Individual health insurance in California is for people who do not have group or government health options and need to purchase their own private health coverage. The market itself is very dynamic and frankly, confusing plus the shoppers are generally not well versed in health insurance terminology since they typically shop once every seven years for this type of coverage.
First, let's look at the key points to understand:
Individual is
no longer medically underwritten.
You do not have to qualify based on health.
Contracts are month to month which means that
you can cancel any month and renew up to age 65
as long as payment is made.
Currently,
there are 4 standardized benefit levels (Bronze,
Silver, Gold, and Platinum)
Self employed individuals may be able to deduct
100% of this type of insurance.
Payment
is generally not required immediately although
the policy will not be "activated" until first
payment is received.
Rates are standardized which means that the
rates shown in our instant quote are best
available on the market.
Maternity is mandated coverage on all new plans. Preventative is covered at
100%.
Dominant
carriers in the California individual market are
Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser, Blue Shield of
California, Health Net with smaller regional
carriers in
that order.
Here's the big change and real the gist of the
ACA law itself..
We now have Open Enrollment windows (generally Nov 15th-Feb 15th) during which to apply or change plans. Otherwise, we need to qualify based on Special Enrollment triggers.
We can help you evaluate if you fall in one of these categories.
Quoting health insurance used to be pretty straight forward but those days are gone. It's best to run through your situation with us, Certified Covered California Agents, to find out which option is best. Call 800-320-6269 and we can quickly establish if you are eligible for a tax credit, eligible to enroll at this time, and what level of plan is the most cost advantageous.
Again, there is absolutely no cost to you for our services. Call 800-320-6269 Today!