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...

The Suzie @ Wenatchee Insurance , we do our best to answer questions regarding health insurance for our clients. Sometimes we go a little extra like how do you dispose of used needles.  This is a hot topic right now. How does a person properly throw away their needles after they have used them? Insulin, Heparin, Dupixen t, etc, there are a lot of medicines that can be done at home that you need to properly dispose of the supplies. You don't want someone to stick themselves by an improperly disposed of used needle. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that used needles and other sharps be placed in approved disposable containers. They are generally available through pharmacies, medical supply companies, health care providers, and online. Seriously, Amazon has a huge selection.  Let's talk about alternative containers. If an FDA-cleared container is not available, then some organizations and community guidelines recommend using heavy-duty plastic household containers. W...

  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...

  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...

 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...

 

OK thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and last year's Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act), we have a lot of income that may or may not impact your healthcare. If you have a good tax preparer do not hesitate to talk with them if you have questions. As this is only some of the simple guidelines. Here is the FAQ from the Healthplanfinder about the American Rescue Plan. It is a big deal and we have talked several times about the impact that is having on healthcare for good. Here we talked about it on our Podcast: Suzilla .  Tax guideline chart On the Washington Healthplanfinder , there are two types of plans. 1. The Qualified Health Plans which can use Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTC) to lower monthly costs. If the Income level is under 250% of poverty level then a household can also receive Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) which lowers things like deductibles, out of pocket maximums and co-pays to increase household savings. ...

 Here at Suzie Health Solutions , we have been talking about the Covid Bill for a while now.   One of the facebook videos is here.  If you have listened to our Podcast: Suzilla or seen one of our videos on Facebook then you know that something major is going on with the cost of healthcare.  1. Right now, the Washington Healthplanfinder have set up a FAQ sheet about the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. There are some important things to note.   They are expecting to make the pricing changes by Mid May so talk to an enrollment center to see if they have taken effect.  Big cost savings to households for 2021 & 2022 If you want to peek at the tax credit shift then go here .  COBRA changes will only last until Sept 30. This will lower the cost of insurance for 2021 and 2022. There is no legislation to extend it at this time.  2. The Department of Health & Human Resources estimate that 79,200 will now get credits in Washington state t...

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...

Here are Wenatchee Enrollment Center ,  we have been helping people get their 1095 Forms since the second year so that they can file their taxes. We are one of the full service enrollment centers for the Washington State Healthplanfinder . We print out forms and assist customers attached to us for no cost. We have done it so long that we created a help form. If you go to: https://teammccolm.wufoo.com/forms/qi53yg1en5p81/ then we can quickly generate and email a form for you so that you can file your taxes. Always file your taxes .  If someone tells you that you made too little to file your taxes then they are incorrect and go someplace else to file them. Filing your Federal tax credits is for every that receives a tax credit to reduce the cost of health insurance. If you do not file, then you jeopardize your ability to reduce the cost of healthcare and may have to pay full price.  1095-A form is eligible for everyone with a Qualified Health Plan. In our area t...

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, famil...

We are deep into our second month of assisting people with enrolling in healthcare. Our main page always has good basic information including how to find us. This fall will be our eight open enrollment that we have assisted people with health-plans with out adding a fee. On to the questions. Did you receive a $1200 check to help you get by during Covid-19 stay at home/ quarantine? How about the extra $600 in unemployment. The help for the plans on the Washington Healthplanfinder are driven by income. If your income is not reported accurately then you could be overpaying for your healthcare or you could be required to pay back money when you file your taxes the following year. Let's take care of the top questions . special enrollment rules 1. Do I need to change the income in the Healthplanfinder for the $1200 check? The answer is a resounding no. The $1200 per person ($500 for children) does not count as income and does not need to be reported. 2. I am drawing an extra...