Health insurance is important to the residents of New Hampshire. For this reason, more than 63,000 state residents received health insurance on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. Not every person is fortunate enough to have employer-based health insurance.
Each year, thousands of New Hampshire citizens enter the open season looking for new health insurance. For some, there is a sense of confusion about how the marketplace works.
Read on for a comprehensive guide to New Hampshire health insurance. Learn how health insurance marketplaces work and what else you should expect when shopping for a new plan.
What Is a Health Insurance Marketplace?
A marketplace is where individuals and families can go shopping online for health insurance. You will go to healthcare.gov and compare the various plans that are offered in New Hampshire.
Typically, health insurance shopping occurs during the open season. This time period begins on November 1st and lasts until mid-December.
There are a few exceptions in which you can shop for insurance outside of the open season. In order to do so, you must have had a qualifying life event. This is when a major life change occurs such as marriage or having a child.
Each plan offered on the ACA marketplace meets minimum coverage requirements set by the federal government. For example, this means each plan provides 100% for maternity care and family planning. Another example is that no plan can deny you coverage due to a pre-existing condition.
What Insurance Plans Are Available?
There are three insurance companies that offer plans on the ACA marketplace. NH Healthy Families offers a plan called Ambetter.
Also, Matthew Thornton Health Plans and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England also offer plans. Not all plans are made equal and each company may offer multiple different plans.
The marketplace assigns ratings to each plan to help consumers shop. You are likely to see bronze, silver, and gold plans on the insurance exchange.
Gold plans provide the most coverage, while bronze plans are more affordable. Silver plans are in the middle in terms of premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance.
How to Choose a Plan?
Now that you understand how to shop and the different plans that are available, it is time to select one. Each individual or family is going to come to a different conclusion.
Some families need to pay the lowest monthly premium possible. Others are willing to pay a higher deductible or premium for specific policy coverage.
For example, consider that your family needs treatment at a drug or alcohol rehab facility. You need to select a plan that provides adequate coverage in this specific area.
In addition, you may have a specific doctor or facility that you like going to. Before you select a plan, you should make sure your provider accepts that type of insurance.
A Recap of New Hampshire Health Insurance Plans
The ACA marketplace has made it easier for individuals and families to find health insurance. You can now compare and contrast different plans and select the best one for your family.
If you are shopping for New Hampshire health insurance plans, contact us today to see if our rehab center accepts it.
