Health Insurance For Unemployed Nc

Best For Families: Oscar

Oscar offers the best value for family health insurance that wont eat up your savings fund while youre unemployed.

• Free concierge and virtual visits

• Pays up to $100 per year for step tracking

• Smaller provider network

• Doesnt pay for out-of-network care

When you become unemployed and lose company-sponsored health insurance, your dependents also will be dropped from coverage. Oscar offers a few options to help reduce costs for large families. The insurers plans are eligible for tax credits that can reduce your monthly premiums significantly if your income is less than four times the federal poverty level.

Policies also include a cap on family deductibles your overall deductible will never exceed twice the individual deductible no matter how large your household is. For these reasons and more, we selected Oscar as best for families of all the providers we reviewed.

Coverage is easy to purchase online or by downloading the Oscar smartphone app, which includes a few additional perks. Use the app to get virtual care or contact the free concierge service staffed by experts who can help you schedule appointments and refill prescriptions. If you sync the app with your smartphones step counter, youll earn a dollar for every day that you meet your step goal, up to $100 per year.

How Much Does Health Insurance Cost Without A Job

The cost of health insurance will depend on the type of plan you choose. The cheapest option could be Medicaid, which is free to low-cost, or a plan through the ACA marketplace, which has a variety of coverage options and discounted rates based on income.

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North Carolina Marketplace Subsidies

North Carolina has one of the highest percentages of Marketplace enrollees who receive subsidies or premium tax credits. In 2020, 93%of enrollees received help to lower their monthly costs.

North Carolinians also receive larger average monthly subsidies than the rest of the country. They received an average of $607 in 2020 the national average was $491.

Before 2021, you qualified for help paying for health insurance if you earned between a certain range . In 2021, you qualify for subsidy help if you pay more than 8.5% of your household income on health insurance.

Below are examples of the monthly cost for a Marketplace plan after subsidies:

A 40-year old couple in Raleigh, NC earning $40,000 a year could pay $106 for a silver plan with subsidies. This policy would cost $875 without subsidies, so thats a $769 cost savings.

A family of four in Charlotte, NC earning $55,000 a year could get a silver plan for $105 per month after subsidies or $1,399 a month before subsidiesa cost savings of $1,294.

Check a 2022 subsidy chart and calculator to see which subsidies you might qualify for.

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Cheapestpos/hmo/ppohealth Insurance Plan In North Carolina

When purchasing a health insurance plan, it is important to consider your healthcare needs and preferences. In North Carolina, you can choose from HMO, POS or PPO plans. Health Maintenance Organization plans are the most common and affordable type.

An HMO plan provides coverage based on a specific provider network which you are restricted to unless you have an emergency. You will also require a referral to see a specialist on an HMO plan. Preferred Provider Organization plans are more costly than HMO policies, but they offer a wider provider network. You do not need a referral to see a specialist if you are on a PPO plan. A Point-of-Service plan offers the most flexibility in terms of providers, although costs for out-of-network providers are high.

MoneyGeek found that the cheapest Silver plans for each plan type are, on average:

• Cheapest HMO Silver plan: Silver 5000 offered by Bright Health at $468 monthly
• Cheapest PPO Silver plan: Blue Advantage Silver 6300 offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC at $636 monthly
• Cheapest POS Silver plan: Blue Local Silver 6300 provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC at $428 monthly

Best For Telehealth: Cigna

All Cigna individual health insurance plans include free access to two of the largest virtual care networks in the United States, making Cigna our choice as best for telehealth.

• Almost all individual plans include $0 virtual care.

• Partners with two major telehealth networks

• $25 monthly copay limit on insulin

• Offers 24/7 customer service

• Dental coverage starts at $19 per month.

• Individual plans available in only 13 states.

• Policies must begin on the first day of the month.

• Higher-than-average premiums

Access to telehealth services can be a lifesaver for anyone dealing with unemployment. Virtual care saves you the time and cost of getting to a doctors office, and you also can get remote treatment for some minor ailments without having to pay for an in-person visit. Cigna includes $0 telehealth visits with all of its individual plans through partnerships with MDLive and Amwell, two of the largest telemedicine providers in the United States.

Virtual health visits arent the only advantage to purchasing health insurance from Cigna. In-house customer service is available 24 hours a day to answer questions and provide assistance. The company also places a $25 monthly out-of-pocket cost limit on insulin regardless of your coverage level.

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Insurance For Individuals In North Carolina

You have several health plan options when youre only looking for insurance for yourself, including low deductibles with higher premium costs and high deductibles with lower monthly premiums. Some plans can offer coverage at a lower price if you qualify medically. A low deductible means a higher upfront premium cost, but youll pay less when you need coverage. A higher deductible results in lower monthly premiums, but youll pay more when youre sick or injured.

There are three types of insurance plans that you can select.

• Health Maintenance Organization plans offer a network of doctors that you can visit. Youll need to get a referral whenever you need to see a specialist.
• Preferred Provider Organization plans provide much more freedom to see any doctor or specialist you want, but youre required to pay higher premiums for this freedom.
• Point of Service plans rest in the middle because they offer a network of doctors you can receive care from at a discount, but youre able to see doctors outside of the network as long as you pay a higher copayment.

Whats The Best Health Insurance For Unemployed People

The best health insurance for the unemployed will depend on your unique situation, your coverage needs, and your budget. Your most cost-effective options are to join someone elses plan if eligible, to find a new plan on the Marketplace, or to see if you qualify for Medicaid. However, short-term health insurance and COBRA are great for getting you through a difficult time without losing coverage, even though theyre more expensive.

No matter what you do for unemployed health insurance, make sure to compare multiple plans and quotes to find the best option for you. ConsumerCoverage can help by comparing thousands of quotes and finding the very best health insurance option, all with the click of a button.

Get Started Now Comparing Quotes

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How Do I Enroll In North Carolinas Health Insurance Marketplace

Like many other states, North Carolina doesnt have a separate website to purchase health insurance. To enroll in North Carolinas health insurance marketplace, youll need to visit HealthCare.gov and create an account to see available plans and compare prices. Creating an account is fairly straightforward. Youll provide your name and personal contact information, create a password, and set up several security questions.

Once youre up and running, Healthcare.gov checks to see if youre eligible for Medicare and whether you qualify for any tax credits, such as the Advance Premium Tax Credit. Whether youre applying for yourself or your family, youll need every persons name, birth date, and Social Security number included in your application.

The application includes several questions related to your income and family, including the following:

• Are you single or married?
• How many tax dependents will you claim on your current return?
• How much income will your household make this year?
• Do you want to see if you can get help paying for coverage?

At this point, youll be able to see a list of available HealthCare.gov coverage plans for North Carolina. The website also has a tool that allows you to review up to three different plans side-by-side so that you can compare costs for different levels of coverage. You can then pick a plan and complete the application process.

The companies that provide individual health insurance plans in North Carolina are:

• Aetna CVS Health

North Carolina And The Affordable Care Act

ACA regulations gave states access to federal funding to expand Medicaid programs from 2014. But North Carolina is among the 12 states that have not adopted Medicaid expansion.

North Carolinas Medicaid population has not grown much proportionally to the total state population. About 17% of residents had Medicaid when the ACA passed in 2010. That went up to 18% in 2014 and has stayed that way through 2019. Thats about 1.8 million Medicaid enrollees out of a population of around 10 million residents in 2019.1

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Health Insurance Options For The Unemployed

Dont let the worry of not having a job or health insurance eat away at you. Here are the most popular health insurance avenues for people who find themselves without a job.

• Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act . If you lose your job or your hours get cut, youre eligible for COBRA insurance, which is the continuation of your former employer-sponsored health insurance. These are the important facts to know about COBRA coverage:
• This insurance is available for companies with over 20 people.
• You can elect to continue your health insurance however, youll pay both the employer and employee portion, so its costly.
• Spouses and dependents remain covered however, coverage is limited to health care, not a disability or life insurance.
• You can remain on COBRA for up to 18 months.

There are plenty of benefits associated with getting Marketplace health insurance, such as:

No signup required.

North Carolina Health Insurance: Find Affordable Plans

See how you can get cheap health insurance in NC, including marketplace plans, Medicare, and Medicaid.

There are several ways to obtain health insurance coverage in North Carolina. You can enroll in your employers health insurance plan, purchase private insurance, or if youre eligible, you can enroll in Medicare or Medicaid.

This guide provides detailed information about your North Carolina health insurance options.

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You Have More Insurance Options For Your Health Than You Think North Carolina

If youre self-employed or without insurance from your employer in other words, youre looking for individual or family health insurance in North Carolina you might be looking for Affordable Care Act insurance, what’s often called Obamacare. However, we want to make you aware of the whole range of individual and family insurance products we have available in your state.

Health Insurance For Unemployed Individuals: What Are Your Options

Your search for affordable Health, Medicare and Life insurance starts here.

Call us 24/7 at or Find an Agent near you.

Finding health insurance for unemployed periods can help relieve the stress of the unknown. Whether you’re temporarily out of work or waiting on coverage to start for a new job, it’s important to maintain major medical insurance while unemployed to help with healthcare costs in case of an emergency. No matter your unique circumstance, you have options when it comes to finding insurance for unemployed people. Whatever position you find yourself in, there is a way for you to get health insurance.

In 10 questions, we can help you discover your options with our Coverage Finder Tool, or you can read on to learn more.

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Cheapest Health Insurance By Metal Tier

To help you find the most affordable health insurance rates for your desired level of coverage, we compared the North Carolina policies offered in 2022 to determine the cheapest options for each coverage tier.

When we look across the state, Bright Health is the cheapest provider for Silver, Bronze Expanded and Catastrophic tier plans. On the other hand, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is the cheapest provider for Gold and Bronze tier plans. The cheapest plans listed below aren’t available in every county in the state. However, we recommend using them as a starting point to determine the benefits and costs you can expect for a given tier of coverage.

Within a metal tier, your actual health insurance premium will also vary according to the policy you choose, your age and the size of your family. As you can see below, a 40-year-old pays $138 more for a Silver health insurance plan than a 21-year-old. And a 60-year-old pays $712 more than a 40-year-old. That’s more than double the price, showing how quickly rates can rise as you age.

Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes in North Carolina

Getting Health Insurance While Youre Unemployed

If youre unemployed and find yourself without health insurance, you have plenty of options available to yousome with tremendous premium savingsso that while youre looking for a new job, you have one less thing to worry about.

Whatever you do, dont go uninsured. Not only will being uninsured mean that youll have to pay out-of-pocket for medical expenses, but by not meeting the state minimum for health insurance, youll have to pay a tax penalty.

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We Feel Your Pain And We Have Good News For You

For the first time ever, those who recently lost their job can obtain AFFORDABLE health insurance!

The recently unemployed are now eligible to apply for substantial government subsidies to help pay for their health insurance. For some families the cost is zero. Be sure to be an educated consumer ask us how to get a great health insurance policy for a very reasonable cost. BECAUSE they lost their job! And really good-quality health insurance at that!

Those who have been laid off recently or fired can now avoid the double-whammy that was always in place: A drastic income cut AND two really bad choices: 1) become uninsured ~OR~ 2) pay COBRAs gigantic premiums! Nobody can afford these rates and practically no one accepted COBRA unless they had a preexisting health condition and thus were forced to!

You no longer need to worry about bearing the full cost of the group health insurance policy by way of COBRA.

You can apply for affordable subsidized health care as long as you do so within 60 days of your employment termination!

When Should You Use Cobra

COBRA is usually not the most cost-effective way to get health insurance. We recommend that you only use it for a few months or in the following situations:

• Stopgap to continue coverage while waiting for another policy to begin.
• To keep using a plan’s benefits when you’re receiving ongoing health care and you’ve already met the plan’s deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. In this situation, the higher monthly costs of a COBRA plan are offset by lower medical costs because the plan details carry forward when it switches from employer coverage to COBRA.

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Cost Of Aca Marketplace Plans

With the health insurance marketplace, the cost of plans will depend on a range of factors including your age, location, household size, the level of coverage you choose and if you qualify for discounted rates because of your income.

For those looking for middle-of-the-road medical benefits, the average cost for a Silver plan is $541 per month if you pay full price. This tier of coverage is best for most people because plans provide a balance between monthly costs and plan benefits.

For those who are young and healthy or who don’t need much medical care, choosing a Bronze or lower-tier plan is a good way to save money, but when you do need medical care, you’ll pay more out of pocket.

Those who have significant or expensive medical needs could get the best deal by choosing a Gold or Platinum plan. These plans will cost more each month, but the better benefits will mean you’ll pay less for medical care, helping you save money overall.

Based on rates for a 40-year-old who is paying full price.

Is Financial Assistance Available For Health Insurance When You’re Unemployed

You can get help with insurance costs when youre unemployed. People with low or moderate incomes can get reduced premiums and other financial support for their health insurance through their states marketplace, Dr. Miller says.

The American Rescue Act of 2021 has expanded the financial assistance available to people who have lost their jobs. More people qualify for health insurance tax credits, and those who are already qualified may receive even more assistance. Three out of five eligible unemployed individuals on average qualify for $0 health insurance plans under the expanded benefits, while four out of five will get coverage for $10 or less per month.

Suppose you received unemployment income at any point during 2021. In that case, CMS encourages you to complete an application or update your information at Healthcare.gov by August 15, 2021, to see if you qualify for increased savings.

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