Can You Buy Insurance Outside Of The Marketplace -

By the time Sarah left, Leo wasn't looking at a "Closed" sign anymore. He was on a major insurer's website, comparing a private PPO plan that actually included his favorite doctor—something the marketplace plans hadn't offered. He realized that while the marketplace was a great front door, it wasn't the only way into the building.

Leo felt his shoulders drop an inch. "Is it the same kind of coverage?" can you buy insurance outside of the marketplace

Sarah pulled up a chair. "Leo, the marketplace is just one aisle in the grocery store. You can buy insurance directly from the companies." By the time Sarah left, Leo wasn't looking

"Nope," she explained. "Most big insurers sell plans directly on their own websites. You won't get those government subsidies—the tax credits—if you buy outside the marketplace, but since your income fluctuated so much last year, you weren't qualifying for much anyway." Leo felt his shoulders drop an inch

"Wait, really?" Leo asked. "I thought everything had to go through the state site now."

Leo sat at his kitchen table, staring at the "Enrollment Window Closed" notice on his laptop screen. He had missed the deadline for the government marketplace by two days, and a minor panic was setting in. He was a freelancer; without a job-based plan, he felt like he was walking a tightrope without a net.