Chicago area and the ACA / Obamacare plans (Evanston, Lincoln: health insurance, to buy)

[sfcambridge]

It looks like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois - the monolith - has collapsed under the weight of the ACA plans and has decided to drop many of the best hospitals in Chicagoland from their Marketplace plan network to save $$. They are ending their Marketplace BCBS PPO plans that previously include Northwestern, Univ of Chicago, and RUSH hospitals in their network. So now, if you want to see docs at Northwestern Hospital and need to buy your own insurance, they are working with the little known (with a lot of complaints against...) Land of Lincoln PPO or Coventry PPO.

Curious how many out there who bought insurance on the Marketplace who have a shake up for the coming year? What plan are you leaving and what are you going to switch to?

Anyone with good things to say about a plan that they have been on.... that will survive in 2016?

[Gemini1963]

We have this problem and we're hating it at the moment. It was important to us to have Northwestern and/or U of C in the network (as well as our local primary care clinic), but they've all been eliminated now from our 2016 plans. We're going to meet in person with one of the insurance counselors tomorrow to get the lay of the land. It's extremely frustrating. We had BCBS-IL PPO individual, high-deductible HSA plans up until now.

[knitgirl]

Really sorry to hear that. I had a BCBS ACA plan last year. I'm fortunate to have gotten a new job that provides health insurance.

[SubconsciousMe]

Aetna Medicaid plans dropped UIC too

[sfcambridge]

Originally Posted by Gemini1963

We have this problem and we're hating it at the moment. It was important to us to have Northwestern and/or U of C in the network (as well as our local primary care clinic), but they've all been eliminated now from our 2016 plans. We're going to meet in person with one of the insurance counselors tomorrow to get the lay of the land. It's extremely frustrating. We had BCBS-IL PPO individual, high-deductible HSA plans up until now.

Yup. This is a common complaint.

Are you meeting with an insurance counselor that works with your docs, or a private one working independently?

[Gemini1963]

Originally Posted by sfcambridge

Are you meeting with an insurance counselor that works with your docs, or a private one working independently?

We are meeting with one that we located through this site, with the hope that they will have an overview:
https://www.healthcare.gov/

I am not very optimistic, but it's a start. (I hope.)

[Lifelong Chicagoan]

BCBS dropped my Blue Choice Preferred Silver PPO-103. In a letter I was told I could move to a new plan with similar benefits but this new plan is $70 more per month ($227 to $297). I went down to a BCBS Bronze plan that is $9 more than my Silver plan.

The private health in$urance $y$tem sucks. Enough said.

[Lifelong Chicagoan]

BCBS dropped my Blue Choice Preferred Silver PPO-103. In a letter I was told I could move to a new plan with similar benefits but this new plan is $70 more per month ($227 to $297). I went down to a BCBS Bronze plan that is $9 more than my Silver plan.

The private health in$urance $y$tem sucks. Enough said.

[sfcambridge]

Originally Posted by Lifelong Chicagoan

BCBS dropped my Blue Choice Preferred Silver PPO-103. In a letter I was told I could move to a new plan with similar benefits but this new plan is $70 more per month ($227 to $297). I went down to a BCBS Bronze plan that is $9 more than my Silver plan.

The private health in$urance $y$tem sucks. Enough said.

Are your doctors still going to accept the new plan next year?

[Lifelong Chicagoan]

Originally Posted by sfcambridge

Are your doctors still going to accept the new plan next year?

I do believe he is. I don't go to the doctor that often. My first introduction to doctors not being in plans is when I went from company provided insurance to then having to get it on my own.

Before the ACA went into effect I had a plan called under the Pre-existing condition insurance plan (PCIP). I paid $150/mo and it covered a lot and I was able to have surgery at Evanston Hospital. I miss that plan and now am out of network with Northshore Univ. Health System.