How to Get Health Insurance Coverage for 2023: A Brief Step-by-Step Guide
Your Life is Not a Game. Get Insured.
Audio to be uploaded soon**
DECEMBER 15th IS THE LAST DAY OF OPEN ENROLLMENT
**To have health insurance that starts January 1st, 2023. If you are here because of my social media post, I’m glad it caught your attention. Everyone else, happy to have you as well.
1: Go to https://www.healthcare.gov/see-plans/#/ to see a list of plans (and their prices) that are available to you.
For many of you, the options are far more affordable than what you may have in mind. I went to the website and filled out the information by using the average single person’s income in New Orleans. At that income level, there are multiple health insurance plans available for $0 a month!
Now, how did I figure that out?
2: After you go to https://www.healthcare.gov/see-plans/#/, type in your zip code, select the county (or parish) you live in, and click continue.
Follow the on-screen instructions by filling in the relevant information to the best of your ability.
When your screen looks like the image below, DON’T STOP. This is NOT the estimate of your monthly cost. It is actually how much of a discount you are eligible to receive. Instead, click VIEW PLANS underneath.
3: The next page will show the health insurance plans that are available to you and their prices.
The webpage has features to compare the plans to help you decide which one is best for you.
i in a small blue circle next to bolded words will give you the definitions of those words.
If you click Add filters, it will narrow down your options by only displaying plans that match your preferences. Be sure to take advantage of the sections called “medical providers” and “prescription drugs”. By using these features, the website will only display plans that cover the doctors you’d like to see and the medications you need.
My absolute favorite feature is the ability to sort ALL of the plans by how much they are estimated to cost you overall. This means it adds your monthly payments (premiums), the deductible, AND out-of-pocket expenses together. BUT, this feature is not automatically available.
This is how to see the yearly cost estimate.
4: Click on “Estimate your total yearly costs”.
This link will ask you to select between three options based on how often you believe that you will use your health insurance.
To those of you who either rarely ever see a doctor or expect to fall in the “low use” category, let’s be honest.
How often would you utilize health care services if you were truly addressing your health concerns?
I’m not talking about being insured in case of emergencies. I talking about utilizing medical care in a way that will allow you to THRIVE.
Doing “ok” and doing “fine” is not good enough.
Too many times I’ve heard people say, “My health is fine, just dealing with the normal stuff. But that’s to be expected at this age/around this time of year/with how stressful things are.
WRONG. Having nothing wrong is the only normal. This is our standard.
Think about that long-term back pain you have and how awesome it would be to potentially go to physical therapy for half a year.
Also Think about how tired you feel every day. Think about the fact that you can’t ever seem to get enough rest to carry out your weekly goals. You should wake up feeling rested.
Quality of sleep issues? Someone can help with that!
Think about how your relationships stay strong for a few years but then eventually fizzle out. Think about how you move from job to job but nothing seems to be the right fit.
What if a therapist could help you work through these patterns and learn how to adult better both in your life AND relationships?
Answer honestly. How often would you utilize health care services if you were truly addressing your health concerns?
5: Sort the health insurance plans by OVERALL yearly cost.
In my opinion, yearly cost estimation is the most powerful feature of the health insurance plans website.
It allows you to really get an idea of what will meet your budget. Other than deciding based on specific needs (medications, dental coverage, etc.) this feature will most likely be how you decide what plan to choose.
That’s it!
After tomorrow, December 15th, 2022, you will not be able to have a health insurance plan that starts at the beginning of 2023. And if you try to enroll past January 15th, 2023? You will only be able to get health insurance (or change plans) if you qualify due to a special circumstance.
So, y’all better not miss out on this opportunity. Take this seriously and give yourself a fighting chance to see things improve.
GO DO IT NOW.
Your life isn’t a game of chance. Don’t treat it like one.
Got questions? Put it in the comments so we can all help each other out. If you feel like the question is too personal, you can message us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the Contact Form. Do know that I can’t promise that I, or a Being MissUnderstood team member, will be able to respond before the deadline runs out. Another option is to go to https://www.healthcare.gov/contact-us/ to call the 24-hour helpline or to find a local organization/community member to walk you through the process.
Please share this guide with family, friends, strangers, and everyone in between!
– MissUnderstood
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