4 ms·

You should have been looking elsewhere. We have a similar situation in Washington with our Blue Cross provider, who is on the exchange, but our Blue Shield prov

You should have been looking elsewhere. We have a similar situation in Washington with our Blue Cross provider, who is on the exchange, but our Blue Shield provider is not on the exchange and has a much more complete network. The only compelling reason to use the exchanges is if you qualify for subsidies.

lazerwalker 13y ago
Do you have any recommendations of good places to look? I tried to look up plans on my former insurer, but they just referred me to eHealthInsurance; after entering my zip code, eHealthInsurance came up with a handful of plans from a single insurer that were all on the exchange.
- nknighthb 13y ago
  It's entirely possible you're just screwed in whatever county you're in, but I don't know how exhaustive eHealthInsurance really is. I didn't use it, though it does show my new off-exchange plan. I already knew which company I needed to go to since I wanted a Blue Cross or Blue Shield plan. What I would do is assemble a list of every health insurance provider in New York and directly visit each website and/or call each company to see what the options are in your area. I'd also check with an actual insurance agent who might have a clearer picture of the situation where you are. Even though I knew I needed to go to Regence Blue Shield and that they have coverage in my county, I still went to a local agent to help me make sure I got everything right. EDIT: NYT actually did an article on this in October[1]. They point to eHealthInsurance, but also GoHealth.com, which I haven't seen before. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/your-money/health-insurance-options-arent-limited-to-obamacare-exchanges.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/your-money/health-insuranc...
- Xdes 13y ago
  This website was on HN awhile ago. http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/ http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/ It gives pretty accurate information (within a $20-30 margin for me) and if a plan looks too expensive try calling the provider and getting a quote.

lazerwalker 13y ago

Do you have any recommendations of good places to look? I tried to look up plans on my former insurer, but they just referred me to eHealthInsurance; after entering my zip code, eHealthInsurance came up with a handful of plans from a single insurer that were all on the exchange.

nknighthb 13y ago
It's entirely possible you're just screwed in whatever county you're in, but I don't know how exhaustive eHealthInsurance really is. I didn't use it, though it does show my new off-exchange plan. I already knew which company I needed to go to since I wanted a Blue Cross or Blue Shield plan. What I would do is assemble a list of every health insurance provider in New York and directly visit each website and/or call each company to see what the options are in your area. I'd also check with an actual insurance agent who might have a clearer picture of the situation where you are. Even though I knew I needed to go to Regence Blue Shield and that they have coverage in my county, I still went to a local agent to help me make sure I got everything right. EDIT: NYT actually did an article on this in October[1]. They point to eHealthInsurance, but also GoHealth.com, which I haven't seen before. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/your-money/health-insurance-options-arent-limited-to-obamacare-exchanges.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/your-money/health-insuranc...
Xdes 13y ago
This website was on HN awhile ago. http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/ http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/ It gives pretty accurate information (within a $20-30 margin for me) and if a plan looks too expensive try calling the provider and getting a quote.