Can Anyone Get Obamacare Health Insurance?

Can Anyone Get Obamacare Health Insurance?

Can anyone get obamacare

The Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as Obamacare, was passed by Congress in 2010 in an effort to make health insurance coverage more easily available and cost effective for people.

Health reform mandates nearly everyone to have health insurance or face penalties, offering people the choice of purchasing private health coverage on a marketplace and helping them afford it through subsidies.

What is Obamacare?

The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is a 2010 health reform law designed to make affordable insurance available to all Americans. Employers are mandated to offer coverage to their workers; state or multistate-based marketplaces facilitate purchasing coverage; and tax credits provide financial support that may reduce premium costs for those eligible.

The Affordable Care Act also prevents insurance companies from discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions and requires all plans to cover preventive services without copayments or deductibles. Furthermore, young adults can remain on their parents’ policies until age 26 without incurring copays or deductibles, and lifetime limits on insurance benefits cannot be placed on coverage plans.

The Affordable Care Act originally included penalties for individuals without health insurance coverage; this provision was eliminated by Congress and President Trump in December 2017 with no replacement in sight. With no federal mandate requiring coverage anymore, states are creating their own. Some have even expanded Medicaid in order to cover more low-income residents. Furthermore, individuals can purchase short-term health plans and supplement coverage plans through the ACA.

How can I get health insurance under Obamacare?

Before Obamacare was implemented, many Americans could not obtain health insurance due to preexisting conditions like asthma and diabetes. With Obamacare’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), preexisting condition sufferers can purchase coverage via an online marketplace and purchase bronze, silver, gold or platinum plans with various costs and levels of coverage. Furthermore, insurers cannot deny coverage or charge higher premiums based on preexisting conditions.

The Affordable Care Act also offers subsidies that help lower-income individuals pay less for health insurance premiums through Cost-Sharing Reductions and Advance Premium Tax Credits. Individuals searching for individual health coverage can use New York State of Health to research options available and to determine any possible financial assistance that they might qualify for.

Other than the Affordable Care Act marketplace, there are various other options for gaining health coverage such as through an employer plan, Medicare or Medicaid plans or state exchanges – eHealth can assist with all of them!

What if I lose my job-based health insurance?

Losing job-based health insurance can be both stressful and expensive, particularly with preexisting conditions. But there are steps you can take to mitigate its effect and protect yourself from high unexpected medical bills.

Step one in finding an affordable premium is determining your monthly spending limit; use the National Patient Advocate Foundation calculator for an approximate estimation.

Based on your household income, you could qualify for a subsidy to assist in the cost of marketplace coverage. Apply through either the government-run Marketplace website or an authorized broker such as eHealth to submit an application.

Maintain your coverage through COBRA is also an option; however, doing so will prevent you from taking advantage of the Special Enrollment Period and its benefits such as lower monthly premiums and out-of-pocket expenses related to income levels. Click here for more information regarding Marketplace options in the ACA.

What if I get a new job that offers health insurance?

If your new job offers health insurance, but other affordable coverage is already available to you – for instance individual plans through the marketplace or most employer-sponsored health plans (such as Medicare), you have the option to decline.

Individual marketplace plans must by law cover 10 essential benefits, though states may go further to expand coverage beyond this minimum threshold. Based on your income and tax filing status, you may also qualify for cost assistance such as premium subsidies.

However, if you switch from marketplace coverage to job-based coverage and experience a qualifying event like losing other insurance or getting married, cost assistance no longer applies. In such an instance, job-based coverage must either be reinstated during open enrollment period or supplemental insurance should be purchased to fill gaps in coverage; Medicaid and CHIP provide free or low cost health coverage for people whose household income falls within certain thresholds.

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About the Author: Raymond Donovan