Washington State Healthcare Solutions

How big is the unwinding effecting our neighbors. Let's look at the Continuous Enrollment Data that was pulled 02/14/2023 Chelan County 5,766 Douglas County 3,030 Grant County 8,012 Okanogan County 3,210 Kittitas County 2,324 Yakima County 22,744 Yes, Central Washington is looking at 45,086 people that have been enrolled continuously renewed into Apple Health. We are looking at a large percentage of our neighbors having to review their health insurance over the next year. Most of that will be outside of Open Enrollment period which runs usually from November 1st through December 15th.  People are setting appointments year round  so that we can travel to outreach events around the state to assist in education and enrollments.  Yes, CHIP payments are restarting Key resources are the Enrollment Centers . Our office moved to 413 N Mission street a few months ago if you want assistance in Central Washington we can do phone, online and in person appointments . The reason th...

An insurance plan is not set in stone. Apple Health is an insurance program that when your income changes more than $150 a month then you need to report the income change. If you make over the specified income limit then you are not eligible for Apple Health and may qualify for a reduced cost plan. We have been talking to people and some are very unaware of the change that is almost upon us.  Apple Health is what Washington State Medicaid has been called since 2013. They renamed it when the Affordable Care Act changed Healthcare in the United States. There is a ton of cool state names like Husky Health, MedQuest, BadgerCare, Green Mountain Care....etc. There are groups that help people understand and enroll in Apple Health with out charging a fee.  Suzie Health Solutions is one of ten Enrollment Centers in Washington State that work with the Washington Healthplanfinder. We have to meet special conditions like explaining all plans on the Healthplanfinder and not charging fees...

There is a variety of coverages out there. At Suzie Health Solutions , the Enrollment Center located in Wenatchee for the Washington Healthplanfinder , we work with Qualified Health plans.  We are going to talk about non-medicare health insurance plans today. We offer a lot of insurance but health insurance we have worked through 10 open enrollments which usually run from November 1st through December 15th across the United States.  This means that they cover the 10 Essential Coverages.  Inpatient and outpatient medical care Prescription drug coverage Preventive care and screenings Mental health and substance abuse treatment Emergency services Hospitalization Rehabilitation services Pregnancy and maternity care Laboratory services Pediatric care, including dental and vision services. Each plan will cover them in a variety of ways. We do run applications year round however are limited by enrollment dates. If we are outside a open enrollment then a person may have to ...

  At the Enrollment Center , we get asked this alot. Matt has assisted with 10 Open Enrollments helping thousands of people get healthcare. There are 10 Enrollment Centers in Washington State and you can catch Matt in Wenatchee's most of the time. If you need insurance help in Washington State then an easy way to contact him on his office's landing page .  Special enrollment periods (SEPs) for health insurance are periods of time outside of the regular open enrollment period during which certain individuals are able to enroll in or make changes to their health insurance coverage. SEPs are typically available to people who have experienced certain life events, such as the birth of a child, marriage, loss of other coverage, or a permanent move to a new area. In general, the following individuals are typically eligible to enroll in health insurance during a SEP: • People who have recently had a child, adopted a child, or placed a child for foster care. • People who have rece...

  Matt's first questions a decade ago was would healthcare be available for ITIN s? The Individual Taxpayer Identification number is how immigrants without a Social Security Number file taxes. The first couple of years that we enrolled people, we literally saw stacks of 1040 tax filings for folks wanting to get Healthcare.  We had people that when they applied for healthcare discovered that they were not as their parents told them born in the United States. This includes the Dreamers who have been on hold since 2012. Sometimes we got lucky with refugees being granted special status. However for the most part immigrants were blocked from the marketplace.  We can finally say that 2024, we will have Healthcare regardless of immigration status! New first-in-kind federal waiver aims to improve access for uninsured Washingtonians Starting in 2024, all Washingtonians, regardless of immigration status, can get health and dental cover...

We find people all the time that are unaware that they have access to low cost/high benefit healthcare. The Native American Program is a good example on why we have talked about the ACA for nearly a decade.  The Affordable Care Act improved healthcare quality and coordination. It included a permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act . It was designed to help prevention and improve wellness by increasing access to affordable health coverage. If you are a member of a federally recognized tribe or Alaska Native Claim Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporation shareholders then you are qualified for the program. The Healthplanfinder will ask for proof of affiliation however we can help you upload a copy. Marketplace Health Plans. Washington is an expanded medicaid state so up to 138% of the federal poverty level then you are enrolled in Apple Health. These are comprehensive plans which means most services including dental are included.  Between 138% and 300% of ...

 As a full service enrollment center  for the Washington Healthplanfinder , Suzie Health Solutions educates and enrolls people into healthcare for no cost. There are 11 enrollment centers however we are the one located in Wenatchee.  If you do not have health insurance then enroll now. You may not be able to get it until 2023 as there are special rules however it means that you are one step closer to having coverage. Schedule an appointment and get your options .  For the last nine years, we have assisted with people enrolling into Apple Health . While the application can be confusing or you might not understand the letters, these are things that we assist with so that you have coverage.  In June of 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act went into effect in Washington State and we saw costs plument. In Washington state over 10,000 were eligible for $0 cost plans . To be fair they often come in at a $1 per month however they have serious cost sharing at the silver ...

What happens when you have a new program in Washington State that get's people zero cost silver plans? You tell everyone that you can. Here is the five minute video on the details. We are one of the eleven enrollment centers and we have been excited about this program for a few weeks. One of the big things that COVID highlighted was the importance of child care. The legislatures saw this and so they made child care on the Washington Healthplanfinder no cost for certain plans.   We are making it as easy as possible. 1. Select a time and method that works best for you.  2. We will enroll and upload any documents that you might need. 3. The program managers will confirm your name on the list from Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families.  4. If you have any questions throughout the year you can contact Suzie Health Solutions . 

 It's October and we have started the Enrollment Season. The last couple of weeks, we have had people with Covid call us looking for Health Insurance and people losing their coverage due to opting out of a vaccine mandate at their work. It is our job to educate and enroll people in insurance regardless of their position. We are the Enrollment Center located in Wenatchee. Enrollment Centers are unique to Washington state and there are only 11 of us . We work with the Washington Healthplanfinder and can be found linked to their site. We have to go through special requirements like explaining every plan and not charging any fees. Some of the brokers sites like The Suzie @Wenatchee Insurance  work additionally with Medicare plans and Life Insurance so that you have additional opportunities.  We saw a big reduction in the cost of Healthcare because of the American Rescue Plan. In Washington state we enrolled thousands of people into plans for $1 or less starting in June. These...

 Each year at The Suzie @ Wenatchee Insurance  we talk about rates in June . It is one of the few times that the public has a chance to lower their insurance rates. If you follow our podcast or facebook page then you have a greater chance of knowing when this occurs. We even did a follow up video about the thousands of Washington State Residents that were able to purchase Healthcare for $1 or less.  For 2021 thanks to ARPA, nearly half were paying $100 or less for a qualified health plan and these savings will continue through 2022 at least!  The office of the Insurance Commissioner has released some results. The first round impacts the plans found on the Washington Healthplanfinder . If you are not using this tool to shop for insurance then you should just because of the American Rescue Plan's lowering of rates through 2022. Since the adjustment to the top bracket opened up reduced pricing to the upper income brackets, there is very little reason to be shopping ...

 Open Enrollment for Healthcare will run November 1st 2021 through January 15th 2022 . This is when people can make changes to their healthcare. There are 11 Enrollment Centers spread throughout Washington State and we are located in Wenatchee . Enrollment Centers have been around for six years and are almost a secret way to get no cost help with understanding health insurance. It has been a great program to be part of. Some are even set up to assist with Medicare and Life Insuranc e as well.  Outside we have what is called Special Enrollment .  One of the myths is that you can enroll any time of the year unrestricted is not true. You may be required to submit documentation to prove that you have a valid reason to get healthcare outside of special enrollment.  We have seen Special Enrollments for: Income - You have low income and Qualify for Apple Health : Do not be surprised if the Healthcare Authority asks to see how much you make .  Native American/Ala...

  Confluence Health announced that they are going to terminate the contract with Premera January 31,2022. We started hearing about the negotiations back in May so we double checked with the Premera Filings in June. Our county is zone 7 and you can quickly see how we are priced compared to the rest of the state. You can also see that Premera intends to be in our area because it is literally in their filed plans. If they don't reach an agreement then professionals already have solutions.  We have had insurance companies leave the area before. The last we saw this was Soundpath Health a Medicare Advantage Plan bought by Premera closed its's doors January 1, 2019. We saw it when Premera, Lifewise and Molina left the individual marketplace during a contraction. At any given time, there is about two hospital systems negotiating with an insurance company. Insurance professionals have dealt with this before and have plans for when this happens.  We are recommending to not do a...

Masks are back in a big way!  The Argosy Restaurant has had enough. They posted a No Vax, No Service sign on their front door.  Nearly all deaths and hospitalizations in the United States for Covid is from the unvaccinated. Covid deaths are 98% preventable however there is a group that is failing not to kill Americans, the unvaccinated.  Yes, on 7/28/2021 the CDC recommended that masks should be worn indoors regardless of vaccination status if you are in a substantial or high transmission area. We talked about this possibility yesterday on our podcast . These are area marked in Orange and Red .  To qualify for Substantial then you have a transmission rate of 50 to 99 per 100K in the last 7 days or percentage of positive tests of 8.0% to 9.9% To qualify for High then you have to have more than 100 transmissions per 100K or greater than 10% positive tests. Over half the country fell into these categories. In North Central Washington, it means masks are back indoors f...

  February of 2020 has been over a year ago. We were preparing for a Home show to talk to thousands of people about running the Enrollment Center in Wenatchee and other Suzie Health Solutions options. We thought that all we would need was an touch free hand sanitizer. How little did  we know. We masked up and ran most of last year with one Special Enrollment or another. From Covid Special Enrollments to finishing up with the wildfire special enrollments for the End of 2020. The last Covid Special Enrollment has been going from February 15th through August 15th. Millions of Americans have received coverage during this special enrollment and they are receiving lower rates.  We are excited to have a few months to train and just focus on special enrollments. Special Enrollments are documented reasons that allow a person to get health insurance. Some of the reasons are losing employer coverage, moving into the area when you had coverage, getting married when one of you had ...

The Washington Healthplanfinder started the Full Service Enrollment Centers about six years ago. Some are run by small businesses (brokers) and some are run by corporations (navigators). When the Healthplanfinder put out the request, we seemed to be a good fit. There are some rules to operate an Enrollment Center.  1. Easy access to the public and open year round. 2. Enhanced Security and Insurance. 3. Experienced In person assisters.  4. Offer all plans regardless of pay.  5. No additional fees.  From our experience of working with insurance for nearly a decade. Always select a broker. If not us then someone connected to a Enrollment Center. You are already paying for them ($0 Dollars) and if you need assistance or have questions then you have a prepared customer service team. It is an easy way to support a small business and help build a community resource.  Special Interview with Coordinated Care CEO There are enhanced features such as ability to assist with ...