Even if you're already covered, make sure everyone you know signs up for health insurance. (You never know which of your friends might not be insured.)
Beginning in January, all Americans are required under the law to have health insurance or face a fine. Next year, that penalty will be $95 per uninsured adult or 1 percent of taxable household income, whichever is greater. But the penalties climb every year. By 2016, fines for not having coverage would be $695 per adult, or 2.5 percent of income (again, whichever is greater and capped at $2,085 per household).
Prices for health plans offered under Obamacare are expected to be published today at Healthcare.gov. The federal government recently forecast that a basic health plan for a 40-year-old earning $50,000 per year will run $328 per month. Premiums will vary not only based the kind of health plan people choose, but also on their state of residence and even the city they live in. In New York for instance, that 40-year-old cited above would pay $416 a month for a mid-tier plan. But in upstate Ithaca, where fewer health insurers are available, the same coverage would cost $446 per month, a difference of $372 per year.
People also qualify for free or lower-cost coverage through Medicaid, with some states expanding eligibility for the government program next year, or the Children's Health Insurance Program.
In Florida, the 11 exchanges "companies" offering plans are listed below:
- Aetna Life Insurance Co.
- Florida Blue (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida)
- Cigna Health & Life Insurance Co.
- Coventry Health Care of Florida Inc.
- Florida Health Care Plan Inc.
- Health First Insurance Company
- Health Options Inc.
- Humana Inc.
- Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc.
- Preferred Medical Plan
- Sunshine State Health Plan Inc.
One thing to remember: Private health insurers, not the government, will decide what plans to offer and set the rates.
No comments:
Post a Comment