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Health & Fitness

My Obamacare Adventure

I was planning on writing an article on how to sign up on Healthcare.gov but I couldn't get on in order to look at the health insurance plans. Then, an acquaintance posted this on her facebook status. 
"Ugh, can I say that I am not happy with this new insurance law! Got a letter from S___'s work that because of the changes our insurance is going to cost more or we can sign up for insurance through the new state program. Which may cost less but has a huge deductible!! So in the long run it is worse."  
I felt a need to defend Obamacare because I was hoping that I might get better health insurance through it. So, I stated that I knew some people would have to pay higher premiums but I didn't think they would get caught by that. 
In a few days, I received my Obamacare letter. Here is a rather long sentence from that letter.  "This plan does not meet the minimum level of coverage required by the health care reform law and you will need to review your coverage options through the Marketplace." I had predicted this when the law was passed because my health insurance plan didn't qualify for the health insurance mandate in Massachusetts. So, the letter didn't surprise me. 
Now my attempts to log onto Healthcare.gov took on new meaning.
 I had created an account before October first.  The first week, I spent time in the virtual waiting room of the site until the site sent me to the log on screen. Then, I was pushed off a cliff onto a white screen. I called the call center around October eleventh (1-800-318-2596) and completed the application for help on paying for health insurance. The site that they were working with was down the day before. They had been told that the site was back up but it spent a lot of time with a turning circle in between many of the questions that she asked me. Since they want to keep the call center employees from writing our information down, they are not even allowed to have a paper and ink pin. So, she and I chatted while the computer sat processing the current answers and loading the next portion of the application. I am now waiting to hear how much the government will help with my premiums in order for me to figure out what I can afford. I am hoping to keep my premiums around a hundred a month. (Yes. I know that is cheep but I don't make much and can't afford to pay more.) 
Please share your attempts at getting covered through Healthcare.gov. I would be curious to hear from you especially if you managed to get through the process.  

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