In the latest of many attempts to encourage more people to enroll in Affordable Care Act health plans, Healthcare.gov will be offering “Simple Choice” plans in the ACA marketplace. These plans will offer coverage for a number of basic services that are exempt from the deductible.
The idea is to provide customers with some “upfront value for their premium dollars,” according to the Obama administration.
That is in contrast to the great majority of plans offered through the ACA marketplace, which typically have high deductibles that leave many customers feeling that their plans are little more than protection against bankruptcy in the event of a catastrophic accident or illness.
Of course, that’s not to say the new plans will be any cheaper overall than others.
Such plans will be prominently identified as “Simple Choice” on the exchange website for every state.
Every Simple Choice plan will offer the same range of services, which will allow customers to more easily compare plans and seek out the cheapest option. Currently, the majority of customers opt for the plans with the lowest premiums.
Assessing the full cost of the plan (including deductibles and co-pays) as well as what it covers is much more complex because of the wide diversity of plans on the exchange.
The standardized silver plan will carry a deductible of $3,500 but a number of services, notably prescription drugs and primary and specialty care visits, will be exempt from the deductible. In general, patients will be charged a fixed co-pay for those services: $30 for primary care visits, $65 for specialty care visits, $75 for urgent care and $15 for generic medications.
While all standardized plans will have the same “core services,” some may have additional services not required by law that will be attractive to a customer.
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