Open Enrollment for individual health insurance plans happens November 1 – December 15 with plans taking effect January 1.
What follows is a brief overview of what you need to know regarding plans and carriers available in Greenville, Spartanburg, and other counties in Upstate South Carolina for the 2021 plan year.
Health Insurance Companies on the Obamacare Marketplace in 2021
In most Upstate counties there are 2 or 3 health insurance companies offering plans in 2021. Please recognize that the cheapest plan is not always the best plan for you!
One significant factor that you’ll need to pay attention to is the provider network for each company. Because most providers are affiliated with a particular hospital system, you’ll need to see which hospital systems are included in a particular company’s network. (Hint: This is especially important when evaluating 2021 plans in Greenville County!)
Here are the companies you will choose from on the Marketplace:
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
What’s New? In addition to their regular plans, this year in Greenville County only, BCBS is offering 3 “Reedy” series plans. These are HMO plans that have a lower price point but limit your network to the Upstate Prisma Health System. They are worth considering if you don’t mind the network limitation.
Availability: BCBS plans will be available in every county in South Carolina.
Network: BCBS offers the most robust network of providers available because it includes every hospital system in South Carolina (unless you choose a “Reedy” plan).
Plans to consider: The most popular plan the last several years has been “Bronze 4” because it provides copays for office visits and generic drugs at a bronze-plan price point. Also consider Silver 2, Silver 14, and Gold 2.
Bright Health Plan
What’s New? Bright Health has expanded into several new counties this year, has a better network, and has revised their plans for 2021. We believe they will be particularly competitive in Anderson County and Cherokee County.
Availability: Bright Health will be on and off the Marketplace in Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union Counties in 2021.
Network: Bright Health includes the Anderson Medical Center, Bon Secours St. Francis, and Spartanburg Regional health systems, along with many independent providers. It does not include the Prisma Health system.
Plans to consider: Bright Silver Silver $0 Medical Deductible, Bronze $0 Medical Deductible.
Molina Health
What’s New? Molina is new to the Upstate in 2021. They will have the cheapest plans available in several Upstate counties, but you need to make sure your providers are in their network.
Availability: Molina Health will be on and off the Marketplace in Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens, Spartanburg, and Union Counties in 2021. (Molina is available in a total of 33 counties in South Carolina).
Network: The only hospital system in the Upstate that is included in Molina’s network is the Spartanburg Regional system.
(UPDATE November 2, 2020: The Bon Secours St. Francis Health System is now a part of the Molina network, making them much more viable in Greenville.)
Plans to consider: Core Care Bronze 4, Constant Care Silver 1, and Confident Care Gold 1.
Off-Marketplace Plans and Other Options
If you don’t qualify for a premium subsidy in Obamacare, you’ll be better off enrolling outside the Marketplace. BlueChoice HealthPlan offers robust plans at a slightly better price than non-subsidized Obamacare plans. You might also consider other options like short-term health insurance or Sidecar Health.
Contact us to discuss these options.
How to Get Prices and Enroll in Obamacare Open Enrollment
We partner with a secure, private third-party platform that you can use to get customized plans and prices for every plan available on the Marketplace in your area.
We’ll be happy to walk you through the enrollment process, or you can complete it on your own here.
Click Here to See Marketplace Quotes!See plans and prices and enroll if you're ready