‘Affordable Care Act’ saving money

To the editor:

A Wasilla auto mechanic just enrolled in a health insurance policy for himself and his wife through the Affordable Care Act that will cost them nothing per month and will have a deductible of only $500. His yearly out-of-pocket maximum? Only $1,000.

This is because at an annual adjusted gross income of $25,000, he qualified for an Advanced Premium Tax Credit of $1,200 per month.

“I feel like I won the lottery,” Ken Olson said after I helped him land a plan he initially thought he didn’t qualify for when he went on the healthcare.gov website previously.

Olson was among many people who tried to apply for ACA insurance on his own, only to incorrectly enter his income information or fail to push the right button that would qualify him for a tax subsidy. We were able to get into his ACA account, remove his first application, and submit a new one.

Voila! He’s now covered and never again has to worry about mounting medical bills or pleading with insurance companies to pick up more of the costs.

But even those making a bit more per year are finding a lot of financial relief through the ACA.

Anita and Curtis Leader, the owners of Alaska Power Vac, will save $1,000 per month in premium costs now that they have a Premera Blue Cross plan through the ACA. With a tax subsidy of about $900 per month, they had a choice between a Moda Health plan costing about $250 per month and a Premera plan costing about $400 per month. Since they already were insured through Premera, they decided to stick with them.

“We couldn’t be happier,” said Anita, who has two special needs daughters at home.

The examples are endless. But this isn’t to say all the computer glitches and malfunctions are gone or that some folks won’t be disappointed in the program.

It’s not a perfect system by any means. But it’s a start.

And it will save lives. Guaranteed.

Come see me at Mat-Su Health Services before the end of March if you’d like assistance. Give me a call at 352-3225.

Kate McKee

Wasilla