Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Posts related to Health Net of California health insurance plans for individuals, families, small groups, Covered California.
One of the great pleasures of hosting my own website and blog are the numerous people who have contacted me about Covered California and the new health plans being offered to individuals and families. One gentleman has done an astounding amount of research in response to the health plan changes proposed by Health Net. He has written a […]
Consumers who purchased a health plan through Covered California 2014 may lose their monthly tax credit in 2015 if they don’t give permission to allow the state exchange to verify their income through the federal hub. The sudden loss of the Advance Premium Tax Credit in 2015 applies to consumers who did not give Covered […]
There was tremendous confusion over which doctors were in-network for the new individual and family plans offered through Covered California in early 2014. While the major health insurance plans offering PPO and EPO plans maintained the provider networks were the same regardless of whether they were purchased on or off the exchange, doubts persisted fueled […]
Health Net of California is sending letters to current members in their IFP PPO plans that they can keep the health plan they purchased through Covered California but they won’t be able to receive the ACA tax credits in 2015. Health Net will no longer offer their PPO plans through Covered California. In their place […]
How health insurance companies and health plans determine premium rate increases is a little bit of a mystery. Covered California didn’t add to the consumer’s understanding of this process when they released their 2015 health insurance booklet. The plan rates booklet is mostly marketing material and fails to provide specific rates by region, carrier, and […]
A significant change to the plan types offered for individuals and families through Covered California for 2015 will be Health Net dropping their Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans. In place of the PPO health plans, Health Net will offer Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) health plans. This change may be particularly significant for members who relied on […]
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act all individual and family plans now include coverage for maternity care. These new health services, many of which are provided at no cost to the patient, also extend to the new born. Prominent in many private health plans is coverage for routine infant circumcision.
Just as Covered California will continue to let Certified Insurance Agents enroll individuals and families in the new ACA health plans, Health Net of California will also accept new applications for enrollment. Applications for both Covered California and Health Net must be submitted by April 15th for a May 1st effective dates. This is only for new enrollments and not for plan changes between carriers.
Health Net notified all their California agents by a letter dated January 29th, that effective March 1, 2014, they will slash the sales commission by over 50% on four of their five individual and family plans offered in California. This further reduction in compensation for agents since the ACA was passed continues to make customer service oriented health insurance agents a “family of dinosaurs” who will quickly become extinct.
In the wake of the billing nightmare revolving around Covered California ACA health plans, both Kaiser and Health Net have extended their payment deadlines for health plans effective for January 1, 2014. Kaiser will allow new plan members up to January 22 to receive the first month’s premium. Health Net will mirror the recently announced Anthem Blue Cross extension of January 31.
