Help me find a cheap health insurance plan I can get online
January 23, 2015 3:19 PM   Subscribe

I am getting health insurance just to meet the minimum coverage for something I'm doing that requires health insurance. I just want a cheap plan that I can get online. I tried googling but it's overwhelming and I don't know which sites to trust, half of them look like spam/scam to me. Is there a good comparison site?
posted by crawltopslow to Health & Fitness (9 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
What state/country are you in? Where to go depends on your location.
posted by fiercekitten at 3:23 PM on January 23, 2015


This is the entire point of healthcare.gov.
posted by rockindata at 3:23 PM on January 23, 2015 [6 favorites]


Open enrollment is until February 15th for the Healthcare Marketplace. There are different plans to choose with cost depending on factors such as the deductible, etc. You may be eligible for a subsidy to lower your premium according to your income. This is for the United States.
posted by just asking at 3:24 PM on January 23, 2015


Go to healthcare.gov, and call the phone number. Way more helpful.
posted by oceanjesse at 3:25 PM on January 23, 2015


If your state has set up storefront offices to help people enroll in "Obamacare," visit one. We just had a great experience with one in California -- nice people, clear info, etc.
posted by BlahLaLa at 3:26 PM on January 23, 2015


Go to healthcare.gov, fill in the application, and call the phone number. (I recommend filling in the app prior to calling because it's easier to type your address and particulars than it is to say/spell them over the phone, and they'll need to have your info in order to go through your plan options.)

There are some very low cost plans out there and if you financially qualify for a subsidy it's even better. And then hey! You'll be doing your civic duty and doing yourself a huge favor by getting yourself insured. Win win.
posted by phunniemee at 3:50 PM on January 23, 2015


I agree that you should fill out the Healthcare.gov app and then call. The phone operators know their stuff; they can get you the most bang for your price.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:07 PM on January 23, 2015


I'm an in-person health insurance counselor (aka Navigator -- one of the people BlahLaLa mentions in their comment above). All the advice above is good. Healthcare.gov will direct you to the appropriate way to apply online in your state; most states are using the federal site healthcare.gov itself but some states got their act together and built their own website/application system.

Regardless, the process will be similar -- you'll set up an account and do an identity verification, fill out a fairly ho-hum application with questions about your household size and income situation to figure out what subsidies you may qualify for, and then browse and choose a plan. If you get stuck or have questions, you can call the Call Center or click on the "Get Local Help" button on the front page of healthcare.gov to find a person like me near you who'd be happy to answer some questions over the phone and/or set up an appointment for you to come see them in person to work through the application / plan selection process.

You should get going on this as soon as possible -- just like doing your taxes, the professionals and help lines will only get busier and busier as we get toward the deadline (Feb. 15).

Finally, since you mention some concern about sketchy-looking websites or help: legitimate in-person assistance is funded through either state or federal grants. A legitimate Navigator / in-person counselor will almost certainly be an employee of a known local medical provider, clinic or social service agency, and will absolutely neither charge you for services nor direct you to any specific plan or insurance company.

If you do have any further questions about how to get help, feel free to MeMail me -- especially if you happen to be in the Chicago area.
posted by tivalasvegas at 9:42 PM on January 23, 2015


Response by poster: Austin Texas.
posted by crawltopslow at 7:48 PM on January 24, 2015


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