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Showing posts from 2020

Health Insurance Enrollment for 2021

  It has been a great year as a Full Service Enrollment Center for the Washington Healthplanfinder .  there are 10 others spread across the state. A normal Open Enrollment runs from November 1 st through December 15 th . However, we have a bonus enrollment season. December 16, 2020 through January 15, 2021, you can enroll in a qualified health plan that starts February 1, 2021. Set an appointment or walk in . This is a great time to get a second set of expert eyes on a health plan if you need to make any changes. In our area, we have over 31 basic plans on the Healthplanfinder so you can miss details that impact how you use your insurance. You can roll into the pharmacy and fill a prescription that first week in January and discover that you were paying more for a prescription than you planned so make a change.   Eleven months of coverage beats no coverage until 2022. Normally, it takes a documented reason to get health insurance outside of the Open Enrollment period. This w

Medicare & Healthcare update during Covid

Here at t he Wenatchee Enrollment Center, we have been enrolling people like crazy With December 7th, the end of the annual enrollment period for Medicare, we are seeing a flood of people needing Medicare help. For our local customers is has been good to call a 509 number or walk into our office on Mission Street and get service.  Normally, I would say set an appointment using our Calendar. Appointment Calendar . During the time of Covid, we were prepared to help everyone remotely with phone calls and virtual meetings. We have been operating for years to help our people out in Okanogan, Stevens, and Ferry Counties this way. In some cases, the insurance companies were needing to catch up with us. A good example was being able to provide virtual seminars for Medicare Advantage plans. We also have people that need in person and we do those appointments as well. We have been masked up and providing hand sanitizer to clients since March when the first protocols for safer offices were

Apple Health perks for Amerigroup, Coordinated Care and Molina

Since Suzie Health Solutions is the Full Service Enrollment Center located in Wenatchee, we receive a lot of requests about Apple Health. We wrote an early blog post about low and no cost care for children . We assist people with all income levels with professional assistance. We do not get paid for every policy that we write but that doesn't stop us from helping people.  Healthcare can be confusing. We always recomend connecting with a no cost broker and a navigator so that you get maximum customer service. For example if there is a payment issue with a insurance company and we are connected then we can sort it out quicker if there is an established affiliation.  One of the topics that came up recently is what is the difference of the three Apple Health Managed Care Providers. This blog post is going to hopefully answer those questions. Here we go: Fast Comparison Chart Amerigroup Washington . I strongly suggest that you check out their members handbook  as they go through the n

Medicare Part D 2021

 When Suzie is not talking about Medicare Advantage plans . She recieves questions about Medicare Part D . Here are the stages that you may not know. The Deductible Stage : While some plans have a zero dollar deductible, the most an annual deductible will be is $445. You are responsible for 100% of your prescription drug costs until your deductible is met. The Initial Coveage : You pay a copay or coinsurance. Your Part D plan pays the rest for prescription drugs included in your plan's formulary.  The Coverage Gap : After you and your plan have together spent $4130 on prescription drugs then you enter the coverage gap or donut hole. You now pay 25% of the cost of your prescription drugs.  Catastrophic Coverage : When you have reached $6550 after your total out of pocket expenses on prescription drugs plus any discounts, you are back to small co-pays or coinsurance until the end of the year. Plan Year Resets : Everything resets January 1st and you return to the deductible stage.  E

Health Alliance Medicare Advantage 2021 Sales Presentation.

  Health Alliance 2021 Medicare Advantage Presentation Hi I am Suzie one of the Agents here at Suzie Health Solutions . You might have found this through our Medicare Bot , a Facebook post or found this link through a friend. Each year, I give this presentation to hundreds of times to people who are new to Medicare or have had Medicare Advantage Plan the previous year and there was important updates. In the past these were held at Red Lion and meeting rooms all across the country.  With COVID-19 we had to take a different approach.  Since there are rules involved, we are required to cover materials laid out by the company and by  U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We are going to have the complete sales presentation here so that you can review the materials. If you don't have any questions then we request you use the provided links so that we can assist you through out the year as your licensed insurance agent. If you do have questions then please contac

Do I need to renew my Medicare Plan?

In person or online, you can get assistance. Do I need to renew my Medicare Plan? When can I make changes? Now is the time to ask these questions. From Oct 15th through December 7th is the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. You do not have to make changes to your plan during this time. However, you can and should review what you have and any updates to your healthcare plan. Here are some important things to understand. 1. If your health has changed since you selected your Part D Plan or Medicare Advantage, then this is an excellent time to switch plans to lower your healthcare cost. Depending on where you live, you may be able to move to a Medigap Plan.  2. Double check with your licensed insurance agent that your plan is not changing or leaving the area. This does happen and checking in with a local resource can reduce the chance of problems next year.  3. A plan that meets your medical needs moves into the area. Maybe, it gets you lower prescription rates at the pharmacy that y

Cheap Insulin. Some for Medicare and some for Healthcare in Washington State

  We talk about Insulin a lot. Here at Suzilla and again for example. We watch the news and see articles talking about it coming . With Enrollment is your chance to make the change for 2021.   Here is the taste of   the 2021 cost of insulin for Medicare recipients and said I would report if the prices did indeed go down.   Tresiba which retails for $537/box will be $35 copays throughout the year. Lantus, retails for $414/box as low as $25 copays for most of the year. Basaglar, retails $345/box, $35 copays. (Based on plans in my area)   If you were wondering the cost of these drug plans, they are all under $25/month   If you are just letting your Medicare D plan or your Medicare Advantage plan roll over then you might not be getting these lower costs!!   Medicare Annual Election Period is Oct 15- Dec 7th, get with your agent to review your drug plan, because you need to factor in ALL your other prescriptions!!   If you need help in Central Washington then w

Medicare Advantage Virtual Sales Seminars

For the 2021 year, Suzie wanted to provide customers with the opportunity to learn about Health Alliance Medicare Advantage Plans and any updates from the comfort of their home. This is a no obligation group meeting. Suzie asks that you use the Health Alliance link to confirm your reservation.   If you have complex or personal information that you would like to discuss or further questions then feel free to schedule a one on one with Suzie either in our office or online. Which ever you are most comfortable with. Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15th through December 7th 2020.   This allows a whole group to get together online and hear and understand the updates.  How it works is as follows: 1. Select a date and fill out the form from Health Alliance. Date: Saturday October 17, 2020 at 1:00 PM Wednesday October 21, 2020 at 10:00 AM Saturday October 24, 2020 at 1:00 PM Wednesday October 28, 2020 at 10:00 AM Saturday October 31, 2020 at at 1:00 PM Wednesday November 4,

WA State 2021 Health Insurance Rates and Smart Plan

  Open Enrollment Nov 1 - Dec 15 for Jan 1,2021 start! The Office of the Insurance Commissioner has approved the rates for 2021 on the Washington Healthplanfinder . This is the second year in a row that we have seen a significant decrease in rates. Thirteen health insurers have been approved to sell plans on the Washington Healthplanfinder and the average rate of decrease is 3.2%!  The two plans that are intending to sell plans off the exchange. Asuris Northwest Health , which we can assist you with as we are affiliated with. There is also Health Alliance Northwest Healthplan , who insures 7 people in Chelan, Douglas and Grant Counties. (If you want to see their plans then let us know when you are in our office and we can show you where to find them).  There are also two new companies on the Healthplanfinder for 2021. They are Community Health Network of Washington and UnitedHealthcare of Washington. If a company does not contract with a broker then it becomes a buyer beware if you

Healthplanfinder and Income update FEMA payment

Here we go with some COVID relief for the unemployed.  If you need a mask then stop in! Beginning September 21st, Employment Security will begin processing payments of an additional $300 per week to the state base weekly  unemployment benefit approved under the Lost Wages Assistance FEMA Payment.  There is only five weeks approved for weeks August 1st - Sept 5th.  The Lost Wages Assistance FEMA payments is not countable for Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) eligibility but is countable for tax credit and cost-sharing reductions. We have been advised to not include the $300 Lost Wages Assistance FEMA payment in your weekly unemployment income amount reported to the Washington Healthplanfinder application.  You should choose to adjust their Qualified Health Plan tax credits by adjusting the amount of tax credits applied to their premium in Washington Healthplanfinder . If you under estimate your income and use more tax credits than you are qualified for then you must pay those back wh

No Cost and Low Cost Children's Health Insurance

Hi, Suzie Health Solutions has been helping Central Washington eight years. We are the full service enrollment center located in Wenatchee . We are a family run small business. This means people can walk in, get help on there account and not be charged a fee. We recommend always selecting a no charge broker to provide additional assistance if things go sideways as well as getting access to their expert assistance.  While we insure a lot of people with the Healthplanfinder and on Medicare . Today we are going to talk about Apple Health or Medicaid. The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or Apple Health (Medicaid) provides insurance for kids under 19 if your modified adjusted gross incomes meets the requirements. The requirements are adjusted every April. Please contact us if you are interested in enrolling for healthcare for your child.  Is my child eligible? Kids with single parents kids with two parents kids living on their own kids living with grandparents, family or

HR 5 Equality Act, BLM and discrimination in business.

Why would a small business fly a Pride Flag? Do you feel it is important to treat all people like people? As a business owner this comes up more than I expected over the last decade. So when one of my friends that runs a barber shop asked about HR 5: Equality Act , I had to have a deeper discussion. Representative John Lewis spoke about the importance of the Equality Act passing.  As a small business, we decided a long time ago to promote and support equality.  It's our job to insure , not to judge. It's an very old school mentality that was reinforced by my first District Manager. If someone walks through my door as long as they are not abusive, disruptive or spreading illness then they are welcome. Our office literally assists just about everyone because we do business and are open to the public. We have no problem flying a pride flag, or a Black Lives Matters poster or a Latinx banner. We are part of a larger community. Discrimination is an issue and it is c

Covid, Healthcare, Employment and the 2020 Recession

We are on the front lines at Suzie Health Solutions . When someone loses their job and needs healthcare then they come to us. We have been helping people with little or no money sign up for healthcare since 2013. We literally have our finger on the pulse of the economy and healthcare. We started seeing businesses adjust their income last fall. We knew that it was going to be rough because hard news is not the easiest to look at. Check out our podcast for more info. Well how did we get here? We were in trouble before Covid got a strong hold in the United States. 1. Our country's pandemic response was disassembled from the very beginning of the current administration. On Jan 13,2017, the Joint Obama-Trump transition team goes through a series of pandemic-scenarios. Most of the individuals are no longer with the administration. Funding and personnel are cut to key areas. 2. It has been politicized by the administration . Trump's tweets were bad and his rally'