I enrolled because I saw the ad on YouTube and celebs like Steve Harvey and others talking about how great this gov healthcare is. Yet, when I enrolled over the phone in around September 2023, everytime I called to get more info or find out who my provider is, they tell me that the last person didn't enroll me right or they gave me a premium with a high deductible so they had to Re-enroll me or switch insurance companies with better deductible. The re-enrolling happened about 10 times. And the switching insurance companies at least 3 times. First one was Blue-something. Second was AmBetter Sunshine Health and third is Aetna. I have Never been more confused and frustrated in all my life! Last week in Feb 2024, I was sick and had to call out of work and I couldn't even go to a doctor because I was in between insurance companies. I called Marketplace to find out what's going on and also to get my 1095-A tax form and talked to 2 different agents and they both weren't very helpful. The woman was really annoyed by me but it's crazy because I'm not the one making all these changes. And I even told her that I've never had healthcare before so I was clueless about how these things work.
I'm even more annoyed that my tax return got rejected by the IRS because I didn't file the healthcare tax form and I put in that I had no healthcare because it's true. I got No healthcare during the year 2023. The IRS agent told me that Marketplace can send a letter stating that I wasn't actually covered or I couldn't use the healthcare for the year of 2023 but Marketplace is insisting that I WAS covered and that I gave permission to an agent or broker to enroll me. But what good is it for me to be "Covered" or give my permission to on something that I never had access to? And every time I tried to find out how to use it, they would make more changes so nothing was solid. Or consistent. And half the time when I call it's a hit and miss. Like if I'm speaking to a real American person and NOT someone from India or wherever faking an American accent. Or someone from Asia who can barely speak English that's great! But the trouble is when I call a lot of places and I can barely communicate with the agent because of their thick accent or broken English. I'm gonna try to use this Aetna as much as I can but if I get little to nothing out of this, I'm never applying for gov healthcare ever again. The whole thing is honestly just BS if you ask me. Hopefully I'm just mistaken and I'm able to figure it out or find someone who understands gov healthcare and how it works. But if not, It's really not worth the trouble.

The health care market place (ph#*******675) is A COMPLETE SCAM! THATS WHY THEY KEEP TELLING YOU THEIR AGENT# AND NAME, AND TELL YOU YOUR LINE IS RECORDED. THE WHOLE TIME THEY WE'RE PROMISING ME A SUBSIDIARY FUND/GOVERNMENT FUNDS FOR SIGNING ONTO THE MARKET PLACE BY x/x/xx DATE, THEY TELL YOU, YOU JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR YOUR MAIL WITH INFO TO GET YOUR FUND TO SPEND ON "GROCERIES, RENT, OTHER NEEDED SPENDING" was told over and over that in the mail with my INS information I would receive visa funds for $1400 to $1700 for signing up for the marketplace. BUT IN THE FIRST 3 QAULIFICATION QUESTIONS (#1. Are you on Medicade or Medicare? YES=NOT QAULIFIED, NO= GREAT!, #2.ARE YOU UNDER 60? NO=NOT QAULIFIED, YES= PERFECT! #3. Do you make under 50k a year? NO= NOT QAULIFIED, YES=GREAT! YOU FULLY QAULIFY FOR FREE HEALTH INS, AND UP TO $1700.00 IN FUNDS YOU CAN USE THIS FOR "GROCERIES, RENT, ETC!"

SO ALL I START GETTING IS HEALTHCARE ENROLLMENT INFORMATION. I ENDED UP ENROLLING OR APPROVING THE ATENA/CVS HEALTHCARE CARD. AND SURE ENOUGH THERE IS NO CHECK, OR NO VISA FUNDS ANY WHERE IN ANY OF MY MAIL! SO I CALLED THE NUMBER ABOVE THAT I PROVIDED, AND I EXPLAIN THE WHOLE THING AND TELL THEMM BLUTNTLY THIS IS A SCAM! THEY SAY "NO NO, SOMEONE MUST HAVE NOT TOLD YOU THE CORRECT INFORMATION! ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CALL THE PHONE NUMBER ON THE BACK OF YOUR CARD AND YOU WILL BE AWARDED THE FUNDS!"

SO RIGHT AWAY I CALLED THE NUMBER ON THE BACK OF THE CARD AND STARTED TALKING TO THE INS REP. FROM THE NUMBER ON THE BACK OF MY CARD, AND THEY TOLD ME RIGHT AWAY "OH THEY MUST HAVE TOLD YOU THE WRONG INFORMATION, "ENORDER TO BE ElLIGIBLE FOR THE $1700.00 you MUST BE ON MEDICARE &/OR MEDICADE" AND "THE ONLY SYSTEM THAT I AM AVAILABLE TO GET IS A HEALTHCARE REWARDS SYSTEM" I told them that is completely opposite of what I was told/promised in this enrollment system. That I was told I would be getting some sort of stimulus funds, NOT SIGNING UP FOR A "REWARDS POINTS SYSTEM" I TOLD THEM IM 33 AND IN GOOD HEALTH! I DONT NEED TO SEE A DR. OR THERE IS NO INSTINCTIVE FOR ME TO GO SEE ANY DR.'s TO TRY AND GET REWARDS POINTS!"

THIS IS A COMPLETE SCAM USING OUR GOVERNMENTS "HEALTHCARE MARKETPLACE" ENROLLMENT SYSTEM! And NOW ALL THE ADS I SEE ARE PROMISING PEOPLE $6400.00 FOR GETTING ENROLLMENT BY WHATEVER STATED DATE...

THIS IS ALL A BULL$#*! SCAM! ALL BASED OFF OF OBAMA-CARES CORRUPT HEALTHCARE MARKETPLACE SYSTEM! THIS IS NOT THE END OF THIS FROM ME! IM GOING TO THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND GOING TO OUT THIS FALSE SCAM!

Being on ssid has brought my healthcare to MAJOR BS and I did better before being on it, REPUBLICANS ARE CHEAP BUTTHOLES

I have never had this much trouble with insurance in my whole entire life. The representatives have absolutely no idea what is going on, I canceled on the 10th of March after receiving knowledge that my children were not even on the policy. The whole entire reason for the policy was for my children. I had signed up through health insurance marketplace. I literally had to take off work an entire day only to be told by BCBS and MARKETPLACE that neither of them can cancel my policy, SO being on hold getting sent back and forth between the two companies for a good 6 hours I was FINALLY told that my policy would be canceled and I would receive a refund for the entirety, I found out that IT STILL HAS NOT BEEN CANCELED AND I'M BEING CHARGED AGAIN! Now I'm having to take time off work AGAIN to be on hold with BCBS and MARKETPLACE for them to keep telling me the same ignorant BS that they can't seem to understand... These agents/representatives whatever you want to call them obviously need to be trained better... They do not do their jobs! I've asked specifically to speak with a manager to get this resolved the last time and this time. I really don't understand what is so difficult to understand. FOR YOUR OWN SAKE- I urge EVERYONE to really look into getting insure with MARKETPLACE OR BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD. I have been given the runaround over and over again, sent back and forth AGAIN right as we speak... I keep having to explain what is going on to multiple different people... Im shaking right now with the ignorance I'm having to deal with... Both companies are the worst customer service I've ever received... Still on hold BTW, While I'm supposed to be working... Im sure this will be another several hours of ignorance for nothing to be resolved. BEWARE!

Trying to deal with Obamacare directly as a prospective consumer has been just the swamp I thought it would be. Calling the 800 number was ridiculous. Today on several calls, a recording said to select the reason for my call, but the options were unaudible. Several of the personnel were ridiculous. All of them were uninformed on the thing I wanted help with. When I asked the smartest representative who to talk to for accommodations for handicapped applicants, she had nothing. I asked who there handled that. No one. Illegal. Are we to trust these people with our healthcare?

For each of five calls, the call just cut off after 5 or 10 minutes of talking to the representative. Once after that happened, I heard some kind of recording. Then a man spoke to me in Spanish.

If you buy Blue Cross through Obamacare do medical providers know it and not like you? Blue Cross in my area said they would not be able to distinguish it from other plans, but I wonder. According to several sources, in some other places, they sometimes know. It's a concern. I tried to get the point of view of practicing doctors where I live but failed.

The ridiculousness of Obamacare is exposed in how they handle hardship & affordability exemptions. For people over 30 to enroll in a high deductible plan they have to prove they have particular hardships or that available plans are unaffordable to them. Can you do this process online? No, YET you have to have internet access, an Apple Computer or Windows-Based Computer, the new version of Abobe, and a printer. You download the forms, but they only download through the above technology. No Androids. Probably no phones. There are many ways to get forms to people, but they chose this elitist, inconvenient method.

Once downloaded onto your Apple computer, etc., you are only supposed to fill the forms out online. The Affordability Exemption Form is made not to print if you don't fill it out first. Then you print it out. The online form was in color. Do you have to a color printer to print it out in color? That doesn't seem impossible. The form doesn't say. An extra hitch/cost for this benevolent social welfare program.

I did not have the relevant technology and have mobility issues due to disability. I tried to get the forms sent to me thinking I could fill them out on paper. I called the Obamacare 800 number, my Congress Person's office, an Obamacare broker and Healthcare Sherpa. There was no way to do that.

After you print out the nine page form, you are supposed to attach documentation and mail everything to Kentucky, where it may take a month to process. Why couldn't you do all this online?

Looking for healthcare has been maddening and distracting, just when I needed to focus another important issue. Obamacare was the biggest part of that, both directly and in its impact on other programs. Just when I thought I would get coverage, all this nonsense made it seem like a giant swamp designed to mess with you.

Obamacare's effect on other insurances: Apparently the Affordable Care Act may have disappeared some private high deductible policies. It made many people's existing coverage unaffordable or unworkable. It appeared to make Blue Cross flakier. As a prospective customer, I found Blue Cross to be suprisingly dysfunctional. Online complaints about them where I live were worse than expected. An employer told me that after Obamacare, healthcare premiums for each employee went up about $60.

Still want to print out the above forms and fill them out on paper? Don't have the required technology to access the forms?

I'm not sure if the gov't accepts the Hardship and Affordability Exemption Forms for catastrophic coverage if you fill them out with a pen, but I found the Hardship form in a form most people could see and download.

Search for:
Hardship_exemption_form. Pdf - Health Net Healthnet.com

Click on form to download

Or search for:

healthnet.com
› static › broker › unprotected › pdfs › national › hardship_exemption_form. Pdf

Although I could not see it, I was able to save the Affordability Exemption Form from the Obamacare website as a Word document. Then I could see it. It was off kilter. I also personally found it too difficult to fill it out within Word.

Want to Contact The People Who Run Obamacare?

Obamacare is under the federal Department of Health and Human Services headed by Secretary Xavier Becerra

https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/xavier-becerra.html

Didn't run across any of his contact info but his office would likely be in Washington DC or Maryland.

Within the HHS, Obamacare is under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, headed by:

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
Administrator
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

CMS' address on their website is:
7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD *******

Wikipedia says CMS headquarters are in Woodlawn in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Or post your concerns on their social media, if they have it.

I'm adding keywords here to help people find this:
Catastrophic Coverage or High Deductible Policy For People Over 30
Affordability Exemption Form
Hardship Exemption Form
No Disability Access
No Economic Access
No Inclusivity

Since 2019 I have had the same plan and costs through healthcare.gov. It was going smoothly and it was affordable for me. My monthly premium was $145 a month but my specialist copayments were only $5, prescriptions were free, and my deductible was $1,900 so if I went to emergency room. I am prone to getting pneumonia (non-covid) since 2017. I have had Gastro problems and chronic migraines. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was waiting to see if it was cancerous. There was a lot of waiting for doctor appointments so it dragged on for months of me being stressed about my prognosis. In September I noticed my healthplan changed before open enrollment and they changed it for me. They bragged about a lower monthly premium. It's called the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and they emphasize lower monthly premiums. What stood out to me was the copays are now $65 for a specialist and the prescriptions are $5 each now. The deductible went up to $4,600 and this changed after I went to the emergency room the first time whenever I needed a chest X-ray just to get antibiotics. The minuteclinic wouldn't give me antibiotics without a chest X-ray and I couldn't get into any urgent cares or anywhere. I was limited on where I could go and I couldn't wait around. During my cancer scare I was stressed out and my hair fell out (it may be from hormones and I'm getting more tests). In December I went to emergency room again with symptoms of a stroke and possible brain bleed. Ever since then, I got a doctor bill for $1,761 that I have to pay out of my pocket because I didn't meet the deductible. At the time I wasn't thinking clearly or else I wouldn't of gone to hospital. I am now in a worse position because I was so used to how my insurance used to be that I didn't know I was going to get a bill that I couldn't afford. I'm already on a payment plan for other medical debt from an MRI. This has all been just too much stress. I have missed work for times I have had to call the insurance and be on the phone for hours. I spent the day crying and I'm sick to my stomach. It's ruined my life and I looked up costs to get health insurance directly through an insurance company and it's $400-$600 a month premium. I can't look at plans to compare for healthcare.gov until enrollment in Nov or Dec 2022. They took away options whenever I renewed this past Dec 2021 and I already sat on the phone and website with very little options.

When I started to be on my own 3 years ago, I could use my wife's insurance, but I signed up on healthcare.gov, because I did not want to lose my doctor and my kids' doctors. First year, okay. Second year, the Covid hit, and the IRS refunded me the tax premium, so not much to complain. In the year 2021, suddenly this plan became trash - I had to pay almost the full amount out of pocket for the doctor's visit, blood test, and my medication price jumped from $30 a month to $350. Then I wanted to switch, even that means that I will have to switch doctors.

The messages from Marketplace always gave me this impression that if I don't re-enroll in the market place it would be automatically cancelled, so hurry up and re-enroll asap. But no. I was never reminded that when I signed up for the plan, the fine prints said they had the right for 5-years of automatic re-enrollment (thanks for another reviewer in this site). I was surprised when the insurance company sent me an email about the pending charge for January 2022, and they even sent a new insurance card for the year 2022. I called the insurance company 3 times, spent hours with different reps, and finally understood that it was because of Marketplace's automatic renewal. They transferred the call to a Marketplace rep, and the rep said it would be cancelled.

Next day I called Marketplace, this time a different rep. He had a hard time to find any information about my cancellation. Anyway, he told me to wait 2-3 days for the confirmation email to arrive. I asked for an email confirmation, but they were not able to do it. I asked for a confirmation number for the case, but he could not provide it. Finally, he provided me a 27-digits confirmation number, but I was not even sure what this was for, probably for the confirmation of the call, which would be of no use if anything happens.

So today, on 12/30/21, I called Marketplace again. This time a female rep. She did not know what the confirmation number is for. With some research, she told me that I am not to be re-enrolled into 2022 coverage. But I need some evidence, some confirmation, after reading some horrible stories on this site. Basically, if the Marketplace messes up and I would be charged for the year 2022, and I would have no evidence that I have cancelled it. The rep said she could not send me any email/message, saying that it's their protocol. I asked to talk to her supervisor and was transferred a few times. In 30 minutes, I started talking with a male, and he provided me the same explanation, that they could not send me any email or message to confirm my cancellation of 2022 coverage. He tried to convince me that in healthcare.gov, the status of my current 2021 plan ("Active until 12/31/2021") is the proof that I have successfully cancelled my 2022 coverage. I asked for a more explicit phrase, something like "your will not have coverage for the year 2022", and he said no. He also said this is per the guideline of CMS.gov. I asked for another supervisor, this time a woman. Again she said the Marketplace will not send out any message/email/mail about the cancellation per the guideline, but the insurance company will in a few days. I had to ask for another supervisor, and was transferred to a peer. An old lady, probably with better patience, but the same BS. She could not let me talk to her manager, and she just hang up.

Company name is maximus and it has branches all over the country.

I've had numerous problems with Marketplace and Ambetter since I was enrolled with them.

I first went in to urgent care in the summer for ear pain. On the insurance card it says my copayment amount (it was about $10-$15, I don't remember exactly). I paid that, got examined for about 10 minutes then was sent on my way.

A month later I receive a $200 bill for my visit. I was told that it was because of a billing code that Ambetter put in their system for my visit. I don't know how many days I spent on the phone with Ambetter and Marketplace fighting the charge that I wasn't aware that I would incur. Ambetter said that they always use the same code for everyone, Marketplace said that because of the code I was charged $200 for my visit. I filled an appeal with Marketplace as they told me that was my only other option. And guess what? My appeal was DENIED. I ended up paying $200 or I would've been sent to collections.

At the end of 2019, I received in the mail a notice that it was time to renew my policy. I called Ambetter at the end of December/beginning of January to let them know that I will not be renewing my policy since it was too expensive now(went from $30 a month to $300)The person at Ambetter took down my info and said that the cancellation was put through and I'm good to go.

In February, I received a letter and email saying that my account is past due and that I owe X amount of money. I was upset and called Ambetter again. They told me that my account was NOT overdue and that I DON'T owe anything. Great!

Then, March 7th, 2020 I receive my statement in the mail $1,081.47! I called Ambetter and they said that the original person that I spoke to (end of December/beginning of January) NEVER put my request(to cancel the policy) through in their system. Seriously? Now the person I was speaking to put my request in and told me to call Marketplace and let them know, I did.

Get this, Marketplace is holding me responsible of the $1081, 47 payment since I didn't inform and the plan automatically renews. I have NEVER chosen for my plan to automatically renew. I would ALWAYS renew it with a person from the Marketplace. They said that since they didn't hear from me it automatically renews, are you serious?! How are you going to automatically renew someone's policy without their approval?! My monthly payment was originally $30 then they were charging me $300 a month and that's why I wasn't renewing. Guess what my only option is "to file an appeal with Marketplace" and guess what that appeal will say? DENIED! And guess who will be responsible for that amount? ME!

I'm in tears after speaking to the Marketplace Supervisor Ms. Garcia and her telling me that I'm responsible for that amount because I didn't let them know that I wasn't renewing and after speaking to Ambetter MULTIPLE TIMES and no one informed me that I have to let Marketplace know.
I just lost my job and I wasn't making that kind of money to be able to afford that payment and that is why I had to cancel my health insurance.

Now I'm furious and scared about having to pay that kind of money that I don't even have.

STAY FAR AWAY OR YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN ISSUE TO RESOLVE.

The entire system is a mess, I was never notified that I lost my tax credit for my insurance, I got one bill from my health insurance showing that I still have a credit for June, meaning everything is fine, a couple of weeks later, around the end of May I got another bill saying I dont have a tax credit and I have to pay $387 for June. I logged onto healthcare.gov to see an online message saying I am no longer eligable. I called and was informed that if I would have called before May 15 they could have reapplied the credit for June but since it was the end of May they couldnt do it. Why would I call to fix something I didnt know was broken? I received a bill at first saying I had the credit, it wasnt until long after May 15 that I received the other bill showing I no longer had the credit, Healthcare.gov never sent me anything saying I lost it, I didnt realize I should be logging onto their site once a week to make sure there werent any new problems, that is ridiculous. The first guy transferred me to someone he said would be able to override June due to misinformation since I was not informed I would lose the tax credit before May 15. The next idiot told me that does not count for misinformation, the definition of misinformation is giving the wrong information to someone, so me getting one bill showing I am covered for June and have a tax credit it quite literally misinforming me. I asked for her supervisor, that is when I got Nikki Strong on the phone, at first she thought I lost my tax credit because I didnt file the form for it on my 2017 taxes, I did, I have confirmed with my tax lady more than onece that she filed that form, Then Nikki decides I lost it for another reason, because I claim I make 20k less this year than last year, I lost one of my 2 jobs, which is why I dont have that income, I explained to her the system is broken as it doesnt accept that someone could possibly lose their job as a legitimate reason for why you dont make as much money. I asked Ms. Strong what she would suggest I do to prove I make less money that I havent already done her response was that she wouldnt have lost her job in the first place because she knows how to keep her job, just plain nasty and not at all helpful. She told me I can appeal but still have to pay $387 for June if I want to keep my insurance, I can not afford that! She explained the appeal process takes 90 days, and it must be done by regular mail or fax where they would respond to me to my mailing address or by phone. I explained to her I leave the country Friday for 4 months and that I would not be able to receive mail at my mailing address and I would not be able to get calls unless from another iphone overseas, I asked her how she recommends I file an appeal from another country and her exact words were "well maybe you shouldnt be leaving the country" again how the hell is that helpful at all? IT ISNT! She was nasty and rude and had no desire to help anyone or give an option that was possible. Now I will have to cancel my insurance since I cant afford it which means when I return to the states in October I wont have any way to have insurance until the new year. Nikki should be fired, heck most of the uneducated, rude, straight nasty employees there should be fired.

Really screwed those of us that are individuals making good money in our own business and already paying in the top tax bracket. I get the idea of wanting to get health insurance for everyone that can't afford it. Isn't that what medicaid is supposed to be? This method screwed the rest of us. Far less options available and no freedom to get the insurance you want. The carriers in the marketplace are horrible bottom feeders. Also noticed the attention and detail of the doctors has gone way downhill since all this started and they get their costs cut and have to do way more paperwork. So the bottom feeder insurance companies win and the patients all lose.

I tolerated this crap and signed up every year for my plan. The last two years we had issues where the insurance company said it didn't receive the enrollment payment that I paid online when signing up through the site. Last year they fixed it, this year not yet. The payment was clearly made in November and charged to my card. Finally got to the point that the insurance company incorrectly applied it to last year and now I have a credit for last year but they show no payment for enrollment. Waiting for them to fix it and going without insurance in the meantime.

Ask healthcare.gov to help since I enrolled through them and they can't help. Useless. We were forced into this crappy system and they can't even do their job. So I was hoping this year we'd have more options for carriers since the law changed but in my area its still the same bottom feeders. Hopefully some of the better carriers will be back soon. Won't be using healthcare.gov for anything anymore either way. Not sure why I ever did go through the web site since I don't qualify for any discounts or anything.

Then on top of all of that every year when I sign up through healthcare.gov I start getting phone calls from telemarketers every day trying to sell their health insurance. Not sure if healthcare.gov sells our information or gets hacked. First year it happened I didn't tie it together but when it happened each year thereafter its obvious. Other people complain about it and all healthcare.gov says is its probably security on our computer. Complete BS. I use VPN technology all the time and I never have issues except right after I submit the application at healthcare.gov.

And I'm not an Obama hater. I liked Obama for a lot of things but this is not one of them. The idea might have been good but the method to get there and the execution were terrible and to this day it is still the most frustrating thing. I remember what doctors and health insurance used to be like. Maybe not great but 100 times better than we have now. We'll never get back to that.

Just like many other people who are able to do it we leave the country for anything. Stupid ACA didn't realize how pushing people in that direction was going to take money away from doctors and insurance in the U.S. Decided to go with no insurance this year. Everyone says its crazy but you need to do the math if your like me and not qualifying for any discount.

We live close to the border so for anything thats not an emergency cross the border and you get the care you need from more attentive doctors for the same price as your copays. People say what about an emergency, e.g. a heart attack. Scary at first right? A heart attack can cost about $150K. But if you tell the hospital you are uninsured it gets switched to self pay and a hefty discount. Nothing special because the insurance companies all negotiate the original price down to about 10% of what the hospital asks for anyway. Then if you tell them you can pay all at once its another huge discount. Get that bill down to about $30K. Sounds like a lot but if you had bottom feeder insurance do you think you'd walk away without paying anything? You'd still end up paying about $15K out of pocket. So if I do have a heart attack I lose $15K. But will I have one this year? Next year? When will it happen? Save and invest those premiums (nearly $10K a year for us) during that time and you'll have more than $15K.

So this year since we're not forced to buy insurance or pay a penalty we are just not buying any insurance. Thats the way to go for us and a lot of other people and that just further drives a hole through this bottom feeding insurance practice that we've gotten stuck with.

Not saying everyone should do that but do your research. Look at how low you can negotiate hospital bills for everything on your own. People do it all the time. Don't just be scared of that $150K emergency and be tricked into buying crap you don't need. If the insurance and the doctors were any good I'd buy but what we have today is just crap so why would anyone want to buy it.

The catch to the plan is that if you have a pre-existing condition it may be hard to get insurance if you want/need it in the future. But at least for now these same bottom feeders have to accept pre-existing conditions through the market place. So you can always go back. Until that changes or we have better insurance options I'm going to keep going without insurance.