Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
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 […]
Another glitch in the Covered California enrollment system has been uncovered. When a household moves to a new address and the new residence is in a different rating region, the individual or family may receive an additional bill for back premium amounts. The software quirk that allows the health insurance carrier to invoice for past […]
The Covered California Board adopted regulations at their September 2014 board meeting that will mandate that Certified Enrollment Counselors and Certified Insurance Agents must assist consumers enrolling in health plans to register to vote through the Secretary of States voter registration web page. Download the full adopted regulations at the end of the post. (b) […]
Covered California has award $17.1 million dollars to 66 organizations to be known as Navigators to enroll 93,467 individuals from October 2014 to June 2015. The average cost per enrollment for the Navigator program is $190 per person with some Navigators receiving as much as $435 per enrollment. For each additional 100 enrollments above the […]
Covered California provided some very important training to insurance agents on determining ACA MAGI for clients…twelve months late. The information offered on household income for tax credits should have been offered months ago before we started the first open enrollment. While the maxim of “better late than never” is apropos, content was at times needlessly […]
If you purchased health insurance through Covered California brace yourself for a bevy of letters and notices arriving in your mail box this summer and fall. Covered California will be sending out marketing material, renewal notices, letters asking you to create an online account, reminders to verify your income, and requests for immigration documents. Create […]
Covered California and the IRS have been encouraging individuals and families that have purchased health insurance through the state or federal exchange to update their household income whenever there is a change. The simple act of reporting this change of income through Covered California is considered a qualifying event for a Special Enrollment Period. Once […]
Covered California is ratcheting up the emails and letters to consumers on a variety of topics from immigration verification to renewing their health plans for 2015. Some of these letters for additional information, consent, or to manage verifications will ultimately be confusing to the consumer. In a Certified Insurance Agent webinar, Covered California went over […]
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 […]
In a presentation by Executive Director Peter Lee to the Board of Covered California on the potential effects of the health insurance rate regulation proposal to go before California voters in November, known as Prop. 45, it was clear the passage of the California Department of Insurance supported proposition could present significant challenges to the […]
