What is major medical insurance?
Major medical insurance is designed to provide comprehensive benefits that help pay for covered hospital, surgical and medical expenses.1
The Affordable Care Act includes some requirements that every major medical plan must meet:
- Guaranteed issue coverage. You cannot be denied coverage or charged more based on your health history.
- Rate restrictions.Health insurance premiums are based on 5 factors: age, location, tobacco use, individual vs family enrollment, and plan category.2 Your rate cannot be impacted by health history or sex.
- Basic requirements. All major medical plans must cover services within the 10 essential health benefits, including specified no-cost preventive care.3
All major medical insurance plans must be ACA-compliant, or they’re not major medical plans!
What’s the cost of major medical insurance?
In 2018, the average unsubsidized Obamacare premium was $621.4 How much you’ll pay for health insurance depends on a number of factors, including the following:
- Where you live – Health insurance rates (and the plans available) vary by state and, within each state, by region.
- Plan selection – Generally speaking, the higher up the metal tiers you go, the more you’ll pay in monthly premium. If you choose a bronze plan, it’s going to cost you less than a gold plan. A platinum plan will cost more than a silver plan.
- Subsidy eligibility – Income-based subsidies (cost-sharing reductions and premium tax credits) are available to those who qualify and purchase their coverage from HealthCare.gov or a state-based exchange. Estimate your subsidy using our health insurance calculator.
- Age – Older individuals can be charged up to three times more than younger individuals5
- Tobacco use – Tobacco users can be charged up to 50% more than non-users6
- Individual or family enrollment – Your rate will change if you add a spouse or dependent to your plan
Rates cannot be established based on health history, such as pre-existing conditions or sex.
Lower-cost catastrophic plans are also available in many states to those under 30 years of age. Learn more about catastrophic coverage and how to qualify.
What does major medical insurance cover?
The ACA requires all major medical plans to cover certain preventive services, including immunizations and screenings, at no additional cost to the insured.
Furthermore, all major medical plans must include coverage for 10 categories of essential health benefits, including7:
- Ambulatory patient services
- Emergency services
- Hospitalization
- Maternity and newborn care
- Mental health and substance use disorder services
- Prescription drugs
- Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
- Laboratory services
- Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
- Pediatric services, including oral and vision care
How your major medical plan covers these benefits will vary depending on the coverage you have. For instance, your coinsurance and deductible amounts along with network restrictions will impact how much you pay.
Are Obamacare and major medical insurance different?
Early on, the Affordable Care Act took on the nickname “Obamacare.” It stuck, and sometimes that causes confusion.
However, they’re all the same: ACA plans are major medical plans. Major medical plans are Obamacare plans. Obamacare plans are ACA plans. These plans qualify as and are also sometimes referred to as “minimum essential coverage.” You can buy major medical plans through HealthCare.gov, state-based exchanges and the private health insurance market.
Why buy major medical insurance?
Major medical insurance can help you pay for healthcare you’d otherwise be responsible for paying 100% out of pocket.
Note: On January 1, 2019 the federal tax penalty for going without major medical insurance was repealed, leaving the federal government no real way to enforce the individual mandate.8
Is major medical insurance right for me?
Individual major medical insurance plans are available to those who do not have access to a job-based health insurance plan; for example, those who are self-employed or work part-time and are therefore not eligible for their employer’s coverage.
You may want to enroll in major medical if you are:
- Buying coverage within the annual open enrollment period
- Eligible for a special enrollment period due to qualifying life events such as a move or birth of a child
- Able to qualify for an ACA subsidy, including premium tax credits or cost-sharing reductions
- Not exempt from the individual mandate
- Someone who requires ongoing healthcare or prescription drug coverage for a medical condition
Not so sure major medical insurance is right for you? Now that the tax penalty is repealed, you may want to consider alternatives such as short term medical insurance and hospital plans.9 These products do not provide the same level of coverage as major medical plans, but they can help cover expenses related to unexpected medical care.
In the meantime, a health insurance producer (i.e., agent or broker) can help you explore your options and determine which coverage options are available to you. Use Agent Finder to locate a producer near you.