Health Coverage & COVID-19

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The 2020 global Coronavirus pandemic is a rapidly evolving medical event that is changing daily. Here at PolicyAdvantage.com, we want to keep you up to date with the latest information regarding your health coverage:

  • State/Federal Updates
  • Health Plan/Carrier Updates
  • What to do if you can’t pay your premiums?
  • What to do if your employees had hours cut?
  • +MORE

With the onset of COVID-19 in the United States, and in the state of California, we have been receiving a lot of information from the health insurance industry.

Although none of this is intended to be interpreted as medical advice from Policy Advantage Insurance Services, we have been advised to share with our audience important information, information sources, and facts.

It’s the consensus within the health insurance industry that it is very important to stay informed about COVID-19 to help with early prevention, and to reduce the risk of transmission… all while navigating the current health insurance environment.

Additionally, Covered California has recently announced that 2020 enrollment has been extended until June 30th, 2020. It is not too late to get a health insurance plan in place. Reach-out directly to us, and we’ll help you find the right policy. Additionally, if you are an employer, groups can enroll in large and small employer health insurance plans anytime throughout the year. We can assist and help you enroll online, and/or over the phone.

We are thinking about our clients and everyone else during these unprecedented times, and hope that you, your family, and your friends stay healthy. For further assistance, or if you have questions regarding coverage, connect with us online anytime.

Visit our contact page to get assistance. We can send you info online (email: info@policyadvantage.com, or chat in lower right), over the phone (800-617-0089), or in person (schedule an appointment with us). We have also setup a specific COVID-19 page: PolicyAdvantage.com/COVID19.

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be helpful. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com

Top Tips: 2020 Health Insurance Open Enrollment

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Open enrollment in the individual and family plan marketplace for health plans that start on January 1st, 2020 is just around the corner. Renewal processing will start in a couple of weeks, and open enrollment for new plans will continue shortly afterwards. If you’re looking to enroll in a plan that starts on 1/1/2019, you’ll want to have your application filled-out and submitted by December 15th, 2019.

At PolicyAdvantage.com, we’ve helped hundreds of individuals and familes navigate the health insurance environment since 2012. Through that experience, we’ve come up with a list of top tips for you in 2020:

  • Have a single point of contact. Things can change significantly from year to year, and you’ll want to have a guide who knows and understands the conditions in your area. For example, there might be completely new health plans from new insurance companies being offered, your doctor and hospital networks may be expanded or change, plus more. Work with an agent who can help you efficiently navigate this each year.
  • Keep up with the regulatory environment in the state in which you reside. Regulations and access to care can change significantly from state to state. For example, as of January 1st, 2020, the state of California has significantly expanded access to health insurance subsidies through the state health insurance exchange. Many more families will have access to these subsidies to help them offset the cost of their health insurance premiums. At the same time, the state of California has completely eliminated access to short term health insurance plans. These short term plans can be much more affordable than typical individual or family health insurance plans, but they are also typically much more limited in benefits. California has decided that these short term plans are “junk plans,” and they’re no longer available throughout the entire state. These are examples of significant regulatory differences in California, when compared to other states.
  • Consider small group health insurance plans. If you are not eligible for exchange subsides to help you offset the cost of your individual health coverage, look into a small group health insurance plan if you have a small business (or even a group of partners). Small groups can be setup as VERY small groups, sometimes with just 1-2 participants. So if you have a business with you and a partner, there’s a good chance you might be able to pair-up and find more affordable overall coverage as a small group of two, rather than purchasing two separate individual policies. Small group health insurance plans are underwritten differently than individual plans, which can sometimes help keep their costs lower.
  • Understand all of your coverage level options. In the individual & family plan marketplace, there are only four different levels of coverage: 1) Bronze Plans, 2) Silver Plans, 3) Gold Plans, and 4) Platinum Plans. Within each of these plans are different benefit levels (co-payments, deductibles, access to prescription drugs, etc), and the premiums can vary significantly from one level to the other. Make sure you closely evaluate your coverage level options to see if you’re able to save money.

These are just a few of our top tips to help you navigate this year’s 2020 health insurance open enrollment. Many things can change quite substantially from year to year, and that is why it’s very important to have an independent health insurance agent who can help you navigate it all.

Connect with us at our contact page to get assistance. We can send you info online (email: info@policyadvantage.com, or chat in lower right), over the phone (800-617-0089), or in person (schedule an appointment with us).

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be helpful. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com

More Dental Plans Covering Implants

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Don’t think that dental implant you need is covered by your dental plan? It’s time to think again. Unlike the past, many dental insurance plans are now covering implants for medically necessary dental implant procedures.

Dental implants can be a costly prosthetic procedure when it comes to your dental care. They’re also high-demand, and very popular among patients (in order to avoid other procedure like dentures, bridges, etc). If you’re paying cash for one, they can run upwards of $2,000 per tooth, and that’s on the low end.

We’re seeing more-and-more dental plans that are now covering dental implants. This includes policies in the individual and family marketplace (ie: non-employer coverage that you can purchase on your own, anytime). And, we anticipate the trend with this new benefit to continue.

Not every dental insurance plan covers implants, but more-and-more are. So, if you’re looking for coverage that will take care of your implant, make sure to take a good look at the options that are available.

Chances are, you can find a dental PPO that will cover up to 50% of the negotiated cost of your implant, and there are even some dental policies that have a flat co-payment for one. For example, Blue Shield of California has a dental PPO that covers implants at a fixed co-payment of $613 per tooth (click here to contact us about it, and we’ll send you personalized information).

Keep in mind that there are some limitations in most policies, and you’ll also want to plan ahead. For example, many dental plans have an “annual benefit maximum” of about $1000-$2000 per year. So depending on the cost of your implant, it may only cover approximately one, or maybe two implants per year (which is still better than none). That said, you’d still also have access to your cleanings, x-rays, and other preventive care in your policy. Additionally, there is usually a waiting period for major prosthetics (implants), which in most cases is 12 months. So, you’ll want to have your plan in place for 12 months, before your benefits will kick-in. All things considered, if you do things right, you can find yourself with some pretty good dental coverage for implants these days, instead of paying for all of it out of pocket.

Many individual dental PPO’s start at around $37/month. Contact us today, to have one of our agents put together a personalized information ePacket for you, send it right to your email, and help you get your dental implant covered. We can run quotes for you, and send you a simple online application, from the convenience of your own home. Chat with us right here online on the bottom right, or: info@PolicyAdvantage.com, phone: 1(800) 617-0089.

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be helpful. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com

You’ve Successfully Navigated the Largest Healthcare Reform in U.S. History With Us — Now What?

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So you’ve been with us since 2014. When it all started. What was “it?” The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare.

The ACA was the largest healthcare reform in U.S. history. From the opening of the exchanges, to navigating “tangled” physician networks, to explaining new available tax credits, to helping large employers navigate the employer mandate… we’ve helped hundreds-and-hundreds of policyholders navigate it all. Successfully.

Considering all of the “issues” you’ve heard about in the media during the roll-out of reform over the past five years, generally speaking, our policyholders have experienced a very smooth experience in a turbulent environment. So sit back, take a break, and relax. We’re happy to have you on-board, and thank you for being here.

Here’s what to know about what’s next: we’ll continue to be with you, as we move forward and navigate the future of healthcare in the United States.

This is our opinion: we believe the U.S. health coverage (ie: the health insurance environment) is going to continue to be a very complex marketplace in the future. There will probably continue to be legislative changes at the national level. There will probably continue to be legislative changes at the state levels. More than likely, new products will continue to evolve (ie: health insurance policies, account-based funding tools, etc).

Private insurance (and other private funding tools like Health Savings Accounts) will most likely continue to “integrate” with current and new government options. It will be very important to know and understand what is available, so you’re putting things together that make sense (both cost and coverage-wise), for yourself or your business.

We look forward to helping you with this, as we’ve helped so many policyholders navigate healthcare reform so far. You can count on PolicyAdvantage.com to get you the most up-to-date, relevant information available in the industry. Contact us anytime if you’d like to visit with a consultant: Email: info@PolicyAdvantage.com, general phone: 1(800) 617-0089, or chat with us online at www.PolicyAdvantage.com with any general questions you have. We’ll put you in contact with an agent.

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be helpful. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com

Fast Fact: ALL ACA-Compliant Health Insurance Plans MUST Contain Mental Health Benefits

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Here’s a fast-fact for you on 2018 Mental Health Awareness Day: ALL ACA-compliant health insurance plans MUST contain mental health benefits. That’s a fact. 

Healthcare reform (a.k.a. Obamacare, a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act) required that “qualified health insurance plans” MUST contain “essential health benefits.” One of these essential health benefits is: access to mental healthcare.

Here’s what you should know about which health plans MUST contain mental health benefits:

  • Individual & Family Plans: if you purchase an ACA individual/family plan from the health insurance marketplace, or directly from an insurance company, these plans MUST contain mental health benefits.
  • Small Employer Health Plans: nearly all small employer plans usually contain mental health benefits. The size of a small employer is defined state-by-state. Many states recognize a small employer as a company with less that 50 full time equivalent employees. Some states recognize a small employer as a company with less than 100 full time equivalent employees.
  • Large Employer Health Plans: large employer health plans (usually employers with over 100 employees) are not required to contain mental health benefits, however MOST do. Make sure to do some research into your plan, to see what kind of mental health benefits are included.
  • Self Funded Health Plans: self funded health plans are NOT required to contain mental health benefits, but again, MOST of them do. Self funded plans are most typically provided by large (to very large) employers (examples: state employees, hospitals, very large corporations, etc). If you have a self funded plan, make sure to check whether-or-not you have access to mental health benefits.

In conclusion, mental health benefits can be IMPORTANT. There is a reason that they are contained in MOST health insurance plans. On Mental Health Awareness Day, we want to raise awareness that you most likely have access to these kinds of important “essential benefits.” For questions regarding individual and employer health insurance in the state of California, contact us anytime. 

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be helpful. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com

California Officially Bans Short Term Health Insurance Plans

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Here’s the down-low on “short term” health insurance plans in California. Short term health insurance plans were used as an alternative to “Obamacare” (ACA) plans if someone needed coverage for a short period of time (previously less than 3 months, and more recently, less than 12 months).

People who missed the individual and family plan open enrollment could enroll in these plans at anytime throughout the year. Additionally, people who were trying to “bridge a gap” in coverage (example: going from an employer plan to an individual plan, or an employer plan to a NEW employer plan), could utilize these short term plans to cover themselves during that period of time.

Short term health insurance plans are able to exclude certain benefits that “Obamacare” plans are required to contain (these requirements are called “essential health benefits”). For example, a short term health insurance plan can exclude things like maternity, mental health benefits, and can also utilize pre-existing condition exclusions when underwriting the plan. For these reasons, short term health insurance plans have a tendency to be much less expensive than “Obamacare” plans.

Recently, the Trump Administration officially released HHS/DOL guidance that expanded access to these plans nationwide, allowing people to participate in them for up to three years (instead of under 12 months). Also, the federal tax reform bill passed in December of 2017 removed the requirement for individuals to have health insurance, or pay a tax penalty. For these two reasons, there was anticipated to be MUCH more participation in short term health insurance plans, nationwide. 

However in 2018, California legislators recently passed S.B. 910, a bill that banned short term health insurance plans in the state ENTIRELY, starting on January 1st, 2019. The argument is that these short term plans are “junk plans” because they do not include the comprehensive “essential health benefits” that “Obamacare” plans ARE required to contain, as described previously in the blog post. Additionally, it’s the consensus that legislators would like to maintain participation in the state’s “Obamacare” (ACA) marketplace, in order to keep rates/premiums more stable.

Residents of California will have three choices in the individual marketplace in 2019:

  • Participate in an Obamacare/ACA plan individually, or at Covered California.
  • Find an alternative option to health insurance, like a health ministry plan, or an association health plan (if eligible).
  • Go uninsured (because there is no tax penalty anymore).

For further assistance finding affordable options in the state of California, be sure to contact us. We’ll put a comprehensive consultation together for you, so you’re able to see what health plan options are available in your zip code. Our recommendation is always to not go uninsured, when it comes to your health.

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be helpful. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com

 

 

Oscar Health Insurance: Individual & Family Plans Available in San Francisco

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PolicyAdvantage.com is proud to announce that we offer Oscar Health Insurance individual and family plans in San Francisco. PS: “O” is for OSCAR in the blog post image.

These plans are available to individuals, families, single parent families, and individual children under the age of 18. Additionally… plan information, health insurance applications, and access to a California licensed agent are all available online at PolicyAdvantage.com.

This groundbreaking, high-demand, hi-tech health insurance product is “trending” with our current individual & family plan clients. We’ve been offering Oscar Health plans to our individual and family members since 2015 in select areas of California (available direct through Oscar Health, and also through the state health insurance exchange Covered California).

Oscar Health Insurance offers a variety of “features” within their plans that are unlike many other health insurance companies. Some of these features include:

  • Your personal, dedicated concierge team of four members, which includes a nurse. These members can help you navigate anything from selecting proper healthcare services, to managing billing.
  • A proprietary Oscar App that can help you find the information you need about your health plan.
  • Simplified, smart health insurance that is “policyholder-centric” and easy to understand.
  • High quality, world-class hospital networks, with an easy-to-use Oscar doctor search tool.
  • An affordable EPO (Exclusive Provider Network), that gives you convenient access to specialists in the Oscar network, without a need for a referral. AFFORDABLE: Oscar is currently one of the more affordable insurance plans available.

This is an exciting, value-added, high quality product that we are very pleased to be offering to our individual and family plan clients at PolicyAdvantage.com.

Individuals and families in San Francisco: contact us to improve your current coverage, and possibly save money. Our agents at PolicyAdvantage.com are ready to help. Quotes and info are easy to get. Phone: 1(800) 617-0089, Email: info@policyadvantage.com. Or visit our contact page here:www.PolicyAdvantage.com/Contact.

Don’t miss these very good info-graphics about Oscar Health Insurance, available exclusively to our clients and followers in .PDF format (click to see forms):

Oscar_California_IndividualAndFamilyPlanOverviews

OscarConciergeTeam

FindingADoctor_AtOscar

Shopping for Prescriptions? Here’s Why GoodRx.com NEEDS to be Your New BFF

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Access to affordable prescriptions can be very important. Prescription drug coverage is a common necessity. You may have a simple cold and need an antibiotic, or, you may require expensive, on-going specialty or brand-name drugs that treat chronic illnesses. Whatever the situation, many people need to utilize prescription drug coverage often.

As a result, people have a tendency to “shop” extensively for their prescription drug coverage, when they need it. This is especially true if you’re paying cash, out-of-pocket, or have a large co-pay or cost-share for prescriptions. 

If you’re someone who’s shopping for prescriptions, www.GoodRx.com NEEDS to be your new best friend. With a simple search at their website for the drug you need, you can find discounted prices of 20%, 50%, 80%, and even MORE sometimes. For example, the estimated regular cash price for generic Zocor (which treats cholesterol) is $47.00 per 30 day supply. When you use a Zocor voucher from GoodRx.com, the cost is reduced to $4.80 per 30 day supply.

GoodRx truly does save the consumer (you) money, and it REALLY works. Simply print out your coupon/voucher at GoodRx.com, and present it at your local applicable pharmacy when you fill your prescription.

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be valuable. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com

Oscar Health Insurance: Small Group Plans Now Available in Los Angeles & Orange County

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PolicyAdvantage.com is proud to announce that we’re now offering small group health insurance plans (1-100 employees) from Oscar Health Insurance, as of June 1st, 2018. These plans will be available to small groups in Los Angeles & Orange County.

This groundbreaking, high-demand, hi-tech health insurance product is “trending” with our current individual & family plan clients. We’ve been offering Oscar Health plans to our individual and family members since 2015 in select areas of California (and also available through the state health insurance exchange, Covered California).

Now available for businesses, Oscar Health Insurance offers a variety of “features” within their plans that are unlike many other health insurance companies. Some of these features include:

  • Your personal, dedicated concierge team of four members, which includes a nurse. These members can help you navigate anything from selecting proper healthcare services, to managing billing.
  • A proprietary Oscar App that can help you find the information you need about your health plan.
  • Simplified, smart health insurance that is “policyholder-centric” and easy to understand.
  • High quality, world-class hospital networks in both Los Angeles (UCLA Health, plus others), and Orange County (Hoag, plus others). See our .PDF attachments at the end of this article.
  • An affordable EPO (Exclusive Provider Network), that gives you convenient access to specialists in the Oscar network, without a need for a referral. AFFORDABLE: Oscar is currently one of the more affordable small group health plans available. 

We are now quoting for small businesses as of June 1st, 2018, going forward. This is an exciting, value-added, high quality product that we are very pleased to be offering to our small group clients at PolicyAdvantage.com. 

Small businesses in LA & OC: contact us to improve your current coverage, and possibly save money. Our agents at PolicyAdvantage.com are ready to help. Quotes and info are easy to get. Phone: 1(800) 617-0089, Email: info@policyadvantage.com. Or visit our contact page here: www.PolicyAdvantage.com/Contact. 

Don’t miss these three very good info-graphics about Oscar Health Insurance, available exclusively to our clients and followers in .PDF format (click to see forms):

About_Oscar_LA_OC

About_Oscar_For_Business

LA_OC_OscarHealth_HospitalList

FindingADoctor_AtOscar

 

 

Travel Bloggers: Cover Your Health With Us Worldwide Online

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So you’re passionate about… TRAVEL. We hear you, travel bloggers. And that’s why we’ve put together a portfolio of TOP world-wide, affordable health insurance products for you. They can help you cover your health while you’re globe-trotting. 

We know you like the fun stuff: the pictures, the food, the “must see” tourist destinations, and those OH-SO outstanding “off-the-beaten-path” gems that must be seen. You’re working hard, and sharing those outstanding travel tips and experiences to a global audience. BUT… have you ever thought about the importance of your health while you’re on the go?

Your health is IMPORTANT while you travel. Accidents can happen. Maybe you fall ill. In certain instances, you might even need a medical evacuation. Are you prepared? PolicyAdvantage.com is happy to tell you that we’ve got you covered by HIGH QUALITY mobile travel health insurance plans, that will cover you while you make your rounds throughout the world. All for a few dollars a day. These companies include:

  • Cigna Global
  • Anthem GeoBlue
  • IMG Global
  • Allianz Worldwide Care

The BEST part? You can get information, brochures, talk to a licensed insurance agent, and apply for coverage ALL online at our website. Start by visiting PolicyAdvantage.com/NorthAmerica (for travel bloggers with a passport from a country in North America). From here, you can run your own personal quotes, and get information. Need help from an agent? Click the chat box on the lower right hand side. We’re on it for you.

EUROPEAN expats: we’ve got you covered too. Visit PolicyAdvantage.com/Europe, and do the same as above. We can cover European expats from MOST European countries (mainland, and others). Have a question? Hit-up our chat agents.

Thanks for stopping by, we hope you found our information to be valuable. Check back at our blog to get further information about funding healthcare. Also, please share with your friends, clients, colleagues, and family. Here are a few of our other information outlets:

Home Page: https://policyadvantage.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PolicyAdvantage

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PolicyAdvantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PolicyAdvantage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/PolicyAdvantage

Word Press: http://www.policyadvantage.wordpress.com