The Healthcare.gov marketplace will start a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) on February 15, 2021 and it will run through May 15th, 2021. This means that anyone eligible can apply for major medical health insurance through our link! The good news is you can use Georgia Health Insurance to assist you in selecting a plan, enrolling and for support throughout the year. Our services come at no cost to you. We are a family-owned, independent agency in Georgia with over 120 5-star reviews on Google! Let us help you get the best insurance for the best price during this unique special enrollment period! Source HERE.
Get a Quote and Apply Now
We have put together a guide full of helpful information along with our professional thoughts and opinions of the different plans available in Georgia for the 2021 plan year. We will also discuss the best way for you to apply for a 2021 plan.
After reading this guide you should be able to narrow down your choices and apply though our easy Enhanced Direct Enrollment system. Make sure to use our links in this email if you want us to be your agent so you can benefit from our free help.
However, if you are more comfortable applying thru healthcare.gov you can do that and enter Terri Potter as your agent and enter her NPN# 7040882. Then she can still be your agent and help you if you let us know you enrolled this way and it does not change your price in any way. You can also find our Quote and Enroll link at the top of our website: https://ga-health-insurance.com
How to pick the most appropriate plan to meet your needs and apply:
- Run your Quote HERE and save your quotes using your proper name. Making sure to enter your preferred Doctors & Hospitals when given the chance.
- Using My Notes Down Below, focus on the carrier that is showing more of your doctors, and preferred hospitals in network. Confirm with your doctor’s insurance department that they are in network to avoid problems later.
- Choose a plan and click Add to Cart then Start Application (call us if you run into trouble while applying and tell us you are stuck so we can help right then if possible).
- Confused, still have questions? Click here to schedule a time to talk to Terri. To make the most out of your appointment, Terri requires that you run your quotes, including entering your providers, and saving your quotes under your proper name so that she can quickly pull up your quotes to discuss with you at your phone appointment.
Bottom Line is that you need an agent you can trust! We have over 100 5-star reviews! Check out our Google reviews HERE to see why our clients value our help so much.
Terri’s Pros and Cons of the Different Carriers and Plans for 2021
Alliant (Alliant Health Plans network)
- Key Hospitals In-Network (check listing)
- Northeast Georgia Medical Center
- Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, Inc.
- WellStar Kennestone
- Emory John’s Creek
- Others
- Pros
- Only PPO Network offered in GA, but only offered in limited counties
- Growing availability, for 2021 plans are available in 98 counties in Georgia
- Referrals are not required for in-network providers.
- Offers a $0 Deductible plan
- Cons
- Not available in Metro Atlanta Counties nor SE Georgia
- Network likely to be weak in new counties
- Missing Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta hospitals
- Recommended plans in each category
- Bronze – SoloCare Bronze PPO 40021
- Silver – SoloCare Silver PPO 40017
- Gold – SoloCare Gold PPO 40002
- Platinum-Only carrier with a Platinum plan
Ambetter (Ambetter Network-HMO)
- Key Hospitals In-Network (check listing)
- Emory
- Grady
- Northside (new for 2021) Atlanta, Forsyth & Cherokee locations
- Piedmont
- WellStar
- Pros
- Largest Hospital network in Atlanta
- Referrals are not required for in-network providers!
- Free Telemedicine on all plans except the HSA plan.
- We have a lot of experience with Ambetter and have had only a few complaints from clients. My transplant clients and cancer patients are quick to praise Ambetter. The key is to confirm that your doctor is in-network before you apply!
- Cons
- Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NEGM) is missing from Hospital Network.
- In the past doctors have shown as in-network on Ambetter’s website when their office says they were not in-network. However their search feature is new for 2021. (Call the Drs. office to confirm in network) These problems often arise due to a communication issue between the providers business office and the actual doctor’s office. If you run into this, please send us the name of the provider and the carrier in question, so we can have it looked into.
- Missing Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta hospitals
- Recommended plans in each category
- Bronze – Essential Care 1
- Silver – Balanced Care 12 Silver Plan has PCP, Specialist, Urgent Care, Tier 1 & 2 Prescription & Other Copays before deductible is met. (User Friendly Silver Plan)
- Gold – Ambetter Secure Care 5 (Richest Gold Plan for the money)
- Dental and Vision: network is small but has gotten better-available on most plans for higher cost but check network for Dentist before you decide to add this HMO option.
Anthem Blue Cross (Pathway X Network-HMO)
- Key Hospitals In-Network (check listing)
- Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta
- Emory
- Grady
- Northside
- Pros
- The Carrier name popularity of Anthem Blue Cross.
- Plans for counties outside of metro Atlanta Do Not require a referral. These plans are named simply Pathway X HMO.
- Cons
- Anthem’s Hospital Network is small, Missing Piedmont, Wellstar, NEGM
- The Pathway X HMO network is very small compared to all other Anthem Blue Cross networks. You must confirm that your provider is in the Pathway X network for All Indiv/Family Anthem plans
- Pathway X Guided Access plans are all that is offered in Metro Atlanta counties and DO require referrals from your listed PCP to see other in-network doctors.
- Watch out for $500/$1000 Co-pays after you meet your deductible
- Recommended plans in each category
- Bronze – Pathway X Guided Access HMO 5600 or Pathway X HMO 5600
- Silver – Pathway X Guided Access HMO 3000 or Pathway X HMO 3000
- Gold – Pathway X Guided Access HMO 1850 or Pathway X HMO 1850
CareSource (Marketplace Network-HMO)
- Key Hospitals In-Network (check listing)
- Grady
- Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta
- Northeast Georgia Medical Center
- Northside
- Piedmont
- WellStar
- Pros
- 2nd largest Hospital network in Metro Atlanta
- Cons
- 2nd year in Georgia, making network small but growing. Again, best to call your doctor and ask if they are in-network.
- Emory is missing from their hospital network
- Watch out for $500 Co-pays after you meet your deductible, some plans
- Recommended plans in each category
- Bronze – Marketplace Bronze – HMO Plan has PCP & Specialist Copays before deductible making it attractive (User Friendly Bronze Plan)
- Silver – Low Premium Silver – HMO
- Gold – Gold – HMO
Kaiser (Signature HMO Network Only)
- Key Hospitals In-Network
- Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta
- Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Emory University Midtown
- Northside (primarily for maternity)
- Pros
- Kaiser has a stable network of providers because you mostly see Kaiser Doctors.
- They are the only insurance company that is a healthcare provider so Kaiser has many of their own doctors and facilities and Doctors are incentivized based on patient outcomes and patient happiness!
- Lowest priced plans in metro markets
- Some plans in each category offer separate drug deductibles
- Away from Home travel Hotline & CVS Minute Clinics available for Urgent Care when traveling in non-Kaiser Regions.
- Cons
- Kaiser will only pay claims if all services are ordered by a network doctor.
- Referrals are Required from your listed PCP to see other in-network doctors.
- Recommended plans in each category
- Bronze – Signature Bronze 5000/50-HMO/Bronze 5000/50-HMO
- Silver – Signature Silver 4500/35-HMO/Silver 4500/35-HMO
- Gold – Signature Gold 1500/20- Gold 1500/20-HMO
Oscar (Oscar Network)
Key Hospitals In-Network
-
- Wellstar
- Pros
- Oscar offers free telemedicine on all plans.
- They have a strong emphasis on technology, hopefully this will mean they are easy to work with.
- Cons
- This carrier had planned to be competitive in the Atlanta Market for 2021 but they have not increased their hospital network nor lowered their rates.
- They are only available in 8 counties in GA for 2021.
Use the search feature cautiously with the knowledge that not all providers have been updated by the carriers this far ahead of January, so it is best to call your doctor’s office to confirm if they are in network for 2021 if that is really important to you.
Please visit our Enhanced Direct Enrollment site to View Rates, Benefits and Apply for 2021 Plans HERE.
- Applying through my link will allow you to access your existing Marketplace account, but faster and easier, or create a new one.
- Makes me your agent and costs you nothing! This also allows us to get paid by the insurance company for the help and service we are providing to our clients at no charge!
Or you can apply on the Marketplace and enter: Terri Potter and my NPN #7040882 as your agent that is helping you. Please let us know if you apply this way so we can follow up on your application process for you.
If you want to know a little bit more about us please feel free to check out our website https://ga-health-insurance.com/ and check out my Google reviews so you can see what people think of our services.
