Affordable Care Act / Obamacare

[Cassandra]

As someone who has been self-employed for over twenty years and purchased the same personal/private health insurance (an HMO/IPA policy) over that entire time, the transition to the new plan my carrier provides as a replacement under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) has been extremely time consuming and frustrating.

My historic provider, Blue Shield of California, originally gave me false information regarding my maximum annual out-of pocket payments under my new policy that was to start on 1/1/2014. Blue Shield later called me to revise what they had previously stated.

Additionly the auto-payment agreement to pay for plan premiums set up before the transition to the new plan, was apparently no longer valid. I could have lost my health plan by assuming the previous auto-pay system was still active. -- something of which I was not warned by Blue Shield. I had to set up a whole new auto-payment plan when I learned that the January payment had not been "received."

iHub members should feel free to discuss and ask questions about changes to their health insurance on this forum as a result of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). I've learned a lot about the screw-ups happening and am willing to help guide others who might find themselves discarded from their former plans.

Hopefully others who are even more knowledgable about this process will also join in the process.