Trying to decide between Bronze and Silver plans when they seem comparable – "navigator" wasn’t much help
55 years old, $77K income, Texas 78744
I looked at available marketplace plans that are eligible for an HSA. I used a consultant/”navigator” but they weren’t much help beyond the basics.
With both plans the deductible and the out-of-pocket are the same. Plan A (Bronze) has $6900 deductible/max out-of-pocket for $350 a month premium. Plan B has $5,400 deductible/out-of-pocket for $625 a month. So why would I take Plan B (the “better” plan) if it would only possibly save me $1,500 a year but would cost me an extra $3,300 a year? Nether plan covers anything at all until I hit my deductible, but since my deductible is also my out-of-pocket max they both pay 100% after that (for in-network).
I have no existing conditions and only go to a doctor very rarely. Maybe the Silver will have larger networks and give me more choice, but should that matter to me? I don’t have any basis for deciding on a doctor anyway, I’d just be randomly picking a name.
One related question – everything I read says that if you make more than about $55K (single individual) you aren’t eligible for subsidies, and yet it’s showing that I’m eligible for subsidies even though I make $77K. Is it maybe because I’m old (55) so my plan choices are more expensive?
