Myth #2

“Obamacare is Free insurance for people” – Some people believe Healthcare reform (Obamacare) will be free insurance for people.  There will be NO free insurance for anyone under Obamacare.  Each person will be responsible for some form of premium for their plan.  The premiums and subsidies will be determined by the following factor: each family’s total household income, family size, if they smoke, geographical location, and finally if they have access to affordable group coverage.  Click this link to review the subsidy chart for Obamacare.

Obamacare does however offer subsidies and cost sharing to make coverage affordable for those with lower incomes.   Estimates based on the average incomes in North Carolina show that 2/3 of North Carolinians could qualify for a subsidy.  The “kicker” for many will be if they have access to what is deemed affordable group coverage through work (or spouse’s work).  Those that have access to group coverage will purchase coverage through their employer (or spouse’s employer) or outside/off of the exchange with no subsidy.

Cost sharing will be available for those who fall under the 250% Federal Poverty Limit.  Cost sharing will lower the copays, deductibles, and out of pocket maximums of the consumers plan.
We also could potentially see small group (employers with less than 50 employees) dropping health insurance coverage through work.  This could mean more people going onto the system.  Employees could get better pricing on plans through the exchange if the employer drops their health insurance plan.

This website is run by two brokers who are helping North Carolinians understand their options.   There are some parts of the law we feel are good, while other part may have unintended consequences, but our intent is to give North Carolinians accurate and unbiased information, not propaganda in favor or against the law.  If you want to work with us, great; if not, feel free to use this site as a resource for information about the law and its impact on North Carolinians.

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