Leo felt his shoulders drop an inch. "Is it the same kind of coverage?"
"Wait, really?" Leo asked. "I thought everything had to go through the state site now." can you buy insurance outside of the marketplace
Leo sat at his kitchen table, staring at the "Enrollment Window Closed" notice on his laptop screen. He had missed the deadline for the government marketplace by two days, and a minor panic was setting in. He was a freelancer; without a job-based plan, he felt like he was walking a tightrope without a net. Leo felt his shoulders drop an inch
"Nope," she explained. "Most big insurers sell plans directly on their own websites. You won't get those government subsidies—the tax credits—if you buy outside the marketplace, but since your income fluctuated so much last year, you weren't qualifying for much anyway." He had missed the deadline for the government
"If you buy a 'Major Medical' plan directly from an insurer, it still has to follow the Affordable Care Act rules—covering pre-existing conditions and the basics," Sarah said. "But you can also look at or health sharing ministries if you just need a bridge, though those have way more 'fine print' and might not cover everything."
"I am. The ghost of my bank account if I get sick," Leo sighed. "I missed the marketplace window. I thought I was stuck until next year."