New World, New Rates for Obamacare (Affordable Care Act). How it impacts Me.

The first thing I did this morning when I got to the office was to try to get into healthcare.gov. When that didn't work, I knew I could still get rates via each individual carrier. So I worked and got the three closest plans to what I have now to compare current plans and rates to plans and rates 1/1/2014. Here is what I found.

My current plan is a $5200 family deductible HSA plan via Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. It pays 100% after I meet the deductible. My current premium is about $600/month for a family of 4.

Below is a snapshot of the three closest plans I could find. (Land of Lincoln, BCBS of IL, and Aetna respectively).

The first thing I noticed was that I COULD NOT find a plan similar to what I have now. Furthermore, the smallest out of pocket maximum for a family was OVER $12,000 for an HSA compatible plan.

You may say that $758.97/month is reasonable, but please remember that I was paying less than $600/month for better coverage ($5200 maximum out of pocket for everything instead of $12,700 maximum out of pocket).

I tried quoting Coventry, but their website said there were no plans available and Health Alliance's rates were high and not as graphic as above because they just have rate sheets. Of course those two carriers are not available in DuPage County, so that is another reason I didn't list them here. DuPage County only has BCBS of Illinois, Aetna, and Land of Lincoln.

Now you may be saying that these are unsubsidized rates and you'd be correct. We need to keep in mind that SOMEBODY is paying for the plan, even if your share is at 50%. Note also that two out of 3 plans are Bronze level plans meaning that the costs are less than a Silver plan. Unfortunately, there were no Silver plans that were similar to what I have now. They just weren't offered. 

I'll be curious to see the comparison once the government website is up and running. More posts as the time goes on.