Washington State Healthcare Solutions

Brokers have always been an important part of the Washington Healthplan Finder . We have education requirements from the state for our license. We receive regular training from the Exchange on how it functions. We receive training from Insurance Companies on how plans functions. It was no surprise that one of the first customer satisfaction survey's rated brokers extremely helpful to 80%  from people enrolling in qualified health plans. Suzie Health Solutions is a no cost broker. The Washington State Auditor's office published it's Performance Audit in 2016 confirming the importance of selecting brokers. Right off the bat on page four, they mention shifting calls to brokers as being a possibility to reduce cost.  Brokers reduce cost by how they are paid. Brokers are paid by commission or charging fees receiving no payment for Medicaid. The exchange on the other hand pays for Navigators and the Call Center which drives up costs (page 28). Certain States improved th...

Reduce your misery We get the flu shot every year. Every year people die from the flu.  “ Last year the flu killed 296 people in Washington and thousands more were hospitalized", said Dr. Scott Linquist, the state epidemiologist for communicable diseases. Getting an influenza vaccine — though not 100% effective — is the best way to prevent the misery of the flu and its complications. We don't like being miserable nor do we like inflicting misery upon others. We work with a lot of different people and some have compromised immune systems and we want our office space as safe as possible for others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age or older be vaccinated annually against influenza. Do you like kids? Well one study showed that flu vaccinations reduced the risk of flu-associated death by half for children with high risk medical conditions and nearly two-thirds among healthy kids. Medical conditions  increasing...

I see more value to using the established systems than trying to recreate the wheel. Most of us insurance professionals are using exchanges so we just have to work on making it consumer friendly. I know that the brokers are a dwindling resource because most get torn up between customer needs and insurance company’s demands. Some companies have failed to pay brokers as they rely on the exchanges for their sales force, while others that have reduced their support to the point that some brokers have had to resort to charging additional fees to keep the lights on. If you ever need any help or want me in the room then let me know and we will be happy to be a resource for you. Here are a few talking points to improve the current system. –Matt McColm at www. Wahbroker.org A. The high risk pools proven to be unsuccessful in providing affordable service to the small population that they served. We recommend reinstating the reinsurance corridors to the companies participating in the Health ...

Starting January 15, 2016, the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) will be mailing Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) clients a new tax form named the 1095-B. The 1095-B form provides of each month the client had minimum essential health coverage in 2015 through Washington Apple Health. The Health Care Authority transmits this information electronically to the IRS. Apple Health clients should keep the form for their records, since it contains important information they will need to complete their 2015 tax return. In some cases, people may get more than one tax form – such as 1095-A, 1095-, or 1095-C – depending on their employer and the kind of health coverage they had during 2015: · The 1095-A is furnished by the state’s Health Insurance Marketplace (Health Benefit Exchange) · The 1095-B can also be furnished by other government-sponsored programs, employer-sponsored group health plans, and more. · State employees and retirees enrolled in the Un...

‘My job offered me a plan for $60 a month but it has a huge deductible, do I have to take it? Last year it was $400 when I visited my doctor.’ We get these questions on a regular basis. I don't expect people to spend money on things that don't work or pay a penality when they don't have to . The employer offers a health plan that covers the employer for the Affordable Health Care Penalty but does very little to help the employee or their family. In Washington State, we have our own state exchange with a lot of plans. So many plans that brokers spend months learning plans so that we can help our clients get the most out of their money. There are Health Insurance companies that will only offer their plans using the state exchange. There are also some that are priced down to the point where a 28 year old was able to get health insurance for $209 a month with a $20 co pay to see his doctor without tax credits! There are times when it is best if a job does not offer health i...

1. Well, I found a first trap because of excessive exchange funding. This effects all clients that have had apple health. Clients are now able to get extensions automatically on their apple health up to a year at a time. I have a family that is now at 200%+ of the poverty level that was granted this extension. Their healthcare is paid by tax dollars and as their broker I receive zero commission. Would you like to make $60,000+ a year and have medicaid for the entire family? Previous to the ACA brokers were paid $100 per enrollment with an average of 10% of people a year coming off medicaid during any given year. 2. If you have been following this was an excerpt from a Health Care Authority recent audit sent Oct 23rd. HCA regularly conducts audits of Washington Apple Health eligibility. Recent audits by HCA found numerous cases of inaccurate income reported on Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) applications in Healthplanfinder. Clients found to have discrepancies in their reporte...

The Director for the Wenatchee Senior Center dopped in and gave Suzie McColm her plaque. It was the first one that she achieved. She has been helping for years people fill their prescriptions at the local pharmacies struggle. The struggle could have been from not having insurance to having a bad plan. When she had enough, she rolled up her sleeves, got her insurance license and started helping with the affordable care act. After her first year helping, she wanted to help more with Seniors so Medicare was a natural for her. She still helps as a pharmacy tech these days but her passion is helping people on the front in with insurance. Stop in and say hi to a proud member of our team .

The first week of open enrollment has been exciting. We have had some new customers and some old. When we first started and I looked at the system, I let everyone know; the first rule is always use a broker. This year is truer than ever before. Here are the challenges: 1. There are 143 plans for individuals. 30 plans for Small business and 8 dental for kid s. These are plans that myself and many brokers have been training for months. This is a monstrous variety to choose from. 2. There are some plans that are only available on the exchange that are great even if you don’t have subsidy. The first year, we only had one company and now we have three that are going this route. 3. There are still some errors with the system. I was able to catch one early that no tax subsidy was being applied. It was $30 a month that the gentleman could use for other expenses. 4. I am still seeing businesses offering group plans that are either unaffordable or more expensive than some of the plans on ...

We believe that healthcare should be affordable and usable. There are 136+ plans on the Washington Health Benefits Exchange and it can be a little confusing to who covers what, for how much. For 2014 we helped so many people in Eastern Washington that Matt McColm was named a Top Producer by the Washington Health Benefits Exchange . Open Enrollment is just around the corner. It doesn’t matter if you are a new or a repeat customer as we take the time to explain how plans work so that our clients can make informed decisions. This is a tremendous time for Health Insurance because it allows customers to shop and select new plans that start in 2016. Some important things to consider: 1. Open Enrollment runs from November 1st to Jan 31st. This is when Health Insurance is the most Flexible. 2. There are Special Enrollments outside for a variety of reasons including moving careers to one that does not provide Health Insurance. 3. Households of 2 qualify for reduced prices for Health Insur...

Who likes paying something for nothing? When the ACA went into effect almost three years ago, the maximum a household would pay was $285. This is on top of any fees or expenses if you got sick or injured. Most people wouldn’t ever see the penalty because it was taken when they filed their taxes. We started helping people that year because we saw where the penalty was going to lead. The average client under 30 paid less than $150 a month for insurance or nothing at all if they qualified for Washington Apple Health. For 2016 the tax penalty will be up to $2085 per household. This is significantly more than more people enrolling would pay for insurance. 80% enrolled were either free or qualified for a subsidy. There are 136 plans on the exchange which can lead to some confusion, which is why we recommend working with a broker. A broker receives training on how different plans function and are licensed and regulated by the Washington Insurance Commissioner. Ask a broker up front if the...

Washington Association of Health Underwriters held their 2015 Spring Symposium in Spokane. I was able to carve out the time and be able to attend as it was amazing. There were at least 30 vendors organized around the room. We had speakers that had serious content about Healthcare in the State of Washington. The Affordable Care Act and how it is interacting was a major topic. I wish that more of my agency was available to go. I wish a big thanks to Premera , Asuris and the other Sponsors of this event. Events are not cheap. I got signed in early and ran around talking with every one that I could to see who was doing what with Insurance. There were familiar faces such as Group Health, Connext , Moda, etc. I also encountered new Venders, ones that were able to provide multiple group quotes, private health exchanges or inexpensive plans for large groups that are 100% ACA compliant. This was an excellent way to start collecting information and put together some dynamic solutions for...

Health Insurance doesn’t have to be intimidating. I got involved because I saw for the first time; it could be affordable to normal people. That they didn’t have to go bankrupt. A lot has changed during the last couple of years to make it better for people. There is a simple principal that I started early with to help people who do not want to dedicate their lives to get better health insurance. I got involved in 2012 when a client walked into my office in Wenatchee and asked me, ‘how does Obamacare affect me?’ If you do nothing then you will have a fine and let’s take a look at it next year. When the summer of 2013 came around, we priced it and found that she could get insurance for around $50 a month. For the first time in her life Health Insurance was affordable. I priced more of my friends to discover that it would have a large impact in the Wenatchee Valley. I talked with my primary insurance company and they were not participating. I was left to find companies become affiliat...