•January 13, 2016•

By Trudy Lieberman
Rural Health News Service

The enrollment period for choosing an Obamacare policy ends January 31. That means if you haven’t already signed up and think you want coverage from your state’s insurance marketplace, now’s the time to check your options and make a decision. But what decision will be best?

Over the last several months I have received many emails from readers of this column telling me about their experience with Affordable Care Act policies---some good, some bad. Their comments plus the close of open enrollment offer a chance to review a few of the basics for choosing a plan and to examine a critical question that’s been plaguing the law since the beginning: Are policies affordable?

A 61-year-old woman in South Dakota wanted me to tell readers to look carefully at the so-called silver plans because they provide what are called cost-sharing subsidies---extra help paying those sky-high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs Obamacare policies require. Silver plans cover 70 percent of someone’s medical expenses. The woman explained the subsidies had made it possible for her to switch from a platinum policy with a high premium (and lower deductible) to the silver variety, which lowered her premium and required what she called “minimal” copays for doctor visits and medications.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.