Texas Health Insurance

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.

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.

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!

Examining Plan B - Short Term Health Insurance Solutions To Long Term Unaffordability

Short Term Health Insurance Plans may be a viable alternative to an Obamacare policy

The healthcare system is now at a breaking point.  The ACA or Affordable Care Act is proving it is now created a situation that is unaffordable.  Clients have been pushed into situations where they must make tough decisions as they are now unwilling or unable to make premium payments for plans they feel are too expensive or simply lack enough benefits for the cost.  Many clients express what we've discussed for some time now that premiums are more than double what they used to pay and their deductibles are twice as high as well.  Finally, because the expense is so high, many are trapped in plans that offer no benefits other than catastrophic coverage at a very high price.  The truth is these clients are frustrated and searching for alternatives to their real financial problems.  In the last month, Texas Health Design has had conversations about Short Term Health Insurance with more frequency and it is important to describe the benefits, limitations, and potential nasty pitfalls of this approach.

4 New Changes Impacting Health Insurance and Your Taxes - Paying Uncle Sam

We've hit January and the time has come for many of us to turn our attention to a subject we often dread, taxes.  This tax season many of us will face new filing requirements or even receive new forms in order to remain in good standing with the government.  In this post we'll quickly summarize the items you'll need to look and that you'll encounter as we head toward April 15th.

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.

Top 10 Things to Remember About the ACA (Obamacare) in 2015

The 2014 rollout of the Affordable Care Act was challenging and created great frustration in many insurance policy shoppers.  Technological issues hampered many and the size and scope of the changes to the health industry impacted insurers and policy holders alike.  As we near the new Open Enrollment Period we wanted to provide readers a list of key rules and issues you need to know as we begin the new plan shopping year.