Applications for new government -supported health insurance plans are online today. Some people refer to the Affordable Care Act as “Obamacare.” If you have no health insurance or you cannot afford the premiums on insurance offered by your employer, go to http://www.healthcare.gov to start your investigation. You will set up an account and a password. You’ll be asked to enter your basic household information, select your State (New Jersey, for instance) , and provide information concerning household income, legal status, and present access to insurance. and see what plans are available for you. The insurance will become available to you January 1, 2014. Premiums will be subsidized through tax credits, which in turn will be based on your income. Premiums would be reduced for individuals with income up to $45,960 and $94,200 for a family of four (400 x the Federal Poverty rate). There will also be a cap on your annual out-of-pocket expense for premiums and deductibles
The ACA can be a lifeline for people with pending Social Security Disability claims: If you are no longer able to work due to severe, medically-determinable impairments that prevent you from performing the kinds of work you have done in the last 15 years and which prevent you from performing any other kind of full-time work, you may be filing a claim for Social Security Disability (Title II) benefits. If your claim is eventually approved, you will receive Medicare as your health insurance once two years have gone by since the start of your SS benefits (the “start” is 5 months after the “onset date” of the disability, which is when you are disabled and no longer gainfully employed). However, while your claim is pending, you may need health insurance, and it would be smart to investigate what the Affordable Care Act can do for yourself and your family.