By The ACA Navigator
A THCB Reader in Michigan writes:
“The rates listed on the Healthcare.gov/Michigan site are inaccurate “estimates.” Being unable to apply on the website due to glitches, I simply go on the site to view plans for my husband and me. Based on our locality, “estimates” shown are about $250 – $600 for bronze and silver plans. We even see some gold plans for about $460.
But when I telephone the insurance companies (Aetna, Humana, BCBSM, HAP) for details and quotes, suddenly the costs of the same plans are $950 – $1750! Obviously, the “estimates” are disingenuous, probably reflecting prices that are available only to very young adults with no medical history.
An estimate is not an estimate unless it is close to what the final price is expected to be, not one-half or one-third the final price. Insurance companies need to list the estimates on the .gov website by range, rather than a single rate. For example, if a policy can be sold for as little as $250 or as much as $950 depending on the particulars of each insured, that policy estimate needs to read $250 – $950. Until insurance companies do this, they are, effectively using a bait-and-switch sales technique, which is illegal.”
If you’ve had a bad or good experience attempting to buy health insurance on the state or federal exchanges, we’d like to know about it. E-mail us at editor@thehealthcareblog.com.
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