Finding A Plan On The Montana Health Insurance Marketplace

Completing your application on the Montana Health Insurance Marketplace

Before viewing the options available to you in the Montana health insurance marketplace, you will need to complete your application on the marketplace. The information you enter will directly affect the qualified health plans available to you (ex: home address, income, etc.). It’s important to accurately estimate your income for the year. If you incorrectly estimate, you may owe money at the end of the year. Healthcare.gov has a helpful tool for estimating your income.

What are your insurance needs?

Everyone has different insurance needs. Before selecting a plan, you need to determine what factors are most important to you. Below are a few of things to consider.

Coverage level

Plans are categorized by metal level in the marketplace (bronze, silver and gold). These vary in the amount of coverage with bronze being the lowest and gold the highest. Bronze plans typically will have the lowest premium payments. For someone who doesn’t visit the doctor often and doesn’t use frequent prescriptions, a bronze plan might be a good option.

Preventative Care

All plans include preventative care with a $0 copay. That includes your yearly wellness visit. For instance if you’re getting a colonscopy you must not have had polyps previously. In this case, it’s diagnostic and there is a cost. You can view a full list of covered preventative services here.

Prescription Costs

Prescription costs vary across plans. Costs are broken down by generic vs preferred brand drugs. This can help you estimate the cost of your drugs. If there’s a carrier you’re interested in, visit the drug formulary on their website for a list of covered drugs.

Primary Care vs Specialist Visit

There are different costs for primary care visits than specialist visits. These are specified in the plans available to you. If you visit a specialist often, this may be an area of focus for you.

In Network Doctors

In our opinion, the doctors you visit are arguably the most important factor. Not all doctors accept the same insurance carriers.To pay the in network amount, your doctor needs to accept the Montana health insurance marketplace plan. You’ll want to specify “marketplace plans.” Carriers also have group plans that go through employers, which are different plans. For PPO plans, you do get a benefit for out of network doctors as well, but it won’t be as good as in network.

Get help from a licensed Montana health insurance agent

Get help from a licensed Montana health insurance agent at no additional cost to you. Agents are compensated by the carriers for helping you select a plan. We are here to help explain terms, narrow down your options based on your needs, and provide assistance throughout the year. Contact us to speak with an agent based in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.