After an acrimonious contract fight where Blue Shield and Sutter Health where each accused the other of anti-consumer business practices, they have officially given the middle finger to their members and patients by signing a contract where the terms of the agreement are confidential. Regardless of how often Blue Shield and Sutter Health say the […]
Archives for January 2015
Blue Shield and Sutter sign new contract for 2015
Blue Shield apology Sutter Health Information Blue Shield and Sutter sign a new two-year contract We are pleased to announce that Blue Shield and Sutter Health have signed a new two-year agreement effective February 1, 2015. This means that Sutter hospitals and doctors will continue to be participating providers in the Blue Shield network. We apologize […]
The silver lining for repaying excess ACA tax credits
One of the common complaints during tax season for individuals and families who are set to receive a federal refund is that the government got to use their money for a year before refunding it to them. Now, households who have to repay excess ACA tax credits find themselves in the situation where they got to use a […]
Blue Shield’s bumbling billing system bounces into 2015
In 2014 the combination of Covered California’s enrollment issues and Blue Shield’s bumbling billing system created massive headaches for Blue Shield’s members and their staff. With the dawn of 2015 we have witnessed that Blue Shield of California still hasn’t resolved many billing issues for individuals and families attempting to enroll in their health and […]
Two Granite Bay H.S. seniors nominated for Presidential Scholars Program
The U.S. Department of Education has released the list of candidates for the 2015 U. S. Presidential Scholars Program and two Granite Bay High School seniors were determined eligible to compete. Granite Bay H. S. seniors Maadhav Shah and Walker Knauss are two of the more than 447 California high school seniors and approximately 3,900 students nationwide to be named as […]
IRS penalty relief related to ACA tax credits
The IRS has issued additional guidance on ACA Advanced Premium Tax Credits and relief from certain penalties associated with the taxpayer receiving excess tax credits from a health insurance Marketplace. IRS Notice 2015-9 Penalty Relief Related to Advance Payments of the Premium Tax Credit for 2014 outlines how some taxpayers may not be subject to the penalties […]
Covered California cuts independent young adults from family plans
One of the selling features of the Affordable Care Acts was that children could stay on their parent’s health plan until they turned 26 years old. Unfortunately, Covered California excludes from eligibility any household member that will not be claimed as a dependent by the primary taxpayer associated with the account. However, IRS guidance suggests that […]
West Winds, century old California short stories
I found the century old book West Winds at Mockingbird Used Books in Sebastopol, Ca. In addition to being printed in 1914, I was drawn to this book of California short stories because the illustrations were actually glued on to their respective pages and several of the authors signed their title page in the book. […]
What’s a 1095-A SLCSP from Covered California?
Individuals and families who purchased health insurance through Covered California or another Marketplace exchange will receive a 1095-A statement of tax credits and one column will be marked SLCSP. This odd acronym stands for the Second Lowest Cost Silver Plan and is instrumental in determining the specific household Premium Tax Credit. What is affordable health insurance? […]
Getting a corrected Form 1095-A Marketplace Statement
2015 1095-A Corrections For 1095-As that report incorrect information Covered California has switched from a paper form to an online submission form or call the service center at 1-800-300-1506. Covered California 1095-A Dispute Form The online 1095-A correction request form is great if it sends a copy of the submission to the consumer via email […]