Washington State Healthcare Solutions

Here at Suzie Health Solutions , we have reached the start of Open Enrollment #11. The proposed rate changes for 2024.   This is the time of year that Health Insurance Companies submit their rate proposals to the office of the Insurance Commissioner. The public can then submit their thoughts on the plan proposals for public record.  The Office of the Insurance Commissioner had fourteen health insurance filers with an average rate increase of 9.11% that are under review. These are proposed rates so do not be surprised when some of the rates change.  Proposed Rates If you want to view the individual plans then here is the Health Insurance Rate search engine .  2024 Proposed rate change for Washington's individual health insurance market Health Insurance company Requested rate change Inside/outside Exchange, or both Percentage of market (Consumers effected)* Asuris Northwest Health -3.39% Outside 0.4% (1,057) BridgeSpan Health Company 15.15% Inside 0.4% (1,092) Co...

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...

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 ...

 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 ...

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 ...

 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 . 

 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 ...

  Tax season is upon us again. Suzie Health Solutions an Enrollment Center with the Washington Healthplanfinder, we have been printing these forms  and answering questions for years without charging a fee.  The tax season runs from 01/24/2022 through 04/18/2022 . If you have not heard then you want to file electronically and choose direct deposit. Seriously, they are starting the year with a tremendous backlog .  One of the forms that you need to file your taxes is the 1095. There are three types. The 1095 - A is provided by the Washington Healthplanfinder for it's clients for paid plans. In Central Washington these are Ambetter , Community Health and Lifewise . They are available on the account and can be reprinted. If the application is closed then it will be mailed. This form is required when filing taxes .  The 1095 - B is provided by the Health Care Authority for clients that have enrolled in Apple Health. This form will not be mailed; it is...

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 . 

 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 ...

  Hey, it’s The Suzie @ Wenatchee Insurance,  working with the Washington Healthplanfinder. We have had an office on Wenatchee Avenue for over six years now. We assist people navigate, understand, and enroll in Health, Life, Medicare Insurance to name a few. There is eleven enrollment centers spread throughout the state to assist folks. We help everyone that walks through our door or gives us a call. It is however getting tougher to reach folks. Here is the banned video on Facebook. Vivian was a friend of a friend that needed assistance and we were able to help out. Community is really about people helping people without judgement.  Unfortunately, we live in a politically charged world so getting the information out to the people that need it is not always easy. Every year, it gets tougher to spread the word about help being available. This year, we had to register for the first time as a Health Insurer to be able to do outreach on Google. That’s correct, we have to re...