[quote=joec]
Not sure if anyone has used their ACA coverage yet, but I HAD Anthem Blue Cross thinking they had a good network, but their coverage and doctor/hospital access is EXTREMELY limited. Also, based on the law, ACA coverage should be the same as their regular plans in terms of doctor/hospital access so if they don’t have it in ACA, they probably would not have it even if you purchased outside of ACA (no idea on grandfathered plans).
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I’ve seen a lot of articles and comments (elsewhere, not here) indicating a lot of confusion about “ACA plans” or “Obamacare plans”. With minor exception, all private insurance is now ACA compliant, irrespective of whether the plan is provided through an employer, purchased on a state or the federal insurance exchange, or purchased privately outside the exchanges. Effectively, ALL insurance is now an “ACA plan”.
In some states, some carriers have identical plans available both in and outside the exchange. And identical means identical, the exact same provider network. But there is no requirement that carriers offer identical plans off the exchange. In some states, carriers offer no off-exchange policies. And there is no requirement that provider networks be similar. Nothing about this is new. Big carriers like Anthem and Aetna have always had dozens of plans and each one had their unique provider network. Often providers will contract for some carrier plans but not others.
