Francesa Tharpe Albuquerque, NM created on Thu January 30, 2014

I applied through the Marketplace. My cousin is an independent insurance agent and so I asked her what the best thing to do is. And she said go through the Marketplace even if I’m Medicaid eligible. So, I went to the marketplace and it was pretty simple. There’s a step-by-step process.

Basically they assessed whether or not I was eligible for Medicaid and I wasn’t. I was slightly above the poverty line. So I found a plan on the Marketplace and I went with Blue Cross Blue Shield. I also got a subsidy that was basically $90 off my monthly bill.

I didn’t have any insurance before applying. This was pretty monumental for me. I haven’t had insurance since I was 19. And that was when Medicaid stopped covering me as an adult. I was also a student so that was pretty hard to swing. I’m 23 now and just graduated.

My new insurance plan is like $50 a month. The system is really nice because you can look at multiple plans and compare them. The one I ended up going with covers pregnancy, back pain, asthma, and it covers a lot of preventative healthcare. They do tell you when you’re choosing how much you’re prescriptions will be, I will pay $15 for most prescriptions, if I want to see a specialist it’s a $30 co-pay, and the deductible was only 1,500. It’s the package of my dreams! I think it was a silver hmo3 plan.

I do have some issues with the system though, just for-warning. Depending on what insurance you go with, they set up their payment plans. The Marketplace doesn’t have anything to do with that. But nowhere on the website does it say that. I thought I would pay for it right then and there on the Marketplace. It’s just a hassle to wait for that first bill in the mail. I guess my plan is a little archaic, in that sense.

Also, one of my friends said she wasn’t hearing anything back about her Medicaid application from the state website, so someone told her to go to the Marketplace website and reapply. When she did, she was able to apply and then receive her Medicaid card shortly thereafter.

Now that the system is fixed, I say Coverage is Coverage!