Humana

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.

2016 Open Enrollment - Where did my PPO go?

Blue Cross and other Texas insurers are dropping their PPO plans

We're right on the cusp of the 2016 Open Enrollment Period that begins November 1st and we've received hundreds of calls from clients that found shocking news from Blue Cross, Humana, and even United Health stating that their plans are being terminated and they are being moved to an HMO plan!  While many of us are in disbelief, the truth is that all carriers in the Houston market and many other Texas markets won't have an available PPO plan offered by the major carriers.  In the vacuum left by these terminating PPO plans we'll need to examine the HMO network plan design.  While this process can be hard to understand, don't worry, we're here to assist you through this search.

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.

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.

Avoiding Health Insurance Pitfalls - 5 Simple Steps to Get Your Insurance Claim Paid

 

While many clients and friends have now signed up for coverage for 2015 many more are still dealing with the idea that their Blue Cross or Aetna coverage was terminated and they haven't found replacement coverage.  We can help you review the universe of health insurance options and determine which plans would be best for your family.  Contact Us today for quotes and analysis.

For years, Texas Health Design has educated clients to ensure that when they need coverage, they know exactly what to expect and what steps to take to ensure that they don't run into problems getting claims paid.  We often hear from new clients that their past experiences with health insurance companies have been terrible and we feel strongly that many of their issues result from a lack of understanding of their specific policy and a broader knowledge of "how things work" with insurance.  After working with insurance companies for more than a decade, we've seen random, crazy, and illogical denials, but more often, we see issues where clients fail to take simple steps to avoid problems.  The goal of this brief post is to ensure that we know basic steps to get the most out of our coverage.

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.

5 Reasons To Use An Expert Health Insurance Agent (Texas Health Design)

 

I think all of us fall into the trap of believing that every product or service can be commoditized and packaged into an easy to understand, easy to purchase widget where price is the only consideration.  The internet has been wonderful in the sense that we can now easily compare prices and read reviews and buy from the comfort of our living room while watching television and taking a phone call.  Unfortunately, we've seen in the last several weeks several instances that have reminded us that easy price searches are not enough and health insurance is not a commodity.  Health insurance shoppers need better tools to examine plan choices and must be able to rely on an expert source to answer specific questions that apply to their situation.  The reality is that our busy lives don't have room for carving out hours to research health plans on our own or determining whether a doctor is in one network or another.  When we do take time to shop for health coverage during this open enrollment period, insurance shoppers want to ensure they get quick responses, comprehensive information, and answers to specific personal questions.