The rollout of the Federal and State Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange websites have been rocky, to say the least.  Colorado has its own state Exchange Marketplace, fortunately, but even we have had some significant troubles enrolling individuals and small groups early on in the weeks right after the October 1 rollout. More recently, though, the technical glitches of both the Colorado site as well as the Federal site have improved significantly. We’ve enrolled quite a few individuals on the CO site, especially in the month of December. While the technology has been frustrating, and the process for determining one’s subsidy grueling, there are also some nice results that hopefully are making it worthwhile.  A few heartwarming examples from the enrollments we’ve completed:

• Dani*, a middle aged single mom, was able to enroll herself and her two children for $140 a month in a rich plan similar to one she’d had previously.  But for her pre-ACA policy, she’d been paying over $500 a month.
• Bonnie is 59, is disabled, and has never really used a computer. She and her husband earn only about $30,000 a year in total, and had been paying almost $6,000 a year to insure Bonnie. Despite her intimidation with technology, we enrolled her in 90 minutes start to finish, including her Medicaid and subsidy application.  The tax credits enabled her to choose a plan comparable to her current coverage for just $240 a month, about half of her current bill.
• My favorite story is about a 42 year-old named Rob, who gave a homeless shelter as his address despite having a full time job. With the help of both the tax credits and Cost Sharing Reduction, Rob was able to purchase a plan with a $100 deductible and a $5 copay for office visits and prescriptions, all for just $54 a month in premium.

These individuals and many others have certainly experienced confusion and technology challenges as a result of the new law, but are receiving better coverage at a far lower cost that makes a world of difference for these hard working people.  Stories like these keep me going as we work hard to ensure all of our clients have the best possible strategy around the ACA. *All names changed to protect privacy.