Question: I just lost my job and I’m buying Covered California. I notice “Catastrophic Plans” that look even cheaper. What are those and can I buy one if I want?
Answer: Catastrophic plans have the highest cost sharing - deductible and coinsurance. Not everybody is allowed to buy catastrophic plans. They are only for adults up to age 30, and for older people who can’t find any other Covered California policy that costs less than 8.13 percent of their income. In 2016, Catastrophic plans have an annual deductible of $6,850 ($13,700 in family plans). You will have to pay the entire cost of covered services (other than preventive care) until you’ve spent $6,850 out of pocket; after that your plan will pay 100 percent of covered services for the rest of the year.
If you’re willing to roll the dice, paying the Shared Responsibility Payment will save you a couple of thousand dollars. In a worst case scenario, when you wind up hospitalized with thousands of dollars of medical expenses, Medi-Cal will likely pick up some, most, or all of the cost as it has done for decades.