When you visit a doctor or other medical provider, knowing the right questions to ask will make you a smarter consumer when it comes to your own health care. Here are some suggestions: Do you take my health insurance? If so, are you in my network? (Hint: this is becoming increasingly important as provider networks may be shrinking. Read more.) What are my health care options? (Hint: it’s best
Are You Eligible for a Health Insurance Subsidy?
Update October 2014 – Revised income figures for determining eligibility for 2015 coverage. Click here. Here is a chart to help you determine if you qualify for a health insurance subsidy. (Click here to view larger) Give us a call! We can tell you for sure AND help you obtain the subsidy when you buy your health insurance through the exchange.
Will My Health Insurance Need to Change in 2014?
This is a question we hear a lot. If you currently have health insurance, your plan fits into one of two categories: Grandfathered plans: policies purchased before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law on March 23, 2010 and still active. For more information on grandfathered plans click here. Non-grandfathered plans: policies purchased on or after March 23, 2010, with coverage active before January 1, 2014. Because these
Virginia Medical Plans Completes Training on Federal Health Insurance Exchange
As October 1 — the start of Open Enrollment for the new health insurance marketplace — gets closer and closer, here at Virginia Medical Plans, we are getting ready! Our own Jonathan Katz recently completed a 6-part online training module offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Successful completion of this training course means that Jon has demonstrated proficiency with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and
Anthem Letter – What Does it Mean?
Anthem recently mailed out letters to thousands of policyholders with non-grandfathered health insurance plans … and, in the process, may have inadvertently confused a lot of people! To read the letter, click here. What does the letter mean? In a nutshell, the letter informs Anthem’s policyholders that the way a policy year is defined is changing from the default of a calendar year (January 1 – December 31) to a
Understanding Health Insurance Premiums
States are beginning to release premium rates for policies that will be sold on their health insurance exchanges beginning on October 1. The news can be confusing, however, and subject to interpretation — and “spin”. On a single day in July, for example, the Washington Post ran this headline: “Maryland Issues Insurance Rates That Are Among the Lowest in U.S.” On the same day, the Baltimore Sun ran this: “Premiums
Anthem LemonAid Helps “Put the Squeeze” on Childhood Cancer in Virginia
Virginia Medical Plans’ own Jonathan Katz happened upon this roadside lemonade stand one warm July day in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. While it was the Anthem sign that caught his eye, it was supporting the cause that made Jon stop and buy some lemonade. The proceeds from this “LemonAid” stand, and many others sponsored by Anthem Virginia, went to pediatric cancer treatment and research at Children’s Hospital of
What is a Navigator Under Affordable Care?
When you’re on a road trip to some place new, it is helpful to have along a navigator — someone to help you get where you need to go. Preferably, your navigator is someone who, at best, has been there before, but at the very least, has the experience to help you map out the best route and adjust to any trouble spots along the way. When the Exchanges (also
Who Should I Choose to Help Me Buy Health Insurance — A Broker or a Navigator?
We think the choice is clear. Always turn to a Broker over a Navigator when buying individual health insurance — on or off the Exchange. What is the difference between a Broker and a Navigator? Navigators are short-term contract workers hired — with or without any experience with health insurance — for the purpose of explaining the existence of the Exchange to people shopping for insurance on the Exchange. They
The Role of the Broker in Buying Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
The delay of the employer mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) means employers will not be required to provide group coverage for their employees until January 1, 2015. But, the mandate is going to happen, and we recommend employers begin to think — and plan ahead — for that eventuality. In fact, under ACA, employers must notify their employees about their health insurance options by October 1, 2013 (read
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