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...

  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...

  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...

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 . 

 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...

 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 ...

  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 ...

  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...

The Washington Healthplanfinder started the Full Service Enrollment Centers about six years ago. Some are run by small businesses (brokers) and some are run by corporations (navigators). When the Healthplanfinder put out the request, we seemed to be a good fit. There are some rules to operate an Enrollment Center.  1. Easy access to the public and open year round. 2. Enhanced Security and Insurance. 3. Experienced In person assisters.  4. Offer all plans regardless of pay.  5. No additional fees.  From our experience of working with insurance for nearly a decade. Always select a broker. If not us then someone connected to a Enrollment Center. You are already paying for them ($0 Dollars) and if you need assistance or have questions then you have a prepared customer service team. It is an easy way to support a small business and help build a community resource.  Special Interview with Coordinated Care CEO There are enhanced features such as ability to assist with ...

 

For the 2021 year, Suzie wanted to provide customers with the opportunity to learn about Health Alliance Medicare Advantage Plans and any updates from the comfort of their home. This is a no obligation group meeting. Suzie asks that you use the Health Alliance link to confirm your reservation.   If you have complex or personal information that you would like to discuss or further questions then feel free to schedule a one on one with Suzie either in our office or online. Which ever you are most comfortable with. Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15th through December 7th 2020.   This allows a whole group to get together online and hear and understand the updates.  How it works is as follows: 1. Select a date and fill out the form from Health Alliance. Date: Saturday October 17, 2020 at 1:00 PM Wednesday October 21, 2020 at 10:00 AM Saturday October 24, 2020 at 1:00 PM Wednesday October 28, 2020 at 10:00 AM Saturday October 31, 2020 at at 1:00 PM Wednesd...