by Hope
Ashley’s post on the opening of the 2025 Open Enrollment season reminded me that I planned to take a look at healthcare options when it opened up. I guess it’s time.
I’ve got to be honest, I’ve worked through the Healthcare.gov site a couple of times and found nothing helpful. First, the options for coverage it presents me are from unknown entities for the most part. And second, when I spot check them via their websites, finding providers anywhere near me is impossible. So what’s the point?
image of home medical paraphenaliay
Secondly, I do not understand the whole, this is what it costs, this is what it will cost you (based on income, I believe) and then there’s a whole tax related cost section. Can someone please explain it to me like I’m 5? Because I do not understand.
With Variable Income
Since my income as a contractor fluctuates significantly from month to month, let alone year to year, I am always hesitant to take something at my “low income” point for fear of the repercussions when my income increases and that affect. And then vice versa, take something as a high income season, and then my income drops and I’m stuck with an obligation I can’t meet.
A couple of months ago, I reached out to a Health insurance brokerage, for lack of a better term, and they did the same thing I do…go to the government healthcare site and read me the options. Maybe I should try them again. But I’d feel more comfortable going in with a better understanding of the financial and tax repercussions based on being self-employed with variable income.
Any experts in this are in the BAD community that could explain it to me like I’m 5?
My dad suggested that the state of Georgia instituted some other healthcare measures. (He still gets his home town paper so he’s always informing me of things I don’t know.) I did a quick Google search at the time but couldn’t find anything.
Anyone know anything specific about a recent Georgia initiative?
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
It’s pretty simple. As a contractor you are getting paid more than you would if you were a full time employee, with the expectation that you responsibly use that extra money to handle the things that employers would handle for you if you worked directly for them. Things like retirement savings and HEALTH INSURANCE.
The one for California is quite easy to go through. My kids who have aged out of having our health care (age 26) were able to sign on quite easily. Go through the options as if you were signing up with your projected income this year. You should be given options to chose from. There will also be a disclaimer, likely, that says if your circumstances change significantly you let them know (job loss, death, etc). If you have Kaiser in your area, I would suggest that, as it is all in one place versus finding doctors. Part of your saved money should be enough to cover your monthly health insurance premium as well as an account that has the OOP max in it so you know you always have enough for medical emergencies.
Hope, I just peeked at it. It is very simple and you should have no issue working your way through it. Maybe you have been looking at the wrong thing?
georgiaaccess.gov
Hope, Georgia has moved off of the Healthcare Marketplace.
You need to use this site: https://georgiaaccess.gov/
Also, I don’t want to sound mean, but you need to get it together. You should have some idea of how much you are going to slow this year. You should know what your average monthly income was over the last 12 months.
I’ve been a freelancer in Georgia for years and never had any of the issues you seemingly can’t overcome in getting decent insurance. I’ve always been able to determine what meds and and doctors plans I’m interested in covers. I’ve never had any confusion about any tax credit I received. The system lets you tell it how much credit to use.
To be blunt-you are middle aged. You have diabetes. You need to get over your attitude about health insurance and sign up. Or, start applying for corporate jobs that include it.
Let me explain why everybody needs healthcare Hope. I was 48 years old and went for a routine mammogram. No symptoms, no family history and no reason to believe it wouldn’t be normal like the year before. They found something that shouldn’t have been there and I had a biopsy, MRI, chemo, radiation, and one year of preventive chemo. Hope you are playing with fire. If you can do the job you do and make the money you say you do, you can afford health insurance, you just don’t want to pay for it.
At your age you need preventative screenings for breast, colon, and cervical cancer. Your diabetes needs to be monitored. You can not afford to neglect your health. A medical emergency will bankrupt you if you are not insured. If you don’t want to work a corporate job with employer sponsored coverage, then you will have to buy insurance yourself. I suggest you start here https://georgiaaccess.gov/get-covered/
Years ago I found myself working for an employer that did not offer health care coverage. I purchased ‘insurance’ from Christian Healthcare Ministries. You might check that out.