Washington State Healthcare Solutions

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...

  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...

 This year Suzie is going through her Annual Medicare Training . It is done every year and allows her to contract with Medicare Plans, educate and enroll consumers and receive a commission for her services. If you have been to our main webpage then you notice that we do a lot of different types of insurance.   Insurance is an heavily regulated industry. It requires being trained and then licensed with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. We purchase equipment, open office spaces, and software so that we can effectively interact with the public. We have to secure contracts with companies if we want to be able to offer their products. Now not every company offers contracts with Agents. So we had to put up a new disclaimer. "We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any Information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. " Yes, since not every compan...

  We do a lot of work with the Washington Healthplanfinder as an Enrollment Center for Healthcare. Seriously, we are open year round answering questions and enrolling people in healthcare. When Suzie first started transitioning from being a Pharmacy Technician, she wanted to lead helping Medicare Individuals with their plans.  Yes, we assist people with Medicare. We stock materials Medicare Advantage, Supplement and Drug plans so that we can help with questions at our office in Wenatchee for your initial enrollment. Most people can enroll into Medicare plans 3 months before their 65 th Birthday, the month of and 3 months after their Birthday. Folks also can delay enrollment if they are covered by   plan through work. We can do a lot over the phone however sometimes there is nothing like having a complete enrollment packet in your fingertips. We like to take the time to do it correctly and it is not a problem to answer questions through the year. The best part is ...

 At the Enrollment Center we do a lot of different pricing for Dental Insurance.  One of the more popular is Delta Dental for our area. For 2022 they updated their pricing in our state. This is only a partial description of benefits; for full plan benefits and pricing then visit our site .  This is different from the state and may be different from other Delta Dental offerings as they have a wide variety of plans available. For example this is different from the plan offered on the Washington Healthplanfinder.  We also walk people through the coverages for a better understanding. We have appointments, online, over the phone or in person if you are in the Wenatchee Area .  We do enrollment year round for dental and a few other programs.  Catch our Blog Suzilla . 

  We have been following the Centers for Disease Control since last year at the Enrollment Center. We had some serious conversations about Covid because we did not hear the conversations occurring. At the end of July they passed a major change that folks might have missed. We do live under a media bubble when it comes to healthcare.   We have talked about a year for safe behavior .  To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission. Deltas spread is twice as great as the original strain . By the reactions in my office this week most people did not get the memo. Delta has been a Snoop Dogg levels for some time. COVID-19 variants were expected . All RNA viruses mutate over time. Every time they infect a new host, they have a chance to change, and these changes are called variants.  So let’s break down some of the myths . Canadian Medical ...

 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...

  We enroll people into health insurance . Over the last year plus, we have also had to battle with COVID restrictions. We were one of the fortunate small businesses in that we could help people remotely and we had most of the internal protocols ready because of a Tuberculosis exposure a few months earlier. There are 11 enrollment centers located through the state, we just happen to be in Wenatchee. It wasn't until May, that we noticed something. A local Health district published the vaccination rate by zip code. When we started looking at the vaccine hesitancy they have an commonality. It is not a real surprise because both are created in a similar fashion for people to operate in a destructive, toxic fashion. We have fought that disinformation wall for nine years. We know that there are a ton of our neighbors sitting in the center that will leave it for friends and family to pick up after they followed bad information. When you are in the country then you will probably recognize...

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...

  We are a couple of weeks away from Pride Month. Matt got into supporting Gay marriage early because that was the only way to get equality when it came to retirement planning. The model in Washington State of domestic partnership didn't allow people to roll over annuities and forced them to cash them out early. Matt has been advocating for equality for a while . Here and Here  and here .  So let’s get down to some reminders before June arrives. 1.        The American Rescue Plan Act will significantly address LGBTQ Poverty .   We have been talking about this since last March and are enrolling people that need healthcare and making sure that they are receiving eligible benefits. There is a Special Enrollment right now.  a.        The Increased in tax credits is a massive change so if you have skipped health insurance then shop. In Washington State the new pricing goes into effect the mont...

  Here at Wenatchee Insurance , we have been working with Healthcare because of the Affordable Care Act . Matt has been writing insurance for nearly a decade. He transitioned from property from a customer request. Suzie is second generation Insurance coming over from being a Pharmacy Technician for nearly two decades. We are going on five years of running the enrollment center in Wenatchee with the Healthplanfinder.  Give us a call (509-295-9055) or grab an appointment if you could use some help navigating health insurance. We charge zero fees.  The Affordable Care Act had a historic number of hours of debate and amendments during Committee development.  It was a massive law covering insurance coverages, healthcare costs and preventative care. It added protective rights called the Patient Bill of Rights that protected consumers, required insurance to cover 10 essential health benefits , a means for those with  low income to get coverage and a new way for th...

We run Wenatchee Enrollment Center . For the last four years, we have been the full service enrollment center for the Washington Healthplanfinder located in Wenatchee.   In North Central Washington, we can see road closures. It is nothing to see North Cascades Highway, Sherman, or Stevens Pass close during the winter month. This year we saw Pine Canyon near Waterville, WA shut down with a landslide. So what happens if you need help with Healthcare?  For the majority of situations, we can enroll and make adjustments over the phone or using screen sharing technology.  We have been doing business from Sequim to Spokane since the first year of the ACA when people scrambling to find help. We have even been known to help people calling in on Satellite phones from the Bering Sea! We do recommend setting an appointment so that we have some introductory information and that we are not out of the office and can dedicate time for you.  We also do walk ins if you are locat...

Our website is located here:  https://www.wahbroker.org/     Suzie and I got into the conversation about Life Insurance the other day. It has had a big impact on our lives. When I was in my 20s, I received a check from my father's passing. Suzie received her check in her 30s when her father passed. These policies were from outside of the workplace and in my father's case he added policies through the years as part of his financial planning.  If you have access to an employer group life insurance then purchase it as it is usually very affordable for a modest amount. Unless you plan on working there the rest of your life without your employer ever changing benefits then look to secure outside life insurance policies. It gives you flexibility and when you get older you may not be able to purchase an insurance plan due to injury or illness.  Life insurance is a family tool. Most people are familiar with a Term Policy . It is like renting an apartment. You pay a...

At the Enrollment Center ,  have been seeing quite a few questions about where are we at with COVID-19 in Washington State. We enroll people into Medicare and Health Insurance so we have been on the front lines since last March. So here we go with questions.  1. First and foremost we are in a Special Enrollment Period for Healthcare . If you don't have healthcare then set an appointment and we can get a plan going as soon as possible. We have this Special Enrollment Period until May 15th. It may take a little while longer as there are some approvals in the background that occur during Special Enrollments.  1B Tier 1 currently 2. We are in Phase 2 of reopening in the state using the Roadmap to Recovery . We are not scheduled to be evaluated for another six days.  The key metrics are Trend in Case Rates, Trend in hospital admission, Percent ICU Occupation and Percent Positivity. Currently we have the highest rate of ICU Occupancy at 87%. The lower the Percent Positive...