From $337 to $15: How One Fix Made All the Difference

While hosting a booth at a local school district event, a mother approached me looking for help with her health coverage. She had recently tried enrolling on the Marketplace by herself and ended up with a premium of $337.83 per month, just for herself. She was incredibly stressed because she knew something was wrong, especially since her child hadn’t been enrolled at all.

We set up an appointment, and when I looked into her application, I quickly saw the issue—she had accidentally skipped the step to apply her Advance Premium Tax Credits, which is what made her premium so high. Once we corrected the application, her total premium dropped to $15.47 a month—for both her and her son. When she saw the final total, she nearly cried from relief. She asked if she could hug me, saying this change was lifting a massive weight off her shoulders. She had been preparing to keep paying that $337.83 simply because she thought she had done something wrong and didn’t know how to fix it.

“Once we corrected the application, her total premium dropped to $15.47 a month—for both her and her son. When she saw the final total, she nearly cried from relief.” 

It’s a reminder of how complicated the system can be—and how vital it is to have someone help navigate it. Simple mistakes can cost families hundreds of dollars each month, and the difference is often life changing.