Questions about choosing a plan on healthcare.gov in NH

After moving from MA to NH recently, I submitted my application on healthcare.gov, was approved for a $295/month tax credit, and now I need to select a plan. See my previous post here for more background info.

When I went on the “pick a health plan” platform I put in my current providers (in MA) and medications, but I’m not finding any plans that are listing more than 1 of my providers in-network or more than 6 of my 9 meds covered. It’s extremely common for NH residents to go to providers in MA, so I was surprised to see that almost none of my doctors are taking any of the available plans. Do you think that most people in NH who see MA doctors are just going to out-of-network doctors or are they on more flexible insurance plans than the ones offered on healthcare.gov?

I’m also confused about what it means for a medication to be “covered”. I’m on a few meds that always require a prior authorization no matter which health insurance plan I have (so far that’s been Tufts, Aetna, and MassHealth). So when a drug is listed as being “not covered” on a health insurance plan, does that just mean that I’d have to go through the prior auth process or does it mean that I’d have to pay out of pocket since insurance would literally refuse to cover it?

Lastly, the platform is pushing me towards silver plans because it’s saying they’d be more cost effective for me. I have some complex health conditions, but so far I’ve been fortunate enough to not need to actually stay in a hospital. I generally use my health insurance to regularly see my doctors, get blood testing annually, and for my several medications. Would there be any benefit to choosing a gold plan over a silver plan?

See also  Claim denied due to non-coverage

Thank you for your help!!