If you have an individual/family plan from Regence Blue Shield, Bridgespan Health, Kaiser Permanente Access PPO, or Lifewise of Washington you either have received, or will soon receive, a letter stating your health insurance plan will end December 31st 2017 and will not be renewed. Over the past few years these letters have become almost…
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On May 4th 2017 the House passed the American Health Care Act that once passed by the Senate and signed by the President would change the content and cost of millions of Americans’ health insurance. Here is a very basic breakdown (courtesy Wikipedia) of the differences between the two acts. Please remember there the ACA…
If you’ve been paying your Premera Individual plan premium from a business account, it is likely that Premera rejected the payment for January. Depending on your business set up sole proprietors and business owners may be able to deduct individual plan premiums as a business expense. To determine if you are in that situation you’ll need…
I’m an independent health insurance broker helping individuals, families, seniors and small businesses find, evaluate and apply for health insurance. I work with Medicare, with the WaHealthPlanFinder and direct with most of the health insurance carriers here in Washington State. As A Health Insurance Broker, What Do I Do? There are 3 main things –…
Big changes happened last weekend on the WAHealthPlanFinder. For most people what they will notice is that you are being encouraged to stop paying the WAHealthPlanFinder for your premiums and instead begin paying your insurance carrier directly. By September 24th, you will not have choice about this as the WAHealthPlanFinder will no longer process premium…
During the months of Open Enrollment the insurance companies have to take everyone who applies, lives in a county they serve and pays their premiums. It doesn’t matter what surgeries you need, health conditions you have or medications you are taking. You could be scheduled for a liver transplant, or be treating for cancer and…
With the April 15th Tax deadline just around the corner there is a lot of talk about ways to save on your taxes. Health Savings Accounts are a great way to save money and possibly lower those taxes. However you do have to have an eligible health insurance plan or you could pay a…
March 17, 2015 Premera announced it had been the subject of a sophisticated cyber attack that reached back to 5/5/14. This potentially exposed the personal data of 11 million individuals including members, agents, employees, and others. Premera has set up a website to inform members and others of the extent of the attack and help available. In terms…
Data breaches of major corporations have become a reality of our internet age. While every entity enacts safeguards around its clients’ and customers’ data we have seen what happens when those safeguards fail. The Target and Home Depot data breaches demonstrated just how far reaching this unsavory modern trend can be. This week Anthem, a major…
Three quarters of Medicare beneficiaries are in the traditional fee-for-service model. The Affordable Care Act is changing the way that Medicare pays doctors, hospitals and other providers from that model, which encourages as many visits, tests and procedures as endurable to a vaule based and outcome based payment system. Some Medicare Advantage plans already make…
