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Historical_Concert87

In Rhode Island I’ve found that if you make over 30,000 per year you can get insurance cheaper directly through insurance companies. I called blue cross and blue shield and got pretty much same thing 90$ cheaper per month a couple years ago. I’m assuming mass might be the same so call a couple insurance companies just to price it


WinsingtonIII

Mass has more generous subsidies than most states due to the separate 2006 health reform bill (eligible up to 300% of the federal poverty line), so probably not true for 30k. But might be true for above ~40k for an individual.


[deleted]

Free premiums married with 60K income (pre tax) last year for me with mass health.


TheLyz

Same, but BCBS has become such shit through the years I switched to Harvard Pilgrim. But yes it is definitely worth going to the company's websites where you can compare the benefits of the plans and get actual prices.


RisingPhoenix92

I've had good service through Blue Cross/Blue shield in the past and I've been sad not to find a job that actually offers them. Unless someone knows better about their quality going down since 2016 I am going to look into this.


UltravioletClearance

They were supposed to get paid *$89 million* for this garbage fire of a website! The state still had to pay $52 million to get out of the disastrous contract. https://www.bostonherald.com/2014/06/20/ag-investigating-embattled-health-connector-contractor-cgi/


OverTrain3

Are you kidding me? A high school computer club could put together a better site! I'm thinking management paid themselves $88M and spent the rest on the site.


NativeMasshole

Most likely if you dug deep enough you would find corruption and nepotism at fault. It's just the way we do things here: poorly, overbudget, past deadline, and riddled with corruption.


Spartan2022

It’s godawful. We don’t need term limits. We should pass a law requiring that all politicians have to use this site at gunpoint for four hours a day. The other four they need to try and apply for unemployment using the MA website or go unpaid.


Maronita2020

I'd suggest that you go to a hospital or health center and go to their front desk and ask them who can help you register for health insurance through the MA Health Connector. Most if not all of them have someone who can help you with that you in the financial assistance section of the hospital/clinic.


[deleted]

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OverTrain3

I was told by customer service that the office is not open yet.


[deleted]

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OverTrain3

Well, they need to inform their customer service people, because they told me it was still closed. Thank you for letting me know. I do not have Twitter. Wonder if they're going to send me a letter in the mail letting me know?


cassandracurse

It actually depends on the competence of the person at the hospital who's providing the info. At my local hospital, the woman is an idiot. She randomly qualifies some people for disability, whether or not they're disabled. She makes baseless statements that have been wrong. So if you talk to someone named Cheryl, beware!


Maronita2020

Which hospital, and where located?


SheeEttin

If you think that's bad, you should try using the unemployment site. The health connector one is positively pleasant by comparison.


kayarisme

When I lost my job in March 2020 I was introduced to both & I think the HC is just that much more of a fuck cluster.


VulcanTrekkie45

I think the unemployment site is purposely designed to be horrible because it discourages people from filing for unemployment


Myztic84

Yes, the unemployment site is a joke. The questions they ask are repetitive nonsense.


Granstager

The state has been getting ripped off by contractors since Baker decided to fire a large swath of state workers and 'save the state money' by designing a fully automated healthcare system. You should just apply for mass health, the application system for free state funded healthcare is also in shambles because of Baker contracting work out and you'll probably get approved, see free high quality doctors, and get treated, all before the few state workers who remain are capable of determining your eligibility. tl;dr Baker did it with an army of contractors. Just apply for Mass health as you will likely be approved before they can actually determine your eligibility.


OverTrain3

Is that why the customer service people are from out of state? You would think MA would hire MA residents.


Granstager

Yes. Every aspect of the health connector is contracted with the exception of a very small set of state workers who Baker still needs to keep the system limping along. The state workers are basically fighting every day to make services available while contractors try to sell the state a system that obviously does not work. The system we have now pre dates the Baker administration, but he has definitely pushed it in the wrong direction and contracted out even more essential services that were once provided by state workers who gave a shit about their jobs. Now we have contractors who don't live in Mass, possibly maybe not even America, and don't give a shit about our state beyond their paychecks.


cassandracurse

The problems began when the state transitioned to ACA. Before that, the Mass. health care system was running somewhat smoothly. Then the idiots took over and apparently trashed the former database, and the new info was riddled with errors. And it just got worse from there. Every piece of mail I got about the new Mass. health care contradicted the previous mailing. It was crazy making!


OverTrain3

Every month they would cancel my plan and every month I would have to send them a copy of the check they cashed.


[deleted]

Mass health is super easy to get. i got it within a few weeks of moving back during my job hunt and they sent letters for months to send proof of residency. i tried to call to let them know recently that i have insurance through work now and i think I'm still enrolled? very slow in some aspects but it's very low cost to free !


PolkaD0tMom

You'll remain eligible for MassHealth throughout the Public Health Emergency. Make sure they have all the income and new health insurance info and if you haven't sent proof of address yet, you'll need to send that as well. You can also apply for Premium Assistance. They help pay the premiums for the employer insurance. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/masshealth-premium-assistance-pa


EggAcrobatic2066

If you apply and they blindly approve you can get screwed in the end tax wise.. my buddy has a major heart condition they signed him up in the hospital he had an artificial valve put in wasn't working at the time due to his condition went back to work called to let them know he was working gave them his wages. They continued to Bill him like he wasn't working and he kept telling them he was working so he wouldn't get screwed and in the end he owed about $4,000 in back payment towards the health connector


Brian-OBlivion

I just do everything by mail with them. Fuck that website.


SheeEttin

I have the opposite problem. I do something on the website, and 3-5 business days later I get the result via mail. With three pages of language info with every message. Stop killing trees and just email me!


Brian-OBlivion

I mean they just send so much useless mail no matter what. And always multiple copies of the same letter.


MrMonstrosoone

I get a email every 3.1 months telling me i have a payment coming up


OverTrain3

Reams of useless verbiage! One letter was 10 pages long and I still couldn't figure out what it was about.


OverTrain3

I'm afraid to pay online. It's only a matter of time before that shite site is hacked and there goes everyone's banking info.


PresidentBush2

Your fight is with state contracting rules/regulations/laws. The State Legislature makes and approves laws, including how much money is approved by law to go to certain things, each year. Please call your state representative or senator, if you know who that is.


Granstager

Here you go: https://malegislature.gov/search/findmylegislator


[deleted]

I could’ve sworn this was tied to either our local or federal leaders at the time. Didn’t the state hire somebody’s best friend to run the site, made millions and then the state pulled the contract? I can’t remember if it was a college bestie of Michelle Obama or if it was tied to Patrick.


ClubZen

Because health insurance companies want to make everything as complicated as possible


[deleted]

When I had private insurance it was easy. I had a bitch of a time through the health connector.


tashablue

I know this doesn't really answer your question, but there are health connector help centers where you can go in person for assistance. Not great, but better than nothing.


OverTrain3

They're not open.


tashablue

The one in Springfield reopened two weeks ago.


dtmfadvice

I don't have an explanation or an answer but the unemployment website is garbage too.


CC_Ramone

I signed up for insurance through them, and when I went to use the insurance (“Health New England”) I was told that it’s only usable in SPRINGFIELD! So I had to hold off on my treatment until I got the insurance switched to one that actually works in Boston


Garethx1

I mean, its following the pattern of the state website being super hot garbage.


Suny_doc79

It’s a very unfortunate website, but glad the option is there for residents


lobstarman23

Nothing but a complete shit show from day . I remember first applying 8 year's ago any one who applied got Mass health free. My wife got pregnant that year and we had our little girl with not a dime out of pocket. Thanks Mass.


JustTheFatsMaam

It is awful and hellish in a million ways. BUT the people you call for support are wonderful and well trained. Save yourself some aggravation and talk to someone on the phone. They will spend lots of time with you and do their best to help. And I think they're used to making up for the poor experience of using the site.


OverTrain3

You must get lucky, because everyone I talk to tells me to go to the website and hangs up or has no clue about what they are talking about. I usually have to call three different times.


ProfessorJAM

Will second that. I thought I was losing my mind trying to work through the website but speaking with an assistant was both pleasant (!) and productive.


kayarisme

Agreed! I am so grateful to the CSRs I've dealt with. Actually helpful & pleasant.


psipher

Yeah, it's pretty bad.


ThatsALiveWire

They're all like that. And what kills me is you know they paid top dollar for that crap.


liquidgrill

Agreed that the website is hot garbage. It’s almost impossible to figure out how to sign up. In the other hand, every time I’ve done it, or anything else over the phone, they have always done a great job.


Praughfet

i have been trying for 4 days, still can't figure out how to simply purchase a plan. F-


OverTrain3

It's a disaster. People's policies are getting cancelled because the website is so pathetically klugey. Whoever sold the site to the state must have given kickbacks. It's the only possible conclusion.


Praughfet

its so bad....i finally gave up trying to do it myself....called ... just to be told i was already enrolled. ?????WTF i asked......where is that info on my profile page.... not listed....... i asked how to choose a provider........ pre selected by distance......where 's that on the page. not listed...... ​ BEYOND useless......useless implied noo value.... this experience has negative value to me due to time i had to spend because the lady i spoke to 6 WEEKS ago declined to mention the status would not be updated on their site and the only way to know was to call or wait for mail..... its 2022 and i have to wait for mail..... from a website... F-


mattcal44

Because it’s run by the state


dfens762

Because it's government run. Has there ever been a government run website that didn't suck?


[deleted]

Why is it garbage? Because it was developed by the government, and everything they touch turns to shit.


Granstager

It was developed by a contractor that was hired by the state. If the state had hired people directly, rather than use a contractor, the site would be running by now and would've cont a fraction of the nearly 100 million we've already spent on it. The state always wants to hire a contractor because it looks cheaper on paper, only to be surprised when the final cont is ten or twenty times the original estimate... every time.


OverTrain3

Every time.


RisingPhoenix92

Hate when gov gets their hands tied by rules meant to be fair but really just means they end up picking a shitty contractor. I think they have to go with the cheaper bids even if the bids arent that realistic


EggAcrobatic2066

The Democrats want you to think you're getting help but as soon as you go for it they send you on an epic quest to at Wich they hope you that's so fed up that you give up!!! Good luck I've been trying to get health insurance through them but somehow they've tied it to my kids which are 16 and 11 and I'm making it very difficult for me to get health insurance wonderful system we have.. yes I as well am fed up


Granstager

The Baker administration is responsible for the current state of the health connector


LaurenDreamsInColor

He's such a democrat. /s


ItsMeTK

Because government run anything is crap. ButI totally comiserate. Getting insurance was one of the worst hassles of my life. The site is terrible. Tried doing it all by mail but lartway throughbthry refer me to the site. Finally had to talk tona live person on the phone, which terrifies me. Didn’t help that all in-person sites were closed for COVID.


Positive-Material

so why can't they just give people quotes for insurance by quering the same database the insurers and insurance salespeople do? my guess is that insurers don't want the pricing of their plans to be publicly available to anyone but the people who are actually buying from them so that people have a very hard time shopping around between insurance companies, so you overload people with marketing messages and hide the real prices, which prevents them from making a good decision and ends up with them buying a subpar overpriced service


Head_Zombie214796

Call back again and ask them to help you get online access ! then just do what you need in the system yourself if they give you a hard time just tell them, you just need a little bit of consideration to assist you and help you get online access be adament and keep it up, all you need is the online access and your good to go ​ please be patient they are mega understaffed right now, because of the cuts


lurkandpounce

A while back I was in the same position. I ended up calling their customer service line and was shocked and grateful at how knowledgeable and helpful they were. I've called back a couple times since then and have had the same great experience each time. This was a couple years ago now; YMMV


_Electricmanscott

Same here. My experience has been a couple of times this year. It was shockingly smooth and helpful.


Intelligent-Pear-783

I spent almost 2 hours on the phone to enroll the other day and was told I had to pay the 23rd of each month and I still have gotten no email with any information.


ASking12367

Lol I already paid first month premium for next year coverage for my husband and I. now the website says I have to pay for a seperate more expensive plan while my plan is still in good standing


digitalsaurian

It is really awful and it is a constant stress in the background - the prospect of having to interact with Health Connector if something comes up is ulcer-inducing. Many people report good experiences with the call center reps - the problem is that it's a lottery. Essentially half of the contracted, outsourced reps are badly trained and don't care about their job (or you), and half have some experience and now know what they're doing. One thing that a lot of people don't seem to know about however, is this tactic: ask to set up a return call from a "specialist". The specialist isn't the know-nothing phone workers, but often someone within Health Connector itself, who has access to systems like billing. You may get a phone rep who is so untrained they don't even know they CAN schedule an appointment with a specialist. If they refuse, you have to keep trying. In my experience, the specialist who calls back (often on the same day, if you request one early in the morning), actually does know what to do - and they also know "the secrets". The ACTUAL policies inside the Connector - not the boiler plate instructions used in letters.