Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Posts related to health insurance agents in California working with Covered California, small groups, and the different health plans. Also known as brokers.
While a significant number of California residents have successfully applied, the Covered California website and enrollment systems presented significant challenges and failures not only for those applying but also insurance agents, enrollment Counselors and the health plans themselves. The management at Covered California has consistently ignored the failure of their design and process and sought only to promote their perceived successes.
Covered California has finally admitted that their system has not been properly attributing agent designation by Certified Agent clients to insure the agent is listed as the Broker of Record with the insurance company for compensation. At the same time, the Covered California health plans continue to stonewall agents wanting to get appointed with them and one health plan is demanding agents work for free.
I was dumbstruck when the mother of one family whose household income is $134,000 per year was quizzing me on they could avoid the penalty associated with the individual mandate. She was hoping that I could figure out how to make their income low enough so the insurance premiums were more than 8% which triggers an exemption. The parents of this upper income family were seriously considering not providing health insurance to their children. That is just so irresponsible.
I will happily attend any public enrollment event and assist anyone applying either for Medi-Cal or a health plan with or without premium assistance. However, hence forth, I will not attend any event where Certified Agents are allowed to discriminate against people based on their income and Medi-Cal eligibility. Further, if anyone is refused assistance from an agent because they might be Medi-Cal, please do us all a favor and report that agent to Covered California. Income discrimination practiced by Certified Agents needs to stop.
Johnny snapped a picture of his driver’s license on his knee while driving his VW micro bus through Weed on I-5 traveling to a gig in Ashland, Oregon. Johnny then emailed the picture of “verification document” for me to upload to his online application for health insurance.
Applications submitted to Covered California in October and November are missing agent designations and have corrupted household information when received by one of the insurance companies. It is hard to know if these data corruptions are an aberration or if the problem may be more widespread in the Covered California system. The bottom line is that these individuals have received no billing information from the carrier and the agent is not the broker of record.
Covered California had high expectations for 21st century e-commerce technology but agents and consumers have resort to 19th century pen and paper. There has been an avalanche of paper applications into Covered California significantly slowing down the verification and enrollment process. The sluggish processing of applications means that some families may not have insurance coverage on January 1, 2014 as promised.
Covered California announced a marketing campaign aimed at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities to encourage them to enroll in new ACA health plans through the exchange. The print media and billboard advertising is in addition to grants to LGBT organizations to provide outreach and education.
Covered California has estimated that nearly 100,000 households have started an application but have not selected a health plan. To help “Jump Start” these stalled applications Covered California will be distributing the contact information of these stalled applications to Certified Agents to call the applicants and offer assistance to help them make a health plan selection for an effective date of January 1, 2014.
Compared to existing small group quoting and enrollment systems from the insurers and the Cal Choice private exchange, the Covered California SHOP program seems a little clunky and unfinished. If an employer wants to realize the tax credits for contributing to employee health insurance premiums they have to have a small group plan through Covered California. Except for the option to purchase pediatric dental plans for dependent children, SHOP offers no adult dental or vision insurance.
