Obamacare

5 Secrets You Need To Know During Open Enrollment

5 Secrets For Open Enrollment

 

You may have missed the deadline to sign up for health insurance coverage that will begin 1/1/2015, but all is not lost.  There still may be an opportunity for you to add coverage in the next few days as there are special circumstances that will permit you to buy coverage if you meet several criteria.  We wanted to highlight a few key "secrets" we've seen this year that you need to know that may help you get coverage or at least avoid trouble in 2015.

Top 5 Questions About Health Insurance in 2015

Top 5 Questions About Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) in 2015

 

It seems as though the days are flying by and the Open Enrollment Period is slipping by quickly.  Insurance shoppers that desire to have coverage that is effective on January 1st of 2015 only have about 19 days left to obtain their coverage.  Yes, if you miss the 12/15/14 deadline you'll still be able to buy coverage for the 2015 calendar year, but your coverage will start at the beginning of February!  There is a significant price for procrastination in this new health insurance shopping environment, so don't put off this important decision.

Top 5 Questions About Health Insurance in 2015

I have received 5 or 6 questions consistently over the last month and I felt like they deserved to be highlighted as an article in our Texas Health Insurance Blog.  Let's dive in and we'll review these common questions and ensure we've documented the answers.  Remember, these are our opinions and each client and shopper's situation is different.  Make sure to call us at 713-422-2935 and we'll help you discern the best approach for your unique set of circumstances.

Navigating the Financial Assistance Maze - Obamacare Subsidies

Get Help Navigating the Financial Assistance Process in Obamacare - Get Subsidies

Confusion Reigns                                                                                                                            NPN #7644850

The Affordable Care Act continues to be a source of confusion and consternation for many of our clients and readers.  Many of the questions we are receiving are centered on financial assistance and the need for clarification from shoppers if they qualify for government help in paying for the high price of health insurance.

 

2015 Obamacare Pricing Analysis - Where's The Savings?

House of Card - ACA Pricing Analysis - Rate Increase Again

Remember all of the promises you were told when politicians were attempting to pass the Affordable Care Act?  Can you recall all of the great benefits we'd see with the passage of the landmark piece of legislation?  I certainly remember many of the lofty goals and utopian outcomes our leaders told us would come to pass if we simply trusted government to take the reins of one our biggest national industries.

While we must allow the law to really make its impact felt before we can make a final judgment on the merits of its ability to improve healthcare quality and increase accessibility, we can weigh in on the major area that all of us feel monthly, which is our health insurance premiums. 

As we've noted several times in the last month, Open Enrollment begins this weekend and we'll be able to get our first view of the pricing of 2015 health insurance plans.  Fortunately, I've been able to get an advanced look at what we'll call "solid estimates" and the results are frankly.....exactly the same as before or worse!  In the past years before Obamacare we would typically expect annual rate increases of 6% to 10% each year.  Sometimes those rates would only climb 4%, and bad years would see 12% hikes.  We've all been told that the Affordable Care Act would "bend the cost curve" and make healthcare more affordable since services would be spread across a larger pool of insured people as the losses providers felt from serving the uninsured went away.  Unfortunately, we're too early to see any real impact or we were simply lied to.

5 Obamacare Surprises Coming in 2015

The end of the year is typically marked by trying to close business deals and get holiday preparations complete.  The last thing we want is a few suprises to interupt our plans or cause us to get distracted.  November 15th will bring the beginning of this year's Open Enrollment and all of Texas Health Design's existing clients will receive new quotes that provide a snapshot of all the plans and companies available for the coming year.  As we've begun our preparations to serve our clients we wanted to bring your attention to a few suprises that are in store for health insurance shoppers for the coming 2015 plan year.

Top 10 Things to Remember About the ACA (Obamacare) in 2015

The 2014 rollout of the Affordable Care Act was challenging and created great frustration in many insurance policy shoppers.  Technological issues hampered many and the size and scope of the changes to the health industry impacted insurers and policy holders alike.  As we near the new Open Enrollment Period we wanted to provide readers a list of key rules and issues you need to know as we begin the new plan shopping year.

Save Money - Lose The Texas High Risk Pool

Over the last few years I've written several articles about clients and friends with pre-existing conditions and their limited health insurance coverage options. In Texas, clients with significant health issues have only two options. First, if they own a small business and have at least one other employee, they could obtain a small company insurance plan or "group" plan. Many clients have gone this route, and we'll talk more about strategies for them next week when we post an article about evaluating cheaper options in the new year.

The Truth About Your Health Care Premiums in 2014

We've had a lot of news hit the tape in the last week and I wanted to provide some clarity in what is quickly becoming a confusing mess of spin and half-truths. I'll start by saying that I'm clearly biased, but my sincere hope is that we get the truth rather than some version of what I want or what I think. As you know, I feel strongly that the PPA (Patient Protection Act) will increase medial costs and absolutely insurance costs for most of us, but let's not rely on my experience and opinion, let's look at three stories that were posted this week and attempt to discern what is correct.

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