For starters, it’s probably more affordable than you think!
Health insurance is complicated. Not many people will disagree with that. And since it’s the time of year when individuals and families can enroll in a health insurance plan for 2022, it’s a perfect time to correct a few common myths about health insurance so you can make an informed decision about buying a health plan for you and your family.
Myth #1 I can’t afford health insurance.
Four out of five people could get a health insurance plan for $10 or less per month through the Health Insurance Marketplace (sometimes called Obamacare) in 2021. Wonder how that’s possible? The federal government recently increased the amount of financial assistance you can get to help lower your monthly bill. The state’s leading health insurer, Florida Blue, estimates that more than 250,000 people in South Florida (121,800 in Miami-Dade, 77,400 in Broward, and 60,400 in Palm Beach) are uninsured even though they could get a Marketplace plan that would cost them as little as $0 each month.
Myth #2 I earn too much to get financial assistance or a subsidy.
If you were told you made too much in the past, it’s time to take another look. In past years, you had to make less than 400% of the poverty level (which is $106,000 for a family of four) to qualify for help paying for your monthly health insurance bill. But earlier this year, a new law went into effect changing that and giving more than 318,000 uninsured people living in Florida, who previously made too much money, access to financial assistance. Now, parents in their 40s with two teenagers can earn more than $200,000 yearly and still qualify for help lowering their monthly insurance bills.
Myth #3 I’m healthy and don’t need health insurance
We never plan to get sick or injured, but we’ve all learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that we never know what can happen. The average ER visit in Florida costs $6,600, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, and cancer treatment can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. And health insurance not only helps pay your medical bills if you get sick or hurt, but it can also help keep you healthy. With Marketplace plans, you get checkups, vaccines, yearly bloodwork, and cancer screenings at no extra cost.
Myth #4 Finding the right insurance plan is too confusing.
Health insurance can be confusing, and there are thousands of insurance plans available here in Florida through the Health Insurance Marketplace. But the good news is you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Licensed health insurance agents and navigators can walk you through your options, explain all the terminology, see if you qualify for financial assistance, and help you enroll in a plan. Health insurance agents will not charge you a fee to help. You can visit your preferred insurance plan’s website to find one near you.
If you have questions about health insurance, financial assistance to lower your payments, or the Health Insurance Marketplace, check out Get Covered Florida.
