Head’s Up!

Okay America – Get ready. Open enrollment for health insurance begins November 1st, 2015 and closes again for another year on January 31st, 2016. As expected – some changes will be coming along for the ride as well! Topic: Premiums. Well it’s a bit of a “coin toss” theory. Premiums could be raised or lowered depending on which state you reside in. Not enough information has been released to know for sure either way. In many cases, premiums are still under review by insurance departments and are subject to change up until the day before open enrollment begins. Plan details. Not much is known about this either. We suspect that information will be withheld until the new rates are released. Though no major changes are expected. For those that qualify, the marketplace may provide some relief as far as premiums go. We don’t recommend going about this alone! We don’t say this to promote fear or anxiety in an already anxious America – We offer this only as advice. The marketplace can be a virtual maze of different plans, costs, and details etc. We have seen several people get snubbed by the marketplace in many ways – From choosing a plan that doesn’t service their county to enrolling in a plan that doesn’t cover prescriptions. With open enrollment approaching fast and increased penalties for not having health insurance – Game time is now. Visit our website www.gahealthcoverage.com for the most up-to-date health insurance rates.  And absolutely contact our office for assistance in any way. Remember, you don’t pay any extra for our services and we will continue to service your policy even after it’s issued. We are standing by to assist in the labyrinth of health insurance!

Don’t wait until the fall…..

                                                                 

For those without a qualifying event/special enrollment obtaining a major medical policy outside of open enrollment can be a difficult – if not impossible – task. Georgia Health Coverage is an on and off exchange health insurance agency brokering with all major carriers.  In short, we assist with discounted and direct health insurance. In addition to enrollments our services include – but are not limited to – plan selections, subsidy (discount) calculations, small group, life policies, and service/support after your policy is issued. You pay no extra for our services as we are compensated by the insurance carriers. As a courtesy, we are reaching out to our community to provide knowledge and assistance in applying this fall. Many clients experienced major delays in obtaining policies during open enrollment due to the massive number of individuals enrolling. Stay ahead of the crowd!  Contact our office today to discuss your options, find the best plan for you and your needs, determine if you have a qualifying event to enroll now, if not we will then add your name to be contacted once open enrollment arrives.  For your convenience you may also utilize our self service option via our website http://www.gahealthcoverage.com. Please be advised the rates listed on our website are without any discount applied. To inquire on discounted rates please contact our office at 770-253-9283. You may also email your questions to service@gahealthcoverage.com. If you have missed open enrollment, want to adjust or change your plan, inquire on discounted health plans or simply want to browse- don’t hesitate. Georgia Health Coverage looks forward to serving you this upcoming open enrollment.

 

Penalty for not having health insurance 2015

The fees for not having health insurance in 2015 have spiked! For individuals who are not exempt are looking at paying $325.00 per adult, $162.50 per child or 2% of yearly household income – Whichever amount is higher. For those who are not covered – You may be in luck. We can get you enrolled in coverage for 2015 with a qualifying event. Those include but are not limited to marriage, divorce, Medicaid denial and loss of employer coverage. Our services are 100% free.  For a complete list of qualifying events and to find out if you would qualify for assistance in paying monthly premiums please contact our office at (770) 253-9283 or send an email to service@gahealthcoverage.com. For direct rates and plan information visit our website http://www.gahealthcoverage.com. Act fast and avoid the fee!

HAVE YOU RECENTLY BEEN TURNED DOWN FOR MEDICAID?

Have you been turned down for Medicaid? Recently got married or had a baby? COBRA coverage expiring soon? You may be in luck! Qualifying life events such as these create special enrollment periods for individuals to obtain a health insurance policy outside of open enrollment. Georgia Health Coverage Inc. can assist you in applying for health insurance on(healthcare-gov) or off the marketplace, subsidy calculations, plan selections and policy service even after your policy is issued. You pay no extra for our services! Visit our website www.gahealthcoverage.com or contact our office at (770) 253-9283 for more information. 

Hardship Exemptions

For those of you who don’t know – A hardship is a life situation that keeps you from getting health insurance. Healthcare.gov/The Marketplace/ObamaCare is complex to say the least. The marketplace is designed to provide major medical policies with the assistance of  tax based subsidies to make securing a health insurance policy easier. However, since the subsides are tax based – This means that there are income brackets set in place. The brackets are set up in a way that take your household size ( this should really read — How you file your taxes… single, married, dependents etc) and income level  (annual gross amount) to calculate a subsidies. When these calculations are complete – some individuals  (even though off exchange policies would be completely our of their price range) still will not qualify for a subsidy. At this point the individual hits a brick wall (so to speak) and panic sets in. “How can I afford this”…. “Will I be made to pay the fee for not being insured”… etc. That is when we come across the “Hardship Exemptions” list (below). You may qualify for a hardship exemption if:

• You were homeless
• You were evicted within the last six months or were facing eviction or foreclosure
• You received a ‘Shut off’ notice from a utility company.
• You recently experienced the death of a close family member
• You recently experienced domestic violence
• You experienced a fire, flood, or other natural or human caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property
• You filed for bankruptcy within the last six months
• You had medical expenses you couldn’t pay within the last 24 months that resulted in a substantial debt
• You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled or aging family member
• You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent who has been denied coverage in Medicaid or CHIP, and another person is required by the court order to give medical support to the child. In this case, you do not have to pay the penalty for the child.
• An eligibility appeals decision
• Referred to Medicaid but your state did not expand the program
• Your individual insurance was cancelled and your believe other Marketplace plans are affordable

There are more that are listed. Please feel free to contact us if you feel you may be able to qualify for a Hardship exemption.

Special enrollment Period: March 15th – April 30th

You may still be able to enroll in a major medical policy through the marketplace if you meet the following requirements:

• You didn’t know that the health care law required you and your household to have health coverage until after February 15th, 2015, or you didn’t understand how that requirement would affect you or your family.
• You owe the fee for not having health coverage in 2014.
• You are not already enrolled in 2015 qualifying health coverage.

The individual must meet ALL the above listed requirements to be approved. Feel free to leave comments or contact our agency directly if you have any questions regarding this topic.

Open Enrollment 2015 has ended but…

Although open enrollment for health insurance 2015 has ended some individuals may still be eligible to obtain a major medical policy. Qualifying events and special enrollment periods. If you experience one of the following life events you may still be able to apply. See below:

• Loss of employer coverage
• No longer a dependent
• Divorce from policyholder
• Birth or adoption
• Marriage
• Loss of eligibility for health insurance exchange subsides
• Move into new servicing area
• COBRA Expiration
• Return from active military service
• Release from incarceration
• Court order or Chapter 11

If any of these apply to you – Contact our office and let’s get you covered!!

Health Insurance 2015

Please allow us to introduce our firm as well as our insurance brokerage services. Since 2002, Georgia Health Coverage, Inc. has specialized in health insurance direct with all major carriers. We are an off and on exchange agency – Which means we can provide clients with services regarding on (.gov) and off exchange health insurance policies, small group, subsidy calculations and plan selections – Just to name a few. Please let this serve as our official introduction blog. We will be posting updates regarding health insurance on the federal exchange (AKA The MarketPlace… AKA ObamaCare), subsidy requirements (and all information pertaining to that), individual health insurance free of the marketplace, possible fees, ways to qualify for an exemption of said fees, how to obtain a major medical policy out of open enrollment, federal healthcare law mandate information and all the latest up to date news regarding these topics. Feel free to comment, email, or call us with any questions.