Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Posts related to eligibility for health care programs based on household income such as Covered California, Medi-Cal, Medicare usually based on federal poverty levels.
Many parents are surprised to learn that their children are placed in Medi-Cal after completing the Covered California health insurance application. Medi-Cal eligibility is determined by the monthly household income, not the annual Modified Adjusted Gross Income. If the monthly household income is below 266% of the federal poverty level (FPL), but above 138% of […]
Covered California released a breaking news alert to agents on December 12th, 2014, that mixed households, those with children in Medi-Cal and the parents on a Covered California subsidized private plan, may face delays in selecting a health plan until the respective county finishes their review for eligibility. New! Mixed Households: Renewal Update County social services […]
In recent weeks I’ve been contacted by several consumers who found out they had been enrolled in Medi-Cal while receiving, and still paying, for their subsidized private health insurance through Covered California. Aside from the obvious question of how could this happen, is the reality that Covered California may have been advancing tax credits to private health […]
In the confusing landscape of health insurance regulations post ACA implementation, numerous health insurance companies have sent out renewal letters to members with errors. Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Health Net and even Covered California have had to send follow-up letters to correct erroneous information. Unfortunately, this incorrect correspondence only leads to more confusion surrounding the benefits and renewal […]
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 […]
A key service agents provide to ACA health insurance eligible clients is assisting them to determine their Modified Adjusted Gross Income, MAGI. This unfortunately puts agents in the role of being income and tax experts. One of the biggest questions agents get is what qualifies as household income for the purpose of receiving the Advance […]
Covered California has updated the CalHEERS income section of the individual and family plan application to accommodate partial year employment. This was accomplished with the insertion of simple date fields. Now, instead of the annualized income from a job a client has left, the employment can just have a start and end date. Changes to […]
