Health Net reports that Covered California cancelled 4,100 of their members.
Health Net is reporting that Covered California has cancelled 4,100 members for no apparent reason. This information was sent to all Health Net brokers on December 19, 2014. The coverage for these members will end December 31st unless the member or agent takes action to renew the health plan by Sunday December 21, 2014.
Health Net cancellation reason unclear
It’s unclear if the cancelled Health Net members are in existing PPO plans that are being terminated or if the Covered California cancellation applies across a variety of Health Net plans. Health Net is advising that members that have been cancelled should return to Covered California and sign up as a new user and apply again. However, this might create conflicting Covered California accounts. Just because a health plan has been terminated, that doesn’t mean the account has been withdrawn from Covered California.
Check Covered California account first
If you hear from Health Net that your Covered California account has been cancelled, immediately check your enrollment status in your CoveredCa.com account. After logging into your account, click the Enrollment check box, if it is darkened, to see what it indicates. If it show you are enrolled in your chosen health plan, Health Net or otherwise, you should be safe. If there is no enrollment summary and no health plan chosen, the Covered California application should allow you to select a plan if you are still eligible.
Clicking on the Enrollment check box will take you to the summary and payment options.
I’ll update this blog post if I learn anymore about the situation or the nature of the cancelled Covered California – Health Net accounts.
Conflicting account status
Fellow Certified Insurance Agent Steve Schorr of San Pedro, CA, sent in this composite screen shot of Covered California consumer account with conflicting Health Net enrollment status. The account summary shows Cancel, but when you look at the enrollment summary, the consumer shows up as enrolled and paid.
Covered California shows conflicting enrollment status for Health Net members.
Covered California confused
I spoke with a Customer Service Representative Saturday (12/20) morning who explained that to their knowledge there are no Health Net members who have been cancelled and to disregard the Health Net advice of creating a new account and re-enrolling. She said they had no explanation as to why some Health Net member accounts show Cancel in the account summary section. However, those consumers are enrolled and the selected health net plan is set to be effective January 1, 2015.
Health Net Broker Update
December 19, 2014
Important Update on Health Net Covered California Individual & Family Plans
Subset of Members must take action by December 21 to have coverage on January 1, 2015
We recently received information from Covered California that they have cancelled approximately 4,100 Health Net members whom we show are active. These members must take action now if they want coverage through Covered California effective January 1, 2015. They have to apply as a new user through Covered California and enroll either with us or another carrier. The deadline is by midnight on Sunday, December 21, 2014. Otherwise their coverage will end December 31, 2014.
This situation may not apply to your clients. However, since we don’t have broker information for these members, we are letting all of our brokers know what’s happening.
We are reaching out to these members by email and phone to let them know about their status and what they need to do. We also are providing talking points below that you can use if you receive any calls from clients who may be in this situation. These talking points also are helpful for clients calling about the December 21 enrollment extension
FAQs
Can I still enroll in a new plan for January 1, 2015?
Yes! You have until midnight this Sunday, December 21st to submit a complete application and have coverage begin on January 1, 2015.
Why am I showing active with Health Net but cancelled by Covered California?
Health Net’s records show that you are covered by them right now, but they received new information from Covered California that says your coverage will end on December 31st. This information from Covered California conflicts with Health Net’s records. Why this happened is unclear, and we’re all very sorry about the inconvenience. The good news is that there is time to fix it.
The important thing is to take action so you have health coverage starting on January 1, 2015. If you want stay with Health Net through Covered California – or even buy from another company – you have to go to www.CoveredCA.com. Sign up as a new user and apply again. Complete your application for the Health Net (or other) plan you want for 2015 before midnight on December 21, 2014.
How do I enroll in a new plan through Covered California?
I’ll go over the steps with you:
Go to www.CoveredCA.com to see your plan choices.
Enroll for the plan you want for 2015. You can keep Health Net by choosing one of the health plans Health Net offers through Covered California.
Good to know: If you qualify for tax credits, you’ll get them if you enroll via Covered California. If you don’t qualify for tax credits, you can enroll directly with Health Net or any company that offers health care coverage where you live.
What if I don’t enroll by December 21st? Can I enroll later?
You can. You have until February 15, 2015, to enroll for 2015 coverage. The only thing is that if you wait, you will have a gap in coverage. Applications submitted between December 22 and January 15 will have a February 1 effective date. March 1 is the effective date for applications received between January 16 and February 15.
How can I find out the status of my application through Covered California?
The best thing to do is to visit Health Net’s Welcome Center and give them your email, so they can keep you posted. The Welcome Center will take you through the last few steps of your sign-up, so it’s a great resource. The address is www.healthnet.com/welcome.
When will I get a January bill if I enroll on December 21?
A. It takes several days to process applications, especially if you enroll through Covered California. This means you will likely get your Notice of Acceptance and bill close to or after January 1st.
Your first premium payment is due on January 1st. I encourage you to use Health Net’s 24 hour payment line to make your payment without waiting for your Notice of Acceptance.
You will hear the amount due as soon as they have your enrollment information in their system. Again, that can take several days. So you might want to call the payment line in the last week of December. The number to call is 1-800-539-4193.
What happens if Health Net doesn’t get my premium payment by January 1, 2015?
A. Health Net will activate coverage effective January 1, 2015, as long as you make the first premium payment by January 15, 2015.
December 24th Update
Investigative Certified Insurance Agent Steve Schorr was able to get confirmation from Covered California that the Health Net members in question of being cancelled were consumers that were in on-exchange Health Net PPO plans that are not being renewed for purchase through Covered California for 2015. Health Net replaced those PPO plans with an EPO product. However, because it was a new plan, Covered California could simply not rollover the enrollment into the EPO plan. Consumers had to make a active selection.