If you live in Washington DC, Virginia Medical Plans can help you choose and enroll in an individual or family health insurance plan for 2017. If you’re eligible for a subsidy to help pay for coverage, we can also help you collect your subsidy. Enrollment in DC plans is done through DC’s health insurance marketplace: https://www.dchealthlink.com. You can browse available plans without creating an account, but we recommend you create
Preventive vs. Diagnostic Medical Services Under the Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that all qualified health insurance plans (except grandfathered plans purchased prior to March 23, 2010 and still in place) include coverage for ten essential health benefits. That does not mean these medical services are necessarily free, merely that your health insurance will cover some or all of the cost. But certain preventive services are free. This means your health insurance must cover 100% of
Browsing the Health Insurance Exchange
Since Open Enrollment for health insurance began this past Tuesday, all major news outlets have been reporting on the glitches and capacity overload that have prevented users from getting into the sites (see yesterday’s health care news). When things do settle down and you are actually able to get in, what will you find? If the consumer experience is anything like what brokers went through to register with the exchanges
Enrolling in Health Insurance Under Obamacare
October 1 is here, and the exchanges have officially opened. As we expected, the opening of the exchanges came with technical glitches and system delays. Both the Virginia and Maryland exchanges, like many across the country, had crashed by 9:00 am. But, things will settle down, and you will be able to purchase health insurance for next year. Remember, you have until December 15, 2013 to enroll in a plan
Health Insurance Premiums Under Affordable Care Act
How will health insurance premiums be calculated in 2014, under Affordable Care Act (ACA)? A policy’s premium is the monthly fee paid to the insurance carrier for health insurance coverage. In pre-ACA policies, insurance carriers can charge differing premiums based upon many factors including, most notably, a person’s age and current health status. Today, the premium paid by someone with a medical condition is typically much higher than that of
Preventive Health Care Benefits Under Affordable Care Act (ACA)
We’ve all heard this expression: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The authors of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are counting on that! The law requires all marketplace and non-grandfathered health insurance plans to provide coverage for certain preventive care services at no cost to the insured. When we say at no cost, that means the services must be provided without charging coinsurance or a copayment,
What Types of Health Insurance are Out There?
How will you make the best choice for your health insurance? By understanding your options! Here is a high-level review of the different types of health insurance plans. The right fit is different for each individual. So please give our office a call to discuss which type of plan may be best for you! Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPOs) Coverage is limited to a certain list
7 Easy Steps to Prepare for Health Insurance Open Enrollment
October 1, 2013 marks the start of the Open Enrollment period for health insurance. From October 1 – March 31, 2014, Americans will be able to purchase health insurance with an effective date as early as January 1, 2014. And remember, everyone MUST have health insurance by the first of the year! Are you ready? Here are 7 easy steps you can follow: 1 Understand your options. You will be
How Much Will Health Insurance Cost Me in 2014?
With the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) front-and-center in the news these days, people naturally want to know how much it will cost them when health insurance becomes mandatory on January 1, 2014. The health insurance exchanges (or “marketplaces”) are slated to open on October 1, 2013 for plans with an effective date of January 1, 2014. Until exact figures are released, the Kaiser Family Foundation has a great tool
