Adam Witte, 31, of Omaha had been purchasing private insurance on the individual market for the last several years, but he admits he was not exactly in love with the customer service experience of his old insurance company.
“First the number would disconnect me after being on hold for 45 minutes,” Adam said. “So I tried a different number and when they tried to transfer me I got transferred to a home security company. That was fun.”
So when the Health Insurance Marketplace opened last year, Adam was excited to start looking for a new insurance company that could offer him similar, quality coverage. In December he went online to HealthCare.gov and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly and easily he could begin comparing different coverage options from several providers.
“It really walked you through some very basic questions – name, age, if you have long-standing health problems. Then, it offers you options when you’re through with that,” he said.
“It was only about three or four minutes of answering questions, and then it showed me some plans to compare.”
Adam selected a plan with similar coverage features as his previous plan, but costs around $20 less per month in premiums.
“I think my co-pay may be $5 more per visit,” he said. “So it’s a win for me.”
March 31 is the deadline to buy coverage for 2014 so head to the HealthCare.gov and see what plan might cover your needs and fit your budget.