Fed Up With Website, Family Finds Own Health Deal
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Americans running out of patience trying to get on the much-maligned government health care marketplace website are finding other ways to shop for health insurance.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports on one family who discovered an option you might want to consider.
Dave Perkins and his wife, Jessica, are excited at the chance to shop for cheaper insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
The government's insurance portal, healthcare.gov has all the plans, but like millions of Americans, the Perkins can't get to them.
"I got logged in. I was able to get in, and get a little further each time but it was more cumbersome," Dave Perkins said.
In a desperate search for information, Perkins went to Blue Cross, Blue Shield and discovered the plans and prices on the company's sites are the same ones it offers on healthcare.gov.
"These are the gold plans, the silver plans, the bronze plans that everyone's talking about," he said.
Blue Cross confirms that.
Plus, on the the insurer's site, unlike the government site, you can also get more information about hospitals, doctors, office hours.
Blue Cross is one of the eight insurance companies offering plans to Illinois residents. So if you can't get onto healthcare.gov to shop, check out the company sites.
And the shopping spree seems to be paying off.
The quotes offer Perkins significant savings.
"We were paying almost 600," Perkins said. "We'll be paying $366."
"I can use that money to go out and buy things and get the economy rolling again."
By going to the company websites you get the chance to compare plans but you can't enroll if you're looking for a tax credit.
To get the credit, you have to enroll on healthcare.gov, but at least you'll know what you want.
Here is a list of the companies offering insurance plans for Illinois residents:
- Aetna Life Insurance Company
- Coventry Health and Life Insurance Company
- Coventry Health Care of Illinois, Inc.
- Health Alliance Medical Plans, Inc.
- Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company (Blue Cross)
- Humana Health Plan, Inc.
- Humana Insurance Company
- Land of Lincoln Mutual Health Insurance Company
