HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGES - Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Plans (Series Part 5)

REMINDER:  The exchanges are for people who DO NOT get health insurance through their employer.

"From Bronze to Platinum Plans, What Will New Insurance Exchange Premiums Cost?" PBS Newshour 9/25/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  New details were released about coverage choices for consumers in the new health care exchanges.  What will their premiums cost?  Ray Suarez is joined by Louise Radnofsky of The Wall Street Journal to answer some of your most frequently asked questions.

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  Now we take a deeper dive into the health care story with the first look at what premiums will cost as the new marketplaces known as exchanges come online.

Among the details released today: Customers will be able to choose from a variety of plans, ranging from lower-cost plans in a bronze or silver category with less coverage to higher-cost ones known as gold or platinum with greater coverage and benefits.

The average monthly premium for an individual buying insurance through one of the cheaper options will be $328 a month.  Then it gets complicated.

Ray Suarez picks it up from there.

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour):  It's not simply a matter of picking among these different categories like bronze or silver.  Each class of plans will have a number of options to choose from and, in many cases, people will also be able to get a subsidy to help purchase the insurance.

But the premiums will vary by age, health status, geography and other factors.  And there are additional costs, too.

We try to walk through this now with Louise Radnofsky of The Wall Street Journal.