Washington State Healthcare Solutions

  How does we know that big changes is coming to Medicare for 2025 without talking about insurance plan details? Well it is real simple, the Inflation Reduction Act put in some very positive changes that impact Prescriptions in a big way. 1. Insulin at $35/month (already started). 2. vaccine access (already started). 3. Expansion of low income subsidy (already started). 4. $2000 yearly out of pocket max of prescription drug cost 2025. 5. Medicare Prescription Payment plan starts in 2025. 6. Manufacturer discount program starts in 2025. 7. In 2026 we will see the first 10 negotiated drug prices. These impact every Medicare Prescription Plan including Medicare Advantage plans that have prescriptions! Yes, large insurance companies have been predicting 50% of people using Medicare with prescriptions will switch plans this year. The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15th through December 7th. Set your appointments early for Suzie . While we can not discuss Medicare ...

Suzie and I have been working with Health and Medicare Plans for years. What happens when my medicare advantage plan leaves ? It comes up frequently during the initial enrollment period. The quick answer is we go through the different options and select a different one at that time. We have seen Molina & Premera paid plans leave our Chelan County. Lifewise leave and come back, Moda leaves the state, Soundpath Health Medicare Advantage wave goodbye to North Central Washington. We have been taking care of the entire Washington state for over eleven years. It is tough when a plan that you are comfortable with cannot continue in your area. Not every county in Washington state has Medicare Advantage plans. The insurance company has to identify that there is enough people who qualify, obtain contracts with providers in the area, and have enough profits that can be made in the area to continue to operate. Every year, some Medicare Advantage plans may leave the Medicare program by Dec....

  The Suzie @ Wenatchee Insurance is asked about Medicare a lot. We help people understand and enroll. If you are looking for PEBB information then go to the HCA and request customer service and if you don't like their options request that they contract with brokers. Once they contract then we get access to the specialized training and can effectively assist PEBB retirees. We work with plans that contract out with licensed producers.  Who can get Medicare? Medicare is the federal health insurance program in the United States that provides coverage to individuals who are 65 years or older and certain groups of people including: 1.        Individuals who are 65 years or older: If you are a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident and you or your spouse have worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years, you are eligible for Medicare at age 65. 2.        Individuals with certain disabilities: If you h...

 Suzie Health Solutions has been assisting people in Wenatchee and surrounding counties going on ten years. We make it easy as possible because this is a life changing moment. Suzie takes her time during enrollment and answers questions through the year making her high in demand. She does take appointments and people have set them as far out as five years. We do not charge fees .  To enroll in Medicare, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is 65 years or older, or have a qualifying disability or end-stage renal disease. Yes, if you have a Permanent Resident Card (I-5551) then you can qualify for Medicare! To quote or set appointment here. We do assist people in office for an initial enrollment or receive forms to activate Medicare B from a delayed start. You can enroll in Medicare online, by phone, or in person at your local Social Security office. You will need to provide your Social Security number, date of birth, and other personal information. Once you h...

  At The Suzie at Wenatchee Insurance Agency , we can explain and assist in enrolling in Health and Medicare Insurance Plans. We are trained by the companies, have annual certificates for Medicare and the Healthplanfinder and hold licenses in Washington state. Annual Enrollment Periods are limited: Enrollment Periods Medicare is from October 1 through the 14 we can talk about the changes for the following year.   From October 15 th through December 7 th , we can enroll and make changes to Medicare plans. Note we do not work for company retirement plans such as PEBB or SEBB. We can assist with Medicare Plan D Prescription plans, Dental or alternatives. Healthcare enrollment is from November 1 st through December 15 th for plans starting January 1 st 2023. Since we have a state-run exchange, they can extend it like this year we have a bonus enrollment period from December 16 th through January 15 th for plans starting on February 1 st , 2023. We are not employees o...

 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 ...

 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...

 When Suzie is not talking about Medicare Advantage plans . She recieves questions about Medicare Part D . Here are the stages that you may not know. The Deductible Stage : While some plans have a zero dollar deductible, the most an annual deductible will be is $445. You are responsible for 100% of your prescription drug costs until your deductible is met. The Initial Coveage : You pay a copay or coinsurance. Your Part D plan pays the rest for prescription drugs included in your plan's formulary.  The Coverage Gap : After you and your plan have together spent $4130 on prescription drugs then you enter the coverage gap or donut hole. You now pay 25% of the cost of your prescription drugs.  Catastrophic Coverage : When you have reached $6550 after your total out of pocket expenses on prescription drugs plus any discounts, you are back to small co-pays or coinsurance until the end of the year. Plan Year Resets : Everything resets January 1st and you return to the deductible...

  Health Alliance 2021 Medicare Advantage Presentation Hi I am Suzie one of the Agents here at Suzie Health Solutions . You might have found this through our Medicare Bot , a Facebook post or found this link through a friend. Each year, I give this presentation to hundreds of times to people who are new to Medicare or have had Medicare Advantage Plan the previous year and there was important updates. In the past these were held at Red Lion and meeting rooms all across the country.  With COVID-19 we had to take a different approach.  Since there are rules involved, we are required to cover materials laid out by the company and by  U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We are going to have the complete sales presentation here so that you can review the materials. If you don't have any questions then we request you use the provided links so that we can assist you through out the year as your licensed insurance agent. If you do have questions the...