Obamacare

The Day Your Healthcare Died - Obamacare's Implosion in 2017

We will witness the death of Obamacare in 2017 as the ACA falls into its own death spiral

If "The Day the Music Died" as sung by Don McLean was when Buddy Holly crashed in a chartered airplane in 1959, we will be able to sing about a similar death of your health insurance that started in January of 2016.  Unfortunately, our healthcare system's death isn't one that will suddenly end in just one terrible event, our system's death will probably last several long and painful years.  The beginning of the end can be marked by Blue Cross Blue Shield's decision to terminate all PPO coverage for individual plans in Texas and replace it with a managed care HMO network.  Competitors of Blue Cross quickly followed suit, leaving Texans grasping at straws and hoping to find anything that could cover them with a large doctor and hospital network.  Unfortunately, many still don't understand how limited options are and won't until they need emergency health care.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act we've been writing that the law did nothing to control health care costs and thus was a waste of time and truthfully an effort to take people's money and subsidize others.  Oddly, things would have been better if the country would have simply offered free coverage to the poor rather than destroying the system that was actually working for many.  Now, we have a health insurance system that is offering small networks, higher deductibles, lower material benefits, and premiums that are almost 200% greater than just a few short years ago.  The worst part is that the pain is not over.  2017 will usher in a new set of significant actions that will further reduce choice, cost more, and result in an actual reduction in the number of insureds.

Last Days of the Special Election Period Are Winding Down

Time Is Money, Avoid The Tax Penalty and Buy Health Insurance Today

April 30th will mark the end of the last Special Election Period that allowed citizens to extend the time to purchase health insurance in 2015.  This specific election period was approved by CMS and made available to people that never bought health insurance in 2014 and discovered that they would owe a penalty for the 2014 tax year.

Frustrated With Your Insurance; Get Help With Plan Research Before You Buy!

Buying without research will get you a bad plan and lots of frustration.

I Just Bought A Plan I Could Afford!

I have had several conversations in the last few weeks with clients of other agents or purchasers of health insurance plans that dealt directly with the carrier that needed help.  In each instance the person lamented that they purchased a health plan based on the price and they didn't take much time to consider other important items in the plan like physician networks, deductibles, or co-pays.

Procrastination Awarded: One Month Left To Add Health Insurance!

Time is running out and procrastination will be painful in 2015

Procrastinators Rejoice!

In a world where you are told that procrastination is terrible and there are bad life consequences for missing deadlines, CMS, our government health administrator, has decreed that folks that waited past the deadline to purchase health insurance for 2015 will get one more shot at signing up!

New Tax Implications of Obamacare! What You Need To Know.

Subsidies From Obamacare May Make Filing Your Taxes Even More Costly This Year!

I wanted to highlight several key developments this week as clients and new friends are finding that they haven't fully understood the implications of the financial subsidies they received from the Marketplace and Obamacare.  Over the last few days we've heard from clients that have received 1095-A Forms which show how much they received in subsidies from the US Government and they are now wonder what they need to do with their forms and what they mean.

Deadlines Extended....One More Week - Get Your Application In Today!

Technical difficulties plagued the healthcare.gov signup process over the last few days of Open Enrollment.  As a result of these problems, CMS, the government body that oversees the Affordable Care Act, has extended the Open Enrollment deadline to February 22nd. Remember, if you don't obtain coverage that begins 3/1/15, you cannot purchase health insurance this year unless you qualify for the Special Election period (have a baby, get a divorce, or have some other qualifying life change event).  If you miss out on this last chance, you'll be locked out and won't be able to purchase an ACA plan in 2015.  Make sure to grab this last opportunity to buy coverage.

4 Days Left To Buy Health Insurance! 5 Facts You Need To Know To Finish Strong

The end of the Open Enrollment race - crossing the finish line

With only 4 days left in the 2015 Open Enrollment cycle the pace of calls into our offices has increased dramatically.  New clients and old friends that have never emailed or called us back suddenly want to talk about health insurance!  In order to help you in the final stressful days we wanted to provide you some key pieces of information to help you get your enrollment completed and finish this Open Enrollment marathon!

5 Health Insurance Facts You Need To Know Today!

Call volumes are increasing as we get to the last few days of the 2015 Open Enrollment season.  I wanted to provide a few answers to questions we are receiving and wanted to put them in one post.  Can you believe that January is already in the rear view mirror?  We've had several great calls this week and all of them have common themes.  I spoke quite a bit about taxation and the impact changes of income will have on subsidies in last week's post.  If you have questions about these items, please refer to Taxing Questions for 2015.  Let's dive in!

Locked Out or Locked In - 18 Days Until Open Enrollment Ends

Only a few days left to buy health insurance or you'll be locked out of the health insurance makret.

There are only 18 days left until your opportunity to obtain health insurance is gone for the remainder of 2015.  "What?  Is that correct?" you say?  Yes, the end of Open Enrollment will lock you into a health insurance plan for the rest of the calendar year or lock you out of a qualified health plan until January of 2016.

Taxing Questions! Getting A Tax Deduction On Health Premiums

Tax Issues Related To The Affordable Care Act - Are Premiums Deductible?

Recently a fellow health insurance broker and I had a discussion about health insurance premiums and how they are increasing at a rate that will doom the industry in just a few years.  We lamented about rising deductibles and ever increasing costs and smaller physician networks.  We even ventured into the realm of taxation and how higher income earners will certainly be asked to carry a larger burden in the future.  Our howling about how bad things have gotten and how they were better in the old days, ok, just a decade ago, led us to a simple question about the deductibility of health insurance premiums and whether individuals and families could write off their health insurance premiums from their taxes.  Since we both had different opinions and we've both been selling health insurance for more than 10 years it is clear that clients need clarification and answers on this important subject.  Remember, I'm not a tax preparer or accountant, so these are general rules and you'll need to investigate whether they apply to your situation.  Consult your own tax advisor.

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