I live in California, and I achieved FIRE at the end of November 2024. Since then, I've been dealing with healthcare non-stopped. In November, I signed up for an individual plan with Kaiser Permanente for about $500 a month. Kaiser said I could get a discount from Covered California for about $200 a month. Sadly, it's been an absolute nightmare dealing with Covered California. I've spent 10s of hours on the phone with Kaiser and Covered California, and I have been unable to get the Covered California plan for $200 a month. The agent at Kaiser said this has been the hardest case she's ever had!
Yesterday, I was able to get back on the $500 a month individual plan. Then, at the end of the day, a different agent from Kaiser called me back, saying that I could get the plan from Covered California for $200 a month. I was in the middle of some things when they called. So I wasn't able to talk with the new agent from Kaiser. I called them back and I left them a voicemail. Then, they called me back while I was driving. They said they would call me back tomorrow.
I am SO exhausted after dealing with this for so many months and spending 10s of hours on the phone with Kaiser and Covered California, and getting nowhere. I've looked into other plans from other healthcare providers. Sadly, they are about the same price as Kaiser.
So, what do FIRE-ed Californians do for healthcare, and how much do you pay each month?
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