Can anyone direct me to a good explanation of "cafe plans" and the "exchange" for health insurance?

ss+el

Our company's HR dept. is barely accessible and really not helpful. All the information we ever get has big words and flowery language but rarely ever gets to the point. We are apparently going to have "cafe plans" and someone (outside my company) told me something about some states having "exchanges" where I can buy my health care from the state (?) instead.

Can anyone direct me to a website that explains this clearly?

Mrs_Lady

H R was required to send out DOL Model Notice was it sent? The " marketplace exchange" website info was included in the "flowery" letter

daisy662

I am in HR and the problem is that no one fully understands the healthcare reform yet. It is a gazillion pages and even the people who are responsible for it are clueless as to what it is all really going to mean. The whole thing is a total cluster. Only advice I can give you, and what we are telling our employees is to go to healthcare.gov/exchange. I haven't looked at the site yet so not sure how helpful it will be. Good luck!

Nechie122

Cafeteria plans just mean you'll have a selection of options: whether high-deductible, traditional PPO/HMO or (nowadays, possibly) money to buy your own plan from an exchange.

The health insurance exchange is a state or federal run marketplace where you can buy your own health insurance. Some companies, like I suggested above, may contribute money toward the premiums. You're not buying health insurance "from the state;" it's not Medicaid. But traditional insurers like BCBS and Aetna will offer plans of various rates and coverage levels.