Obamacare Sign-Up Deadline Looms

Dec. 15--Calls and visits to Access Health CT and ConnectiCare surged this week as the Obamacare deadline approached. Those wanting to be covered by a health insurance plan Jan. 1 will have to sign up by midnight Saturday, an extension of the usual deadline.

Some people visiting the Access Health CT offices in New Britain were brand new to the system. But there were also many customers confused about cancellations they hadn't intended. Others had questions about the different types of plans and which plan they needed -- Medicare, Medicaid or Obamacare. Medicare covers people 65 and over andpeople with disabilities who have some work history. Medicaid covers the poor. Obamacare is for everyone who doesn't have access to insurance through an employer.

Todd Swanson, 53, of Farmington, had been on Obamacare until his coverage lapsed several months ago for nonpayment. He was trying this week to reinstate it.

His family's premiums were $677 a month after a roughly $700 subsidy, but when Swanson went to file taxes earlier this year, he had to pay back the subsidy because he earned more than originally projected, he said.

Swanson said his family was covered by his wife's job until her company decided to drop coverage.

"We've had nothing but troubles ever since," Swanson said.

His wife died three months ago from organ failure following pneumonia. He said he is getting bills in the thousands of dollars that are being rejected by the insurer.

His daughter is retroactively covered by Medicaid from the time of cancellation, Swanson said, and his premiums next year will be less than $10 a month because Swanson was laid off in October.

Still, he said, "Obamacare stinks. They got to make it easier."

He said maybe the answer is for Congress to repeal Obamacare and just let the insurance companies come up with a plan to get people covered. "We have to do something to make it cheaper," he said.

The specter of the end of Obamacare doesn't seem to be affecting enrollment for next year. Anthem, which sells about 56,000 individual policies in the state, said it's seeing enrollment consistent with last year.

ConnectiCare, which is the only other seller of policies eligible for subsidies, covers about 47,600 on the exchanges and about 37,100 people in individual policies outside the Obamacare system, under a product branded as "Solo."

"Early indications are that we will maintain our Solo membership and grow our exchange membership," said spokeswoman Amanda Mueller.

Solo premiums will increase by 38 percent next year; Anthem and ConnectiCare's policies eligible for subsidies will increase on average by 22 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

Jeffrey Grandahl, 62, of Simsbury, is leaving Anthem because his premium is slated to increase from $515 a month to $736 a month, he said. With a $6,550 deductible, he decided he'd rather just pay cash for his doctor's appointments next year.

He wasn't aware that the exchange offers a different kind of insurance deductible design, where essentially, only very expensive drugs and inpatient hospital stays count against the deductible.

"I assumed the deductibles would be the same," he said. "I didn't qualify for the subsidies, I never looked any further." Single people who have adjusted gross income of more than $47,500 a year make too much to get a subsidy.

Grandahl, who is taking care of his 97-year-old father, retired 12 years ago.

After learning about the more narrowly drawn deductible, he looked again, but decided it's still not worth it. Those plans cost $821 for someone his age, as insurers are allowed to increase prices for older customers.

Stacie Carroll, 26, just signed up for Obamacare because she was laid off from her marketing job two months ago.

Carroll, who lives in Avon, will only have to pay $13 a month for insurance while she's unemployed.

"COBRA was going to be $450 a month," she said, referring to the cost of continuing her health insurance through her old employer. She said individual policy costs outside the Obamacare system, she found, are about $300 a month.

With rent, student loans and only an unemployment check, that's not realistic, Carroll said.

Those wanting coverage for next year may still sign up after the Thursday deadline, but coverage will begin later.

For information about Medicaid or Obamacare call (855) 805-4325.

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