Some essential health benefits are covered by all health insurance plans offered under the Affordable Care Act/ObamaCare. These benefits include ambulatory services, emergency services, surgery, maternity services, prescription drugs, pediatric services etc.
Choosing a healthcare plan under ObamaCare can be a complicated process. Several important things need to be considered while comparing plans.
Types of Plans
Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Catastrophic are the five categories of the health insurance plans. The quality or amount of health care is not dependent on the health care plans rather it dictates the cost you and the plan pay on you health care bill.
- Under the bronze plan you pay forty percent while the rest is covered by the plan
- Under the silver plan you pay thirty percent while the plan covers about seventy
- Under the gold plan you pay twenty percent while the plan covers eighty percent of it
- Under the platinum plan you pay a small ten percent while the bulk about ninety percent is covered by the plan
- Catastrophic plan pays for less than sixty percent and is available only for people under the age of thirty or who have a hardship exemption.
If you are a regular visitor to your doctor than getting a gold or platinum plan could be the right option for you. Even though they have a high premium but they cover much of your health care costs. If you do not visit your doctor often then getting a silver or bronze plan may be a good option for you as you will have to pay a lesser premium.
Out of Pocket costs
Out of pockets costs are costs that you pay in addition to the premiums so it is important to know how much you would be paying out of pocket under each plan. Each plan requires you to pay a different out of pocket amount on your health care. Under the gold and platinum plans you would be taking care of a lower out of pocket cost but vice versa under the bronze, gold and silver plans.
The maximum out of pocket costs under any plan offered under the affordable care act/ObamaCare is $6600 for an individual and $13,200 for a family. If the amount exceeds that limit the rest will be covered by the plan. Choosing a silver plan can help you save more if you are eligible for a lower out of pocket cost due to your household income and size.
Health Care Providers
Your health care service is dependent on your health care plan which includes your health care providers including doctors, hospitals, pharmacies etc. Make sure to preview the health plan you’re choosing in detail in order to make sure it includes all the health care services desired by you as well as the health provider you want.
Catastrophic plan
If you are a person under the age of thirty or come under the category of people with hardship exemptions, then a catastrophic plan might be a good option for you. This plan saves you from high medical costs and has lower premiums.
In order for you to make a decision in regards to choosing a health plan under ObamaCare, the above mentioned considerations can facilitate you in making the right decision.
