Cheap Health Insurance Plans in Washington DC: Choose Your Right Plan

By: Astoria
Updated: September 27, 2022
cheap health insurance washington dc

Are you looking for cheap health insurance Washington DC state? If so, you may want to check out the options available in Washington DC. This is a great place to live if you are looking for a high – quality of life with an affordable cost of living. This blog post will discuss how to find the cheap health insurance in Washington DC in 2022.

What is Medicaid & Medicaid Eligibility for Cheap Health Insurance Washington DC

A joint federal health care policy, Medicaid, is available in the District of Columbia. Cheap Health Insurance Washington DC offers low-income and disabled people and families access to health care. Doctor visits, hospital stays, medicines, mental health therapies, transportation, and many other services are all covered by Medicaid. Applicants must be residents of the County and meet non-financial and financial eligibility standards to be eligible for Medicaid in the District. Currently, the Medicaid program provides high-quality healthcare to one in three District residents. Please go here to learn more about becoming eligible for the DC Medicaid program.

MAGI Medicaid Vs Non-MAGI Medicaid

Before 1996, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) guidelines were utilised to determine whether children, pregnant women, and families were eligible for Medicaid (TANF). The Modified Adjusted Gross Income, or MAGI, formulas from the Tax Code replace nearly all of the prior eligibility requirements for persons without additional children, non-disabled children, pregnant women, and families. Also check EPO review before applying for health insurance.

Most healthcare applicants in DC must abide by MAGI standards; however, those 65 and older, those who may be eligible for Medicaid due to a disability or a need for long-term care services, and those who qualify for Medicaid for other reasons besides income are exempt.

Medicaid MAGI

MAGI is a system for calculating household composition, family size, and net worth.

  • The figure on a tax return is not MAGI.
  • The federal tax laws used to calculate adjusted gross income are the foundation for MAGI (with some modification).
  • Tax filing is not required to qualify for MAGI Medicaid.
  • There is no asset test or deductions other than a flat-rate 5 percent deduction (“disregards”).

MAGI Groups consist of

  • adults (aged 21 to 64) without young children in need;
  • parents or relatives who are in charge;
  • Children that are younger than twenty-one (21)

Non-MAGI Medicaid

Medicaid eligibility categories are exempt from using the MAGI technique.

  • Individuals 65 years or older, blind or disabled, with $4,000 or fewer resources for a single person are considered non-MAGI-based.
  • Participants in home- and community-based exemptions
  • Beneficiaries of Long-Term Care
  • Patients of the Medicare Savings Program (QMB and QMB Plus)
  • Foster care and adoption support
  • Spending Down Former Foster Care for Medically Needy Children that are TEFRA/Katie
  • Beckett is eligible and under the age of 19
  • have had a screening for breast and cervical cancer and required treatment

Medicaid recipients who qualify for coverage for factors other than income are subject to the same income and asset restrictions.

It takes around 30 days after you submit your application to learn whether you have been allowed membership or not; after then, they will give you a membership card if you meet all the requirements.

What Does Washington DC Medicare Cost?

Expenses of private Medicare plans can vary by location, although original Medicare costs don’t. Your Original Medicare costs will vary based on the plans you choose and the savings options you are eligible for in Washington DC.

You will be responsible for paying 20% of the price of your covered medical services if you continue to use Original Medicare.

The Part B deductible for 2019 is $185, and the insurance payments vary from $135.50 to $460.50. (Depending on your income).

Costs for Medicare Part A in 2019 include:

  • Taxable: $1,364
  • Coinsurance/Copayments: Determined on length of hospital stay
  • For more than 39 quarters, the monthly premium has been zero.
  • If you were employed and contributed to Medicare, If you worked and paid Medicare taxes for three to nine months, you would receive $240 monthly.
  • If you were employed and made Medicare tax payments for fewer than 30 quarters, you would receive $437 monthly.

What Is The Income Limit for Medicaid in DC?

Seniors in Washington, DC, may qualify for several Medicaid long-term care programs. These programs offer various rewards and different financial and medical (functional) eligibility link requirements.

The requirements differ depending on marital status, and there are other ways to become Medicaid eligible in Washington DC, which further complicates acceptability.

  1. Medicaid for Institutions / Nursing Homes -Anyone who applies will receive assistance under this insurance scheme. Only nursing home institutions offer benefits.
  2. Medicaid Waivers / Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) -These are not programs that are compulsory there are strict enrollment requirements and potential wait lists. Benefits are offered at home, in adult day care, or in other settings to delay the need for nursing facility admissions.
  3. Medicare for the Old, the Blind, and the Disabled- This is an entitlement program; as long as qualifying standards are met, one will receive help. Only a few types of long-term care may be offered, like adult daycare or personal care help.

Seniors can quickly assess their eligibility for long-term care programs under the District of Columbia Medicaid program by consulting the chart below. The Medicaid Eligibility Test is an alternative.

IMPORTANT: One is not automatically disqualified for Medicaid in the District of Columbia if they do not satisfy all the requirements.

cheap health insurance in washington dc

 

Are There Temporary Health Insurance Plan Options in DC?

A short-term cheap health insurance in Washington DC  agreement should expire three months after it becomes effective. To get around the time restriction, you cannot renew the policy or get a new short-term policy from a different insurance provider. Private plans may not provide the same level of coverage as a typical health care plan because they are not subject to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) regulations in Washington DC.

There are no temporary insurance providers in Washington, D.C., as of 2021; therefore, even if this kind of insurance is legal, you can’t currently purchase it.

As long as they fulfill specific income requirements and have U.S. citizenship or another immigration status that qualifies them for D.C. Medicaid, DC residents can receive affordable health insurance in Washington DC under the D.C. Healthy Families program and can save money on health insurance.

 

Most Affordable Health Insurance Providers in Washington DC

Following these insurance companies may not offer plans in your area but sell policies throughout the state. For instance, LifeWise and Coordinated Care are the only insurance providers available to Garfield County citizens.

  • Regence
  • UnitedHealthcare of Oregon
  • Coordinated Care
  • Kaiser
  • Molina
  • PacificSource
  • PacificSource
  • BridgeSpan
  • LifeWise

Finding The Best and Cheap Health Insurance Washington DC

 The Washington Health plan finder marketplace allows residents to get individual health insurance in Washington DC. Medicaid can also provide health coverage if your household income is 138 percent or less of the federal poverty threshold.

After analyzing the plans of cheap health insurance in Washington DC, we discovered that in 15 of the counties, the Ambetter Balanced Care 1 is the absolute cheapest Silver plan.

It would help if you researched the premiums and deductibles for each metal tier before selecting a plan, then consider whether it is affordable given your income and savings. Each metal tier has been carefully investigated below, with examples of when each is suitable.

  • Gold plan
  • Silver plan
  • Bronze plan

Gold plan

 Gold is the highest and most expensive tier available in Washington. If you anticipate having substantial medical costs during the plan year, these plans are frequently the best option. Since the deductible in this instance is the lowest one offered, you might quickly meet it and then have access to coinsurance with your health plan’s provider.

Sliver plan

If your earnings are under 250 percent of the poverty level, silver policies are the only health insurance in Washington DC plans that give cost-sharing reductions.

A premium reduction is an additional benefit that lowers the amount you have to pay for deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. Because of this, Silver tier policies occasionally represent the most affordable  health insurance in Washington DC exchange. 

Bronze plan

The cheapest plans available on the Washington Health plan finder platform are called bronze plans. Despite having affordable premiums, some plans offer high deductibles including out maximums, which makes it challenging to achieve the half level.

Because of this, Bronze tier insurance is recommended if you are in good health and want protection in a very costly, unexpected medical emergency. In Washington, bronze plans are accessible to everyone.

Cheap Health Insurance of Metal Tier

Individual health insurance in Washington DC is divided into three metal tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. To find the cheapest health plan at each metal tier, we researched and evaluated the coverage options available in all counties.

These are the cheapest premiums overall; however, plan availability differs by county. Consider the table below as a starting point to find a metal tier that fits your requirements and budget.

Your age will also impact the cheap health insurance in Washington DC quotation you are given. Health insurance in Washington DC and its premiums will cost more as you get older because you’ll probably need more Medicare treatments. For instance, a 40-year-old would spend, on average, $96 more per month for a Silver tier policy in Washington than a 21-year-old.

Short-Term Health Insurance in Washington DC

Washington has historically restricted the sale of short-term health insurance. But as of 2019, the state has new rules that allow providers to offer temporary and affordable health insurance in Washington DC with a maximum three-month policy term. There is no room for extensions.

The only company selling affordable health insurance in Washington DC is LifeMap Assurance Company.

Cheapest Silver Plan By County

Depending on your county, different health insurance programs and prices will be offered. For instance, a 40-year-old who lives in Alabama would pay a monthly premium of $433 for the Ambetter Balanced Care 1, whereas the same person would pay only $355 in Klickitat County.

The least expensive Silver policy for the 39 counties in Washington DC state is listed below.

What You Need to Know About Washington, DC Medicare Advantage Plans

In the District of Columbia, there are 16 Medicare Advantage plans available in 2022, up to 15 in 2021.

In 2022, all Medicare users will have medical coverage with no monthly premiums.

In 2022, the typical monthly Medicare Advantage premium will be $37.59, a small rise from 2021.

One plan will provide Medicare Advantage enrollees through the CMS Technology Center’s Value-Based Insurance Design.

Part D cost-sharing, rewards and incentives programs for healthy behaviors, and adapted, innovative benefits that address social issues, such as food insecurity and social isolation, for some unserved and chronically ill enrollees.

Methodology

From the Washington Health plan finder state insurance exchange, newhealthinsurance.com extracted all the affordable health insurance in Washington DC rates and plans. The premiums calculated averages for a number of factors, including metal tier, age, and county.

Get free health insurance quotes at NewHealthInsurance.

 

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