insurance Archives

Trump CMS New Rules To Weaken Obamacare Health Plans

April 9, 2018 By Kevin Knauss Leave a Comment

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2019. The final rule will mitigate the harmful impacts of Obamacare and empower states to regulate their insurance market. The rule will do this by advancing the Administration’s goals to increase state flexibility, improve affordability, strengthen program integrity, empower consumers, promote stability, and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Confidential Life Insurance Quotes With No Hounding Phone Calls

April 9, 2018 By Kevin Knauss Leave a Comment

So how is getting a quote from me different from other agents? First, I don’t sell my client’s information to anyone. When I give you a quote, no one else will call you, probably not even me. I figure if you have questions, you will contact me when you have a chance. Second, I don’t hound people because that is not the way I want to be treated. Finally, I’m not going to try and up-sell you on more expensive of ancillary products.

Why Are Medi-Cal Rates Dropping While Covered California Premiums Increase?

February 28, 2018 By Kevin Knauss Leave a Comment

The question no one can answer for me is if the expanded Medi-Cal HMO capitation rates have been decreasing because there are more healthy people in the Medi-Cal pool? Or are there other factors that are driving down the rates. There must be good money in Medi-Cal as Aetna, Blue Shield, and United Healthcare have all been approved to offer Medi-Cal HMO plans alongside other private health insurance companies such as Anthem Blue Cross, Health Net, Kaiser, and Molina.

Proposed Rule Expanding Less Expensive Short Term Health Insurance Plans

February 20, 2018 By Kevin Knauss Leave a Comment

In direct response to President Trump’s October 2017 Executive Order, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury (the Departments) issued a proposed rule today that is intended to increase competition, choice, and access to lower-cost healthcare options for Americans. The rule proposes to expand the availability of short-term, limited-duration health insurance by allowing consumers to buy plans providing coverage for any period of less than 12 months, rather than the current maximum period of less than three months.

2018 Dental PPO Insurance Review Rates And Plans

December 26, 2017 By Kevin Knauss 5 Comments

There a lots of different dental plans off-exchange or outside of Covered California. The number of plans makes comparisons complicated and confusing. Delta Dental and Anthem Blue Cross offer dental plans through Covered California and a variety of different plans off-exchange. The single largest difference between the Covered California plans and the ones offered off-exchange is the 12 month waiting period for major dental work such as extractions, root canals, and crown. The six month waiting period usually applies to minor restorative work such as getting a cavity filled.

Searching For Cheaper Health Insurance Rates Outside Of Covered California

December 6, 2017 By Kevin Knauss Leave a Comment

Health insurance companies are smarter than your average house cat. They have reams of data about health care claims and demographics. They can forecast, with reasonable confidence, that altering some of the member cost-sharing benefits may reduce their final exposure to pay member claims. It has also been suggested that consumers who purchase health insurance off-exchange, paying the full premium rate with no subsidy, may be more judicious in how they use health care services. In other word, off-exchange consumer mays tend to file fewer health care expense claims. This results in lower rates to the consumer.

Cut Your Health Insurance Premiums By Splitting Up Family Members

November 24, 2017 By Kevin Knauss 2 Comments

Families don’t all have to be with the same carrier either. Some parents have chosen a PPO plan for their children because certain doctors who are treating their children are in-network with the PPO plan. The parents then choose a less expensive HMO plan for themselves. It could be that a family member needs surgery during the next year. That person might opt for a Gold or Platinum plan to reduce out-of-pocket expenses while the other family members hang out in the Bronze or Silver metal tier level.

Print A List, Check It Twice For Your Health Insurance Doctors

November 19, 2017 By Kevin Knauss Leave a Comment

Because of all of the numerous ways a provide network search can give incorrect results, I am now recommending that people print out a list of providers in their area. Usually the list can be created in a PDF format that is searchable with Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can look through the list of doctor names alphabetically. You might see Dr. Balabat and realize that is your doctor when you thought the name was spelled Baladat.

Foreign Travel Coverage With California Health Insurance

November 12, 2017 By Kevin Knauss Leave a Comment

But once you cross the border, some plans can be a little coy in whether they will cover any health care services. For both travel in the United States and abroad, you really need to study the health plan’s member agreement also referred to the Evidence of Coverage (EOC). The EOCs are those big documents that tell you have the plan works, what’s included, and what’s excluded. Some EOCs are specific about foreign travel coverage while others that I have studied make no mention of coverage outside the U.S.

Should Older Individuals Go Medi-Cal To Beat High Cost Of Health Insurance?

November 7, 2017 By Kevin Knauss 6 Comments

Finally, some folks are considering just enrolling in Medi-Cal because they are eligible. They have very little or no income to report on their taxes because they are living off of savings, interest, and dividends. Here again, Medi-Cal would be used as a containment strategy to an unexpected accident or illness. Medi-Cal is typically a HMO plan which requires a Primary Care Physician to make referrals to specialists, order tests, or imaging.

Menu