LifeMed Insurance Solutions

OPEN ENROLLMENT IS HERE!! ok so who is Covered California?? When the law passed in March 2013, it was said that each state had to set up a State Exchange or Insurance Marketplace where people could shop for the new health insurance plans. Not all states participated in this mandate (no surprise there) however CA was one of the first states to participate and set up their own health insurance exchange, other states left it up to the Govt. to set it up and run it at a Federal... level. Ok so again Covered California is the BRAND NAME of our State Exchange, they will be marketing soon on TV, Radio and print ads to help bring awareness of this marketplace. ONLY CERTIFIED Enrollers OR CERTIFIED Licensed Health insurance agents can help you enroll in the health plans offered through Covered California. PERIOD. Please don't pay a fee to apply!!! no one should ask you to pay an application fee. it's not required nor is it allowed! Enrollers or Navigators can ONLY help you ENROLL in a health plan under Covered CA, they cannot steer you or advice you on any health insurance plans nor can they offer help in the private market, they are not licensed to do so. WE, Licensed Health insurance agents AND Certified Insurance Agents under Covered CA can absolutely help you in giving you advice as to what health insurance plan is best for you and your family, inside and outside the marketplace. Please make sure you do your homework and find out if the person helping you is CERTIFIED to do so.

Are you paying more for your Prescriptions or Have High Co-pays for healthcare? We can help you find the right #Medicare Health plan that your Doctor accepts. Send us a DM for more info* *a DM is requesting to speak or chat with a Licensed insurance agent and gives us permission to reply to your messages

LIVING BENEFITS - Learn about protecting your family with Life insurance that pays you during your lifetime! Life insurance that provides a monthly income in the event of a Chronic or Critical Illness...these are the type of quality policies I contract with to bring value to my clients. If you'd like to learn more about what qualifies as a Chronic or Critical illness please contact me at [email protected] for a personalized report based your current situation #family ...#protection #insurance #lifeinsurance #LifeMed #LifeMedinsurance See more

Dissolve Small Business Coverage? By Phil Daigle on September 26, 2013 6:45 AM | 2 Comments Question: I am a small business with under 40 employees who has always paid 100% of employee and family medical coverage since 1977. With the changes in healthcare coverage would it be more beneficial to me to have my employees go individually under California Coverage or would it be cheaper for me as an employer to continue cover them as a business under my current provider?... Answer: You’r right to reconsider the decision you made in 1977. Things have changed. There are so many elements to be considered that this decision lends itself to the classic Ben Franklin weighing of pros and cons. If you continue to provide a group plan with 100% coverage for your employees you get loyalty, employee good will, easier to recruit new employees, a big tax-deductible expense. On the con side a you get a huge business expense that will only continue to grow beyond your control. If you dissolve your group plan, there are many other considerations. How many of your employees will qualify for subsidies in the individual exchange. Will you provide extra compensation to sweeten the deal particularly with your higher-paid or key people? What are the tax consequences to your business and your employees? It’s complex and illustrates why you need a knowledgable professional insurance broker to guide and advise you.

OPEN ENROLLMENT IS HERE!! ok so who is Covered California?? When the law passed in March 2013, it was said that each state had to set up a State Exchange or Insurance Marketplace where people could shop for the new health insurance plans. Not all states participated in this mandate (no surprise there) however CA was one of the first states to participate and set up their own health insurance exchange, other states left it up to the Govt. to set it up and run it at a Federal... level. Ok so again Covered California is the BRAND NAME of our State Exchange, they will be marketing soon on TV, Radio and print ads to help bring awareness of this marketplace. ONLY CERTIFIED Enrollers OR CERTIFIED Licensed Health insurance agents can help you enroll in the health plans offered through Covered California. PERIOD. Please don't pay a fee to apply!!! no one should ask you to pay an application fee. it's not required nor is it allowed! Enrollers or Navigators can ONLY help you ENROLL in a health plan under Covered CA, they cannot steer you or advice you on any health insurance plans nor can they offer help in the private market, they are not licensed to do so. WE, Licensed Health insurance agents AND Certified Insurance Agents under Covered CA can absolutely help you in giving you advice as to what health insurance plan is best for you and your family, inside and outside the marketplace. Please make sure you do your homework and find out if the person helping you is CERTIFIED to do so.

Affordable Health & Life Insurance Experts. One source. One call. Many insurance companies to choose from. --- We have extensive knowledge in the new Affordable Care Act, Health Plans offered and Tax Credits that you may qualify for, we can help you sort it all out. For yourself, for your family, for your business and employees. We will guide you through the Tax premium credits/penalties and best ways to set up your health insurance and benefit plans going forward. Reach out @ [email protected]

August 28, 2013 IRS Issues Final Rule on the Individual Mandate On August 27, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a final rule for the individual mandate provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)....Continue reading

Covered California Rolls Out Plans for Children's Dental Coverage More Children Will Have Access to Improved Care Through a Diverse Choice of Plans, Products and Premiums SACRAMENTO, Calif. Covered California announced its selection of pediatric dental health plans, ensuring that California children up to 19 years old will get expanded opportunities for better dental health.... With its release of these plans and rates, Covered California took another step toward fulfilling the mandates of the historic federal health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aimed at closing the health insurance gap for millions of Americans. These plans dovetail with our mission to make sure every person in the state and particularly our youngest and most vulnerable get improved health care, said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. The six selected companies are, Anthem Dental, Blue Shield of California, Delta Dental of California, Health Net Dental, LIBERTY Dental Plan and Premier Access Dental. The products include stand-alone plans, and all can be bundled with health insurance for a single premium. Nine stand-alone plans are being offered by five issuers, while Health Net Dental is available only in a bundled option. Three different product types are available, depending on where the child lives: dental health maintenance organizations (DHMOs), dental preferred provider organizations (DPPOs) and dental exclusive provider organizations (DEPOs). Like Covered California’s health insurance plans, the pediatric dental plans underwent a rigorous screening and competitive bidding process and had to balance access to providers with affordable premiums to qualify. The dental plans feature a diverse mix of large, multistate insurers and smaller, locally based companies. Stand-alone plan premiums range from less than $10 a month for an HMO plan in some areas to about $30 a month for a DPPO. Purchase of the pediatric dental benefit is not required. However, the plans offer comprehensive child dental coverage, particularly important for consumers of child-only coverage and family plans, Lee said. Dental care is a vital component of overall health, and especially critical for our state’s children. Access to dental services as a youngster means better health, both for children and as they get older. Covered California dental benefit plans feature standard copayments, deductibles and coinsurance requirements. Unlike Covered California’s health insurance plans, dental plans are not designated by metal levels, but come in two actuarial value options: 85 percent, which features higher premiums but lower average out-of-pocket costs; and a 70-percent value plan, with lower premiums and higher average out-of-pocket costs

Over 65 - Has No Medicare By Phil Daigle on June 20, 2013 2:45 PM| No Comments Question: I’m a US citizen and just brought my foreign citizen mother to the US to live with me (by sponsoring her to become a permanent resident) after my father passed away. She is well over 65 and I’m paying $1600 per month for her health insurance alone with a one year waiting period for many treatments. Can she qualify for the exchange plans if she is well over 65? She does not qualify for Me...dicare. Answer: Your mother will be eligible for Covered California coverage once she is a permanent resident. Though she is over 65, she will be eligible because she does not have access to any public coverage - Medicare or Medi-Cal.

Affordable Care Act News- California has about 5 million uninsured; about 2.6 million will be eligible for finanical help to pick a private plan through CoveredCA in addition 1.4 million will be eligible for expanded Medi-Cal. We want ALL of them to be enrolled, but know that we won't get everyone...over the first few years, we think about 70% of those eligible will actually enroll. This means that a few years in we will still have a few million uninsured. All Californians who can afford coverage and do not buy it (meaning -- the rest of us are insuring them) will pay a penalty to the the IRS. The penalty starts small $95 or 1% of income; growing in future years.

Get out. Be active. Spring is here and summer is around the corner! :)

Starting January 1st 2014 everyone qualifies for health insurance, EVERYONE, there will be NO pre-exisiting conditons clause, meaning you cannot be turned down for health insurance coverage no matter your medical conditions. Also there will be an open enrollment period to shop for health insurance in the State Exchange (Covered CA) this is to prevent people from just waiting it out until they are sick and need health care, therefore if you want to be covered throughout the ye...ar then the following applies: Enrolling After Open Enrollment By Phil Daigle on April 3, 2013 11:47 AM| No Comments Question: If an individual applies for coverage after the open enrollment period (Jan. 1 to Mar. 31st) and does not have a qualifying event, would that application be subject to medical underwriting? Or would that individual have to wait to apply in the next open enrollment period? Answer: As a general rule, those individuals who miss the initial or any subsequent annual open enrollment period must wait for the next open enrollment period to enroll. Under no circumstances will medical underwriting be used after January, 2014.

The small business insurance exchange (SHOP) SHOP to be Made in China By Phil Daigle on April 4, 2013 8:57 AM| No Comments| Email to a friend... A Pragmatic Decision During the initial phase, 2014 and 2015, Covered California SHOP will contract with a third-party administrator for operational services. After 2015, the Exchange will evaluate whether to transition to in-house administration. Covered California will maintain certain business functions including: governance and policymaking authority, health plan management, marketing, and legal. A Chinese Company? The Exchange selected Pinnacle Software to provide those services. Pinnacle has an impressive track record in the healthcare industry. However it is essentially a Chinese company. While Pinnacle Software maintains a headquarters location in Rochester, NY and its engineers work onsite defining requirements and initiating projects, the majority of the development work is done in China and the vast majority of its employees are in China. Really? I find it surprising that Covered California would make this choice at a time of intense focus on the need to create jobs in the US, if not California. I don’t know the details of the selection process, but there must have been a compelling reason to select Pinnacle Software over an American or even a California based firm some of whom have already demonstrated their ability to build a small group exchange. The risk of a public relations black eye would seem to be too high to take the chance