Sign up for 2015 should be easier

I had a devil of a time last year getting signed up for health insurance, picking out a plan, straightening out the bill, and getting a card.  Do I have to go through all of that again this year?  I have the same job (no benefits), same wife, same everything.  I really hope it’s going to be easier this year.

Survived 2014

Dear Survived,

Good news — renewing your plan in 2015 should require less effort on your part.  (I say “should” because there are no guarantees.)  You will get a letter from your current plan showing you what the same plan will cost in 2015 and explaining what they need from you to renew.  Insurers can do “auto-enrollment”, that is, assume that unless you contact them, you will stay in your current plan.  You would pay the new rate, naturally.

To make things even more interesting, you will also get a letter from the exchange (healthcare.gov) with the same information.  In order to continue getting a subsidy, you may need to go to the exchange and affirm your income estimate.  (It’s not clear whether the exchange will assume your income has not changed and apply the subsidy to 2015.  To be safe, I would check your account on healthcare.gov.)

So, should be a bit easier than the 2014 first-time enrollment!

Linda Riddell

About Linda Riddell

A published author and health policy analyst with 25 years’ experience, Linda Riddell's goal is to alleviate the widespread ailment of not knowing what your health plan can do for you.