Zane Benefits Publishes New Information on Tips for Buying Individual Health Insurance
Park City, Utah (PRWEB) October 15, 2013 -- Today, Zane Benefits, the number one online small business health benefits solution, published new information on tips for buying individual health insurance.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, the health insurance tax subsidies offered through the public health insurance exchanges are one of the best kept secrets of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, even though the majority of Americans will be eligible for these discounts, those who make more than 400% of FPL will not.
Some employees may be able to renew their current individual or family plans. Under the ACA, all health insurance plans must cover a set of 10 essential health benefits.
Although these essential benefits may mean broader coverage, it also may mean an increase in cost. In addition, the ACA limits the amount the insurance premium can increase based on age.
In most states, there will continue to be individual and family health insurance plans available outside of the exchange - either through a health insurance broker, a private website, or directly from the insurance carrier. The public exchanges provide access to federal health insurance subsidies, but for those not eligible for the subsidies it can be worthwhile to shop around.
For coverage starting 2014, plans will fall into one of four "metallic levels" based on how much the insurance will pay for medical care. A "Platinum" plan costs more monthly, but cost at the time of medical care will be lower. A "Bronze" plan will generally cost the least monthly.
Along with the premium, it is important to consider other costs associated with the plan, such as deductibles, co-insurance, co-pays, and out-of-pocket maximums. Check the plans for which doctors and hospitals are covered, as receiving health care from out-of-network providers can be significantly more expensive.
Health insurance policies can be confusing, and although ACA makes an effort to make plan information easier to understand, many people are not familiar with evaluating and selecting their own plan.
The ACA requires that all individuals be covered by a health insurance policy in 2014 or else pay a fine. Open enrollment for guaranteed-issue policies is from October 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014. Employees who want to have coverage starting January 1, 2014 need to sign up for coverage by December 15, 2013.
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About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits was founded in 2006 to provide a revolutionized SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) administration platform ("ZaneHealth") for defined contribution health care. The flagship software provides a 100% paperless administration experience to small businesses and insurance professionals that want to offer better health benefits without a traditional group health insurance plan at lower costs. For more information about Zane Benefits, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com.
Christina Merhar, Zane Benefits, http://www.zanebenefits.com, 800-391-9209 6725, [email protected]
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