Most Americans must have health insurance. It’s the law. But as the 2014 tax filing season gets underway, you may be caught off guard by an extra tax of $95 or more due with your 2014 tax return. That’s because if you went for three consecutive months or more during 2014 without health insurance, you will be hit with a penalty tax (unless you are exempt). Here is the amount
Three Reasons Why You Should Enroll in Health Insurance Now
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), open enrollment for 2014 health insurance runs through March 31, 2014. We are well into February. If you have not yet enrolled in coverage, you may need some convincing as to why you should not wait until the last minute. Here are three compelling reasons to enroll in health insurance before March 31: Avoid the Rush If you think back to the days leading
How to Apply for Insurance on Healthcare.gov
⇒NOTE: This post is about applying for 2014 coverage. For information about applying for 2015 coverage, click here. If you live in Virginia and are eligible for a health insurance subsidy, you must purchase your coverage on the federal health insurance marketplace in order to receive the subsidy. Not sure if you are eligible? Use this chart to find out. You may qualify for a subsidy if, based on the
December 23 Health Insurance Deadline Draws Near
December 23, 2013 is Almost Here It may feel like a race against the clock, but there is still time to enroll in health insurance by the December 23 deadline. Enrolling by that date will ensure you’re covered by January 1, 2014. What Should You do if You Have Not Gotten Health Insurance Yet? First of all, don’t panic! You still have a bit of time! (Note: Maryland residents
Purchasing Health Insurance on the Online Exchange in Virginia, Maryland, DC
UPDATE November, 2014 – The information in this post is from the 2014 Open Enrollment season. Please click here for help with purchasing 2015 health insurance on the Federal Health Insurance Exchange. Here is what you need to know to access the online health insurance exchanges in Virginia, Maryland, and DC. We have also included our broker information which, when entered into your online application, will allow you to benefit
Clarification to HHS Recommendations for Insurance Carriers
In a previous post, we outlined the recommendations made by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week to encourage health insurance carriers to take steps toward easing policyholders’ transition to new 2014 ACA-compliant health plans. We want to provide clarification on a couple of the points, and dissuade anyone from believing their insurance carrier will simply cover any out-of-network care or off-formulary drugs throughout the month of
If You Enrolled in Health Insurance Through the Exchange, Will You Really Have Coverage on January 1?
This is a question on the minds of many. With the recent tales of “834 errors*” will insurance carriers really have an accurate record of who is covered under plans sold on the exchange? * 834 is the data transmission form sent from healthcare.gov to the carriers containing a policyholder’s information. The 834’s have been plagued with missing, garbled, or duplicate data, casting doubt on whether carriers will receive correct
Getting Help from a Broker on Healthcare.gov
Remember, the price you pay for health insurance already includes help from a broker! You pay the same price whether you enroll through a broker, a carrier, or directly on healthcare.gov. So, why not take advantage of the help a broker can offer! So that we can assist you in the future with coverage questions, billing issues, or claims concerns, please make sure to add our broker information on the
Another View From the Health Insurance Trenches
It has been about a month since we wrote about our experience “in the trenches” as we help our clients manage the transition to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Many of you are wondering how things are going. Record High Volume at Virginia Medical Plans We, like most brokers across the country, continue to experience a record high volume of calls and emails. As you can imagine, we are doing
Virginia Medical Plans’ Jon Katz in the News
Virginia Medical Plans’ own Jon Katz has become the go-to guy when it comes to information about today’s ever-changing landscape of health insurance. The local press in the Washington DC / Virginia / Maryland area has called upon Jon’s expert knowledge several times since the rollout of Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare. In October, Jon was featured on National Public Radio (NPR)’s radio show Marketplace (click here
