since July, there is more to it than that.

Here is the story i heard...

Thirteen Million People In The U.S. Have Two Weeks To Apply For Free Health Insurance