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This year, there may be surprises in store for those who do not do a subsidy "re-determination", and then shop for new plans and coverage. If you were given subsidy money to purchase a policy under the new Affordable Care Act through Healthcare.gov last year, you may need to go back in and do a subsidy re-determination - especially if you believe your income for 2015 will be different than what you have projected for 2014.
Even if income stays the same, the plan choices and level of subsidy offered for the same income could differ considerably.
The Wall Street Article below spells it out pretty well.
Surprises Lurk for People Re-Enrolling on Healthcare.gov
I know that in the Kansas & Missouri markets there will be
additional insurers entering the Federal Exchange/marketplace that were
not present last year. Insurers will also be offering some new plan
designs that may impact what choices people make - even if they have
been satisfied with their current coverage.
"Off-Exchange" policies will also offer more choice, for those who already know they will not qualify for subsidies. If you do not qualify for a subsidy, there's really no good reason to shop through Healthcare.gov - unless you really want to go through the entire income verification process before you can purchase.
If you know you're going to purchase "off-exchange", you can go directly to the carrier to purchase, or work through an agent/broker (like me) who can run side-by-side quotes for you to choose from.
Open enrollment for individuals and families begins on 11/15/2014 and goes until 2/15/2015. If you need to have coverage in place for a January 1 effective date, you'll need to be enrolled in a plan no later than 12/15/2014.
