Coordinated Care / Washington Apple Health

I recently lost my job and moved to Washington state. I was considering COBRA, but since my employer plan was an HSA plan and I no longer get the tax-free contributions, it doesn’t seem wise to keep the same plan—especially since my cash flow will be inconsistent as I try to support the family on consulting income.

I found out I qualify for Washington Apple Health, which sounds tempting depending on the amount of payment assistance—my COBRA costs were going to be $2335 monthly, and that’s before I started chipping away at the $6000 deductible.

The trick is I know nothing about Apple Health, or how it differs from the PPO and HSA plans I’ve been using my whole career. Most of the plans listed here are labeled as “Coordinated Care” plans—does that mean that I’m required to choose a doctor through them and the doctor manages our referrals, like a Kaiser/HMO plan? We are currently seeing an independent doctor for primary care that we’re extremely happy with, and I’d be willing to consider paying for a PPO plan through the marketplace if it meant we kept access to our regular primary care doctor.

submitted by /u/diasflac
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