New to Medicare?

New to Medicare?  If you are new to Medicare (turning 65 or new to Part B over 65) some carriers offer premium discounts for the first year on their Medicare Supplement Plan F.  These discounts do not appear in the online quoting so be sure to contact me for information on New to Medicare discounts from Colorado carriers.  These discounts are for those 65 and older, not for those under 65

HCC Short Term Insurance

Short-Term Health plans are available in Colorado by HCC Tokio Marine.  These plans are intended to be used as interim coverage for gaps in compliant group or individual health insurance.  They are available in 6-month terms,are subject to medical underwriting and generally exclude pre-existing conditions.  

The Future of Your Healthcare

With the 2016 election season over, we know you may have questions about the future of your healthcare. We remain as dedicated as ever to our mission of increasing access, affordability, and choice for individuals in Colorado.

Here's what we know so far:

• The law is still in effect, so coverage options haven't changed or ended.
• Free, in-person help with choosing the best plan is still available.
• Having health insurance is as important as ever to your health and financial security.
• Broken bones, disease, and other chronic conditions can happen no matter who is in office. And, in some cases, these things are preventable if you have access to care and health insurance.

Almost 20,000 Coloradans have already decided to continue coverage into 2017.

Did you know?

• 168,000 residents have health insurance through Connect for Health Colorado – 102,000 with financial assistance to help them afford their coverage.
• The uninsured rate of 6.7% is the lowest in our state’s history and one of the lowest in the country.

Customers like you should complete your enrollment by December 15th, 2016 to ensure you have coverage in 2017.

There has been a lot of talk about the future of the healthcare in our country since the election.

There are a few things we should keep in mind:

• 168,000 Colorado residents have healthcare coverage through Connect for Health Colorado.
• 102,000 are getting tax credits to help them afford their coverage.
• Our state's uninsured rate has dropped to 6.7 percent, the lowest in our state's history and one of the lowest rates in the country.
• The law that provides financial assistance to qualifying individuals and families is not changed and remains in effect.
• Customers need to continue to shop for the best coverage for themselves and their families in 2017 and complete their enrollment by Dec. 15, 2016, to avoid a gap in coverage.
• It is important for all Coloradans to have coverage, for their health and for their financial security.
• Until the new administration and Congress develop a new direction, we continue with normal operations. 

Health Insurance Companies Try to Rectify Insurance Orphans & Ghosts!

The companies are seeing cases in which the government has assigned the same identification number to more than one person, as well as so called GHOST files in which the insurer has an enrollment record but the government does not.

ORPHANED files, are when the insurer has no record of enrollment, are particularly concerning because the companies have no automated way to identify the presumed policyholder.  They say they have to manually compare the lists of enrollees the government sends them with their own records because the government never bult an auto-mated system that would do the work much faster.  What is going to happen next?    www.peakinsurancebroker.com

Doctor Choice to be Limited in the ACA Insurance!

Across the nation, an increasing number of insurance carriers are narrowing their physician networks, hospitals, and other health care facilities.  The trend is particularly evident in health insurance marketplaces, including Connect of Health Colorado.

In Colorado, at least three health insurance companies on the exchange, including Anthem, are offering narrowed networks, and insurance carriers across the industry say the trend will become more prevalent in the coming years!

Connect for Health Colorado & Colorado Medicaid Update

DENVER, CO – Between October 1 and December 31, more than 138,000 Coloradans have signed up or been approved for health coverage that takes effect January 1, 2014 or later, according to data released today from Connect for Health Colorado and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

The first half of the open enrollment period saw a strong increase in the pace of enrollments as the December deadline approached for customers seeking health insurance coverage on January 1^st of 2014. Connect for Health Colorado, working in partnership with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, extended the deadline from December 15^th to December 27^th to accommodate as many additional customers as possible.

The enrollment period for private health insurance continues until March 2014, with customers currently enrolling in plans with coverage starting February 1^st.

“We made significant progress in the past three months as more than 52,000 Coloradans purchased private health insurance through our marketplace, man y getting coverage for the first time in years,” said Patty Fontneau, CEO of Connect for Health Colorado. “As the second half of the enrollment period gets underway, we are already hard at work reaching out to Coloradans statewide.”

The enrollment numbers for Connect for Health Colorado exceeded their own early conservative projections of approximately 37,000 enrollments by the December deadline by 16,000 additional lives covered.

The Medicaid expansion numbers announced today reflect individuals actually enrolled in the program.  Since Medicaid eligibility is determined on a monthly basis, the prior numbers reflected estimates of eligibility at a point in time.  Medicaid enrollments can and do change as individuals income or personal circumstances change.  Colorado Medicaid refers individuals who are over income for Medicaid directly to Connect for Health Colorado as these individuals could benefit from an advance premium tax credit or other financial assistance offered through the marketplace.