There are a few changes to Healthcare.gov this year that will make things more complicated for consumers. Although the changes aren’t sweeping, they are significant, and those who have enrolled in past years will notice some differences.
The first change is the removal of “Simple Choice” plans. These were plans that fit fully into the metals framework, where on Bronze plans the health insurer paid 60% and the consumer paid 40%, Silver 70%/30%, Gold 80%/20%, and Platinum 90%/10%. Medical plans that adhered specifically to these frameworks were given preference on Healthcare.gov and shown to consumers as Simple Plans. For the 2019 enrollment season, there will be no way to know which are Simple Plans and which are otherwise. Consumers should read the plans that they select VERY CLOSELY to make sure that they fully understand how the plan that they have chosen works.
The second significant change for the 2019 enrollment is the Direct Enrollment Pathway. This means that different health insurance companies or brokers can set up pathways to enroll consumers without ever having to go to Healthcare.gov. These pathways will work with Healthcare.gov in the background to confirm enrollment, but will only show the consumer the plans that the third party chooses to show them. This is significantly different than the experience on Healthcare.gov where a consumer is shown all of their available plans and prices. This may be beneficial to consumers who only want plans of a specific company (although it is important to point out that Healthcare.gov can filter plans to show only those of a certain company), but there is also a concern that healthcare companies may set up their own direct pathways and then not disclose to the consumer that there are other options.
Be aware if you are enrolling for the 2019 medical insurance year of these changes. If you have questions, it may be best to enroll with a fully licensed navigator or agent. Cedar River Insurance can help you enroll in the Lansing area face-to-face, or anywhere in Michigan with Go To Meeting, a collaborative platform that allows us to share our screens.
Contact Cedar River Insurance for more information.
(517) 580-3819