Individuals & Families Newsletter
A Case of the Flu.
2015 started with a bang...actually with a cough. Like many in my circle of friends and acquaintances, I got the flu. After a few days of suffering, I found myself on a Saturday morning in mid-January with a choice to make. Do I continue with my Nyquil binge and...
Blue Shield and Sutter Health, a love story.
It was touch and go there for a bit, but Blue Shield of California and Sutter Health resolved their differences and signed a new two-year agreement that will keep Sutter hospitals and medical centers in Blue Shield’s provider network. The public jousting was palpable...
Deadline approaching…
There are just five days left to renew your health insurance for 2015 if you want it effective on January 1, 2015. In both Covered CA and the private marketplace, you have through December 15, 2014 to explore your options and make any changes to your health insurance...
Open Enrollment is here!
The first annual open enrollment period since the implementation of health care reform has started and it’s time to evaluate plan options for 2015. For those who have existing individual or family coverage and want to consider a change, are enrolled in group or COBRA...
Commissioner Jones: Superhero or Opportunist?
BAM! POW! WHAM! Insurance Companies take cover. CA Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has changed into his spandex and cape! (Play superhero theme music.) And, with the help of his sidekick (Proposition 45), he’s ready to challenge his arch nemesis (aka insurance...
It’s not just what’s on the ballot that matters; it’s when the vote is held.
There is no better example of this than the upcoming November election. Originally set for October 15 – December 7, this year’s annual open enrollment period, when consumers can enroll in ACA compliant coverage for the first time or change plans for the next plan...
How to Choose a Carrier.
Health Care Reform has leveled the playing field as far as coverage benefits and eligibility goes. Plans are standardized and fall into four distinct benefit levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum) and must be actuarially equivalent. Pre- existing conditions no...
Next Open Enrollment Period Uncorked…
In addition to sizing up a turkey or sniffing a yam, you might add squeezing a health plan or two into your Thanksgiving shopping list. This year’s open enrollment period was moved from October 15 - December 7 to November 15 - February 15, 2015, and if you want to...
Employers & Employees Beware.
Popular among small employers was an arrangement by which they would pay the employee’s individual insurance plan premiums on a pre-tax basis. Market reforms within our new healthcare law now prohibit this. Starting January 1, 2014, employers who reimburse or pay...
Short Term Insurance still has a place.
Our new health care reform law has made it possible now for virtually anyone to obtain health insurance. Those with a pre-existing condition(s) cannot be denied insurance, charged a higher premium or have coverage restricted in any way. This is a huge step forward in...