Obama Care Health Insurance Reviews: What is it? How it works? What does ObamaCare cover and who is eligible? How to apply for it? Pros and Cons, Alternatives, etc
Introduction
Medical care can be pretty expensive, even if it is just for a routine check-up. Every visit to the doctor’s clinic or the hospital brings you back home with chunks of money gone from your pocket. In today’s time, most of us turn to health insurance to cover our medical expenses to lessen our financial burden.
In fact, today, if you look around, there are many health insurance services that have the purpose of providing financial aid and coverage for all people. Companies have also started to provide health insurance to its employees as part of the employees’ bonus or perks!
What is Obama Healthcare?
The Obama Healthcare or the Affordable Care Act was introduced by the then President of the United States, Barack Obama on 23rd March 2010. This act was originally name as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act but is often refer to as, The Obama Healthcare or Obamacare. The ACA is often consider as the revolutionary expansion of healthcare insurance ever since the times of Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s!
This act was particularly for people belonging to Middle class and low income families who often had minimum to zero access on health insurance. The Obama Healthcare ensures in providing health insurance coverage for all Americans. This is why today, we can see reviews of millions of Americans who positively benefits under this Obama health care act by getting their health insurance cover at very reasonable rates!
The coverage aims to reach people from all walks of life from a person who is unemployed to people with low paying jobs. In addition, it is for people with disability, or a pre-existing medical condition, or a chronic disease! The Affordable Care Act includes benefits such as premium tax credits to help lower the health insurance bill every month and cost sharing reductions. This means it is to reduce the deductible from out-of-pocket costs, co-pays, coinsurance and out of pocket maximum as well. This is the total amount you pay in a year for your covered health expenses.
Working of Obama Healthcare
When the Affordable Care Act or the Obamacare was first introduced in March, 2010, it had three primary goals to fulfil:
- make an affordable insurance
- expand the Medicaid program
- and to support any innovative medical care.
As mentioned in the reviews earlier, the primary focus of Obama care is to provide health insurance for people belonging to low income families.
As there are many Americans that live by with limited to no access on medical insurance. Hence, they undergo financial stress when faced with unforeseen accidents. In the initial stage when this act was first passed, the government imposed tax penalty for the people who did not have or purchase any insurance plan.
In a traditional health insurance plan, you have to pay few amounts on a monthly basis to keep up with the plan. On the other hand at Obamacare, it is different as they come with a type of subsidies called tax credits. These subsidies are to help people belonging to lower income group cover the cost of their insurance plans.
An advantage of the premium tax credits is that this will help to lower the bills of your insurance every month and reduce the costs for deductibles, co-pays and coinsurances. It will also help to lower the total amount you pay every year for all your health expenses.
Obamacare also helped in expanding the eligibility criteria of Medicaid. And, it prevented insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions.
What does Obamacare cover?
Following are some of the coverage for the medical services that can be covered under Obamacare:
- Pregnancy, Maternity and New born Care services
- Ambulatory Patient Care
- Emergency services
- Family Planning
- Outpatient Care even when you are not admitted in the hospital
- Prescription medications
- Paediatric care
- Wellness services
- Hospitalization
- Preventative Care
- Management of Chronic disease
- Mental Health and use of substance disorder services
- Breastfeeding
- Laboratory services
- Rehabilitative and habilitative care services
In addition to the coverage options above, Obamacare covers additional services at no extra cost` to all policyholders. This includes, check-ups, immunization, counselling, health screenings and extension of their Medicaid coverage as well.
Who is eligible to apply for Obamacare?
Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act was introduced specifically for individuals belonging to the lower income group of families. To be eligible for the Obamacare you need to have a household income between 100% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level or the FPL.
President Joe Biden, the current President of the United States, introduced the American Rescue Plan Act in the year 2021. This was to increase the existing subsidies present in the Obamacare. Moreover, it was to help and encourage millions more Americans to qualify for the Federal assistance with the cost of their existing healthcare plans.
And although Obama care health insurance is open for anyone who lives in the United States there are still some reviews on limitations. For example, an individual living outside America is not eligible to apply for Obamacare.
Exceptions are however made for the immigrants living in the United States, provided they come under one of these categories:
- a person legally living in the United States and is a green card holder,
- refugee
- Cuban or Haitian entrant
- immigrant granted conditional entrance before 1980
- battered spouse
- child and parent
- immigrant paroled into the United States
- victim of trafficking along with their family like the spouse, child, sibling or parent
- Temporary Protected Status
- non-immigrants with worker visa and student visa
- Deferred Enforced Departure
- member of a federally recognized Indian tribe or an American Indian born in Canada
- those with an administrative order issued by the U.S Department of Homeland Security
How to apply for Obamacare?
The application process of Obamacare is not very simple where you can sign up on your own or through an agent or a broker!
- Go to the official website at healthcare.gov.in. Select the ‘Find Local Help’ tool if you are unsure on how to proceed with the application process. This will locate the nearest in-person assistance near your area of residence like an agent, broker or a navigator.
- Fill up the basic and important details such as, your name, address, size of household and total income of the household.
- Begin the process of your application process and enrol yourself by calling the centre for any queries.
- Send an email of your application after double-checking the details written in the form.
Sign Up For The Best Obama Care!
Types of plans in the Affordable Care Act
At Obama care health insurance, there are reviews of four types of metal tiers of coverage plans to help you determine the cost of insurance plan and care best suited for you.
Bronze
This coverage planhas the highest costs with the lowest monthly premium.
Silver
This plan comes in medium costs withmedium premiums. This is probably the best coverage plan if you qualify for the reductions of cost sharing.
Gold
The Gold Plancomes with high monthly premiums but with low costs when need to cover your expenses.
Diamond
The Diamond coverage plan comes with the highest monthly premiums but with the lowest costs when you need care!
Advantages and Disadvantages of Obamacare
Like any other healthcare insurance services, the Affordable Care Act or the Obamacare have its fair shares of advantages and disadvantages. Below we have mentioned the reviews on the pros and cons of Obama Care health insurance.
The Pros
- Obamacare has helped millions of Americans who did not have insurance prior to this act. Thus, to get access to health insurance coverage within the first five years of its enactment.
- Obamacare was introduced specifically targeting the lower income group. Hence, health insurance has became more affordable for people belonging to this category. And, although insurance plans are never free, people had more options with reasonable prices for coverage plans at their disposal.
- Another bonus point is that, anyone with pre-existing health conditions such as cancer and other terminal illnesses can now apply for the insurance coverage. Now, they can be assured without having to worry for their insurance application getting rejected!
- Moreover, there are no time limits on the amount of money that will be spent on an individual. Thus, making it pretty convenient for people with chronic health problems.
- One of the great advantage reviews of the Obama care is that, Immigrants and non-immigrant foreigners living in the United States are also welcome and eligible to apply for the health insurance, provided they currently live there within the U.S border.
- This also includes a lawful permanent resident or green card holder, refugee and Cuban or Haitian entrant. In addition, they can be a immigrant granted conditional entrance before 1980; victim of trafficking along with their family like the spouse, child, sibling or parent; Temporary Protected Status; and other non-immigrant foreigners such as people in America with a work visa or a student visa.
- The introduction of Obamacare has also helped in lowering the costs of prescription drugs. Thus, making it affordable for all Americans especially the senior citizens who have to rely on prescribed medications on a daily basis.
The Cons
- The introduction of Obama Healthcare has led to an increase in premiums for people with existing health insurance.
- A penalty was imposed for all those people who were and is not insured causing inconvenience to many Americans.
- Taxpayers belonging to higher income group had to pay extra taxes with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
- Many businesses were impacted as they had to cut down working hours of their employees. Hence, to avoid covering healthcare insurance for their employees.
- On the day of the enrolment, individuals should prepare well with all the necessary important documents and wait patiently. It is a known fact that, their official website goes through many technical glitches. This may cause you to wait for longer period of time than usual.
Other Healthcare Insurance Alternatives
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Blue Cross Blue Shield is a well-known health insurance company that was first introduced in the year 1929. It provides premium quality healthcare insurance coverages all over the United States. As per sources, the company currently covers over millions and millions of people under their health insurance coverage plans. It has over 76 of 100 companies. Moreover, it has 6.9 million of people working in small companies, 17 million of unionized workers, and millions of others.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Company is available in all 50 states of the United States. Moreover, it is well received and accepted by hospitals, clinics, doctors and specialists in the country. This healthcare insurance plan can be an alternate to the Obama Healthcare. This is because they provide coverages for markets under the Affordable Care Act as well.
UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is another famous healthcare insurance company in the United States. Founded in the year 1977, it has only gone on to grow immensely over the last few years. Now, it has over 70 million of beneficiaries benefitting from their healthcare coverages.
This is an ideal health insurance plan for short-term coverage options. It can be an excellent option when you are waiting for the application process of Obama Healthcare; or cannot afford to choose long-term insurance plans.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser is a non-profit insurance company that started in the year 1945. And, it has since grown tremendously into one of the major health insurance provider in the country. At present, it provides insurance coverage plans to about 12.6 million members in eight states; including, Washington D.C. in the United States.
The Bottom Line: Obama Healthcare
Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act was introduced by the then President of the United States, Barack Obama. The primary purpose of this act was to ensure that all Americans that are living on minimum wage or lower-income should get access to health insurance at lower costs. And although it’s been more than a decade now, since this act came into existence, the journey has not been easy. They have witnessed more or less equal praises and criticisms of this act.
However, despite facing criticisms and reviews from the government, political parties and the public alike, we cannot deny the fact that Obama Care has brought significant changes on the expansion of health insurance coverage ever since the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s!
And today, all glory to this particular, millions of Americans are safely insured and have access to healthcare facilities. This is great considering how the world is changing at rapid rate. Moreover, people will need to rely on insurance money to get proper healthcare facilities if and when anything happens to them!
