Blog

Health Insurance Open Enrollment 2018

Health Insurance Open Enrollment 2018 runs from November 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017.  This is an opportunity to make any desired changes to your existing health insurance plan. This could be changing plan options with the same company or looking a plans from other companies.  Those with an Exchange plan (obamacare) plan may want to look at other offerings in the exchange or possible outside of the exchange for 2018.  For exchanged and non exchange based plans, the insurance companies can not block enrollment due to health issues.  This is a guaranteed issue period on exchange and non-exchange type plans.  All changes during this time will take place on 1-1-18.

Benefit Changes and Rate Increases

Benefit changes and the inevitable rate increases for the plans also take place on 1-1-18.  The preliminary estimate shows that most companies will have increases of over 20% for 1-1-18. It is not yet know how the subsidy for those on Obamacare plans will be effected.  Usually, those receiving an income based subsidy are best staying on an exchange plan given they are getting help with the premium.  The monthly subsidy can be substantial if the insured persons income falls within the guidelines.  Although the plans will be increasing their premiums, it is hard to tell how much of that will be offset by the subsidy.

Health Insurance Open Enrollment 2018: Other options

Those that are not planning on being able to get a subsidy for 2018 may want to explore other options.  Non subsidized plan premiums are very expensive for someone age 50+ and the 20+ percent increase will only make that worse.  A non subsidized silver level plan for a 50 year old is currently about $640 a month.  After the increase that number will be around $768 a month.

Crowe and Associates has access to other non-exchange and non-subsidized plans for 2018 that have substantially lower premiums.  Call our office to learn more at 203-796-5403 or email [email protected]

Our plan is a full major medical plan that waives the penalty for being uninsured. There are copays for services prior to paying any type of deductible.  Rates are the same for all ages and are as follows…

• Single -$548 month
• Parent and Children- $898 month
• Couple- $1,022 month
• Family- $1,298.00 month

Medigap Plans CT

Medigap plans Ct are also called Medicare supplement plans.   They provides coverage for these “gaps” in your Medicare coverage and can save you money.  Medigap plans are not Medicare Advantage plans rather, they provide coverage after Original Medicare A and B benefits pay.  As a result, it is important to note that Medigap plans will only cover services that are approved by Medicare. They will not help cover costs that Medicare does not allow/approve.

Access all Medigap plans CT (Medicare supplement plans) with this link.  Site will show you all plans and rates in CT.

Are you a broker looking to sell Medigap plans?  If so, click here to learn more about Medigap sales.

Medicare supplemental plans are offered by private insurance companies.  These plans help to pay the ‘gap’ between costs covered by original Medicare and your out of pocket costs.  Medigap plans are regulated by national and state governments and therefore benefits are generally the same, regardless of the insurance company.   For example, Plan A has the same benefits regardless of the company you purchase it from.  As a result, rates and value add benefits are the only difference from company to company.

Medigap plans do not cover medication expenses.  If you enroll in a Medigap plan, you should also consider a Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan.  The rule is different for drugs under medicare part B. As a result, it is important to pick the right part D drug plan.  The pharmacy you like to use and the specific prescriptions you take make all the difference when selecting a drug plan.  Call our office to learn more or use the CMS drug plan finder tool. 

Want to learn more about the differences between a Medigap plan and a Medicare Advantage plan? Click here to learn about all your medicare options.

We are one of Connecticut’s leading Medicare brokerage firms.  Please call us at 203-796-5403 or email us at [email protected] if you have questions.  Better yet, we can set a time to sit face to face and discuss all of your options.  If you aren’t able to travel to our office, we will gladly come to you.

Low Cost Long Term Care Insurance

National Guardian Life (NGL) is now offering low cost long term care insurance.  NGL is offering a new long term care product with premiums up to 50% lower than other LTC companies.

Who should buy long term care insurance?

Long term care insurance provides services and benefits not covered by Medicare.  Unlike traditional health insurance long term care plans are designed to cover long term services and supports.  These typically include personal and custodial care.  Care can be give at home, a community organization or other facility.

Long-term care insurance policies reimburse policyholders a daily amount (up to a pre-selected limit) for services to assist them with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, or eating.  You can select a range of care options and benefits that allow you to get the services you need, where you need them.

The NGL Essential plan offers a lifetime benefit.

This benefit provides you with the comfort of knowing you are covered for life with no max benefit period.  Joint pricing offers a lower rate for couples applying together.  Step rated cost of living adjustment means that you will start with the lowest offered rate.  The reverse combo feature combines return of premium with or without a claims offset.  An optional surrender rider protects the premium you’ve already paid in to the policy.  In addition, if you never use the policy, your beneficiary will receive up to 80% of the amount you paid  into the policy.  This mimics a life combo policy.

Click here for a full product guide.

Crowe and Associates is a full service insurance brokerage.  We are also Medicare specialists.  Click here for a free confidential Medicare quote.  If you have questions regarding either medical or long term care insurance, please contact us for an appointment.  There is no fee for our services.   You can  reach us either via phone at 203-796-5403 Or,  you can email us at [email protected]

Medicare Supplemental Plan Rates

There are many various options when you decide to purchase a Medicare supplement plan. Medicare Supplemental Plan Rates are listed below. Coverage for Original Medicare, Part A and Part B, include monthly premiums, deductibles as well as co-insurances. There is no limit for out-of-pocket spending.  Long term care, dental and vision are not covered.  To stabilize and or limit some of the cost, many choose a Medicare Supplemental or Medigap Plan.  As you have most likely heard, Medicare enrollment can be complicated.  For your own piece of mind, we recommend speaking with an experienced, licensed health insurance agent.  A knowledgeable agent can help you  to choose the best option for YOU.

There are actually 10 Medicare Supplement Plan options available to you. Each plan has different, yet standardized, benefits and coverage. This means that no matter which insurer you buy from, the benefits of each plan will be the same.

However, while the plans are standardized across insurance companies, the Medigap costs can be vastly different. So even though you will ultimately be getting the same benefits, it pays to shop around to get the best rate.

Click for rates in CT

Click for rates in NY

Do you have questions or concerns regarding your current Medicare plan? If you would like to learn more about future Medicare Advantage, Supplemental as well as Prescription Drug Plan options?   Please contact us either at 203-796-5403 or at [email protected] to discuss your Medicare options in detail.

Access Health Special Enrollment Period – April 1 – 30, 2015

Access Health CT has announced a special enrollment period from April 1 through April 30, 2015.  This special enrollment period is intended to allow both individuals and families the opportunity to enroll in coverage in 2015.   This is a chance for people who did not have health coverage in 2104 and are now subject to a federal tax penalty to get the coverage they need.

Although, individuals who do not qualify for an exemption from Access Health and went without health care coverage in 2014 will have to pay a penalty.  The penalty is $95 per adult or 1 percent of their income, whichever is greater.  This amount is added in when they file their taxes this year. Additinally, the tax penalty will increase to $325 per adult or 2% of income for the 2015 calendar year.

Read more

Obama Care Income Limits for 2015

In this post we will explain the Obama Care Income Limits for 2015.  February 15th is the cut off to sign up for an Affordable Care Act plan (Obama Care).  In fact, after the 15th, only people with a valid special election can sign up for coverage.  Those with income below the allowable guidelines gain access to health insurance coverage at substantially lower cost than those with standard plans not affiliated with the exchange.  Those within the income limits can enjoy premium reductions of up to 90% .

Read more

Obama Care  in Connecticut

The purpose of this post is to provide an understanding of Obama Care in Connecticut to help consumers make a better decision when they decide to enroll or not.    Our office is registered to advise the general population on which plan may be best for them and to process an enrollment in person or over the phone. Please review the list of bullet points below and call or email if you have any questions.

• Obama Care is run by Access Health in CT.  Prospective members sign up for the plan through the Access Health website.  Once you register, you can complete and submit an application.  Access Health then sends the insurance company that you chose during your application process the information is then sent to the insurance company that was chosen during the application process.  This will then prompt them to send out a monthly bill as well as ID cards.
• Subsidies are available to those within the income guidelines.  They are automatically applied to the premium and the bill received in the mail will be reduced by the amount of monthly subsidy being received.  Subsidy levels depend on the total annual income of the family and the number of family members.  They do NOT look at prior year income but look at current years income.  A person applying in 2014 is going to be provided or not provided a subsidy based on their 2014 income not prior years income.

• Subsidies levels are as follows:

• Single person under $45,960 adjusted gross is eligible for a subsidy.  A family of 4 under $94,200 is eligible for a subsidy.    For an example of the amount of subsidy provided we can use a 61 year old male.  At $47,00 annual income he is not eligible for subsidy and would pay $691 a month for a silver plan.  At $32,000 of income that same person would only pay $150.09 a month for the same silver plan.   A family of 4 making $96,000 a year would pay $1217.22 a month for a silver plan while a family of 4 making 52,000 a year would pay $217.00 a month for the same plan.
• Subsidies are only available by applying through Access Health
• Current companies offering plans are Anthem BCBS, Connecticare and Healthy Partners.  United and Harvard Pilgrim will  also be available in 2015
• Anyone can enroll in Obama Care but only those under the income level will get a subsidy

• The company sends a paper bill every month.

• The doctor networks are smaller than the normal networks.  We have found that the companies Obama networks have about 70% of the doctors that are in the companies normal networks.
• For those under the income guidelines, this is the lowest cost insurance they will be able to buy on an individual basis by a substantial amount.
• The benefits of the Obama Care plans are more comprehensive than the comparable plans out on the open market
• Obama Care will base your income on the total family income, even if the whole family does not enroll in the plan.

You can either call or email us with any questions or help enrolling.  We do not charge a fee for help with enrollments.  The insurance companies pay us directly.  The rates are the same with or without our assistance enrolling.   Office number is 203-796-5403 or email [email protected]

Short Term Health Insurance Connecticut

Crowe and Associates would like to offer our clients some information about the Short Term Health Insurance Connecticut.  We want you to be aware of all you options when you are trying to decide what type of insurance is the best choice for you and your family. There is now a short term health insurance plan available to people in Connecticut.

HCC offers a well priced short term health insurance plan

This plan can run for up to 11 months to members.  This plan is a great option for college students and anyone that wants insurance but missed the enrollment deadline for the Affordable Care act plans. It is also a great option for those that are 64 years of age and need a plan to carry them over until they are Medicare eligible.  Plans can be purchased for as little as one month up to a maximum of 12 months.  Enrollment in the plan is done online in about 10 minutes for those that want to apply.  The plan has the following features…

• Choose from deductible levels of $250 to $7,500
• You purchase this plan on a month by month basis for a maximum of 11 months
• 5 general health questions on the application
• Online enrollment
• Premiums up to 70% lower than standard health insurance plans
• Coverage can begin the day after applying
• In fact, Anyone can apply for this insurance coverage

We have provided a link below that will allow you to quote rates as well as enroll in a plan of your choice.  If you have any questions, please feel free to either call our office at 203-796-5403 or email us at [email protected]  We are always happy to help you with any insurance needs that you may  have.  We want you to feel confident with your insurance coverage choices.

CLICK FOR ONLINE RATES AND ENROLLMENT LINK

Affordable Care Act Enrollment And Plan Changes

We want to make sure everyone is aware of both the Affordable Care Act Enrollment And Plan Changes. Affordable Care Act plans (Also called Obama Care) are those purchased through the Connecticut Exchange via the Access Health Website.   A premium subsidy is only available to those who enroll through the Access health site.  Anthem , Connecticare and Healthy Partners are the three insurance companies available through the exchange.   People that enrolled outside of the exchange are not eligible for any type of premium help.  For those that did enroll via the exchange there rules regarding new enrollments and plan changes for existing members.

New Enrollments–

The general period for someone to register and enroll in a plan through the Access Health site ended on March 31, 2014. The site does not accept new enrollments for the remainder of the year.  A new enrollment window will open in October of 2014.  This will allow new members to apply for a January 1, 2015 start date.

Special Election Period–

Additionally, some people are allowed to enroll in a plan outside of the enrollment period.  This is true if they have a special election reason to do so.  Special elections reasons include, losing group health insurance or an individual health plan during the year, moving to a different state, a change in Medicaid or Husky status and losing COBRA benefits.

Plan Change for existing members–

In fact, Existing members are not allowed to make a plan change outside of the normal enrollment period. This is true, unless they qualify for one of the special election periods above.  A doctor who decides to no longer accept or participate with a Affordable Care Act plan during the year is not a valid reason to make a plan change.

Crowe and Associates is here to help you.  Call us if you have any questions about health insurance.  Please contact us either by phone at (203)796-5403 or by email at [email protected]

Health Reform Plan Questions and Answers Connecticut

Here are some  Health Reform Plan Questions and Answers Connecticut.  These are some of the more common questions that we get on a daily basis.  The questions are regarding health reform plans in Connecticut.  If you have questions that are not on this list, need a quote or want to enroll, please feel free to either call us at 203-796-5403 or send an email to [email protected]

Question:  What is the difference between Obama Care and the health exchange in Connecticut?

Answer:  They are the same.  Different names clients use to describe buying insurance through the exchange or also know as “Obama Care”.

Question: Can I get help paying for my premiums?

Answer:  Yes, if you purchase a plan through the exchange and meet the income requirements. You can not get help with your premiums off the exchange.

Question:  Can anyone get insurance through the exchange?

Answer:  Yes,  anyone can apply and get a plan.  Not everyone can get help with the premium however.  The exchange will base that decision on your annual income.

Question:  Are there are underwriting/health question on or off the exchange?

Answer:  No.  In fact, health questions are not allowed on or off the exchange.  You can not be denied for any health condition after January 1, 2014.

Question:  I applied for a health reform plan and then received a notice saying I was denied for Husky.  What does this mean?

Answer:  It is only applicable to you if you actually applied for Husky. If you applied for a standard health reform plan, the notice is not applicable to you and has nothing to do with your enrollment.

Question:  How do I know if my doctor participates in the health reform plan I want to enroll in?

Answer:  There is a doctor search function on the Access Health website.     CLICK HERE FOR THE SITE.      After you receive a quote, there will be a button to hit in order to check doctors for each plan.

Question:  Are the networks for the Exchange plans the same as the networks off the Exchange?

Answer: NO- they are different. Don’t assume you doctor is in the network just because he or she was in network on your old plan.

Question:  How do they determine how much I pay for coverage?

Answer:  The exchange will base the amount you pay on both your age and gender.  Although, the biggest influence on  your rate is the amount of subsidy you receive.  The Subsidy you receive is determined by the amount of income you enter when you get a quote.