If you are still uninsured and trying to secure health coverage for 2016, your application must be submitted by midnight January 15th in order to qualify for a February 1st effective date (some exceptions apply).  Although Open Enrollment will not officially end until January 31st, 2016, you do not want to miss this important deadline!  In fact, if you fail to submit your application by January 15, 2016, in most cases you will not be eligible for health coverage to begin until March 1st and you will remain without health coverage throughout the month of February. (more…)

Open Enrollment officially ends January 31st, 2015 and after that date, you may not be able to enroll until the next AEP (Annual Enrollment Period), which will likely begin November, 2016.  If you have not yet enrolled in a health insurance policy for 2016, you still have time to do so, but don’t wait!  As the end of January approaches, it will become increasingly difficult to get through to the Federal Marketplace or submit applications online.  Due to high volume around effective date deadlines, very often these websites experience technical issues and you would be wise to complete your application a few days prior.

This is especially true if you are applying for a federal subsidy.  Due to the number of people trying to contact the Marketplace, you may have to wait on hold for hours at a time just to speak to a representative.  If you wait to submit your application, you could wind up in a situation where you miss your effective date altogether.

The good news for consumers is that the application for your federal subsidy can now be completed easily and efficiently!  It can be done online in less than ten minutes or you can call 888-765-5400 and one of our licensed and professional agents can assist you in submitting your application right over the phone.  Again, this process usually takes only a few minutes and the earlier you submit your application, the sooner you will have insurance cards in hand, giving you the peace of mind that comes from knowing you and your family are covered for 2016.

Keep in mind that although Open Enrollment does not officially end until January 31st, in order for your coverage to begin February 1st, you must submit your application by January 15th.  If you submit after that date, you will not have coverage until March 1st.

For more information on Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina insurance coverage, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our experienced and professional agents.

If you are one of the many Americans who waited… and waited… and waited on hold with the Federal Marketplace trying your best to enroll in health insurance by the December 15th deadline, but were still unable to complete the process, we can help! Although the deadline has passed for a January 1st effective date, Open Enrollment is still happening and you can be enrolled in a Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina health plan starting February 1st in just minutes!  We offer a simple, straight-forward, and short application you can do online or over the phone with one of our experienced and professional agents and we are happy to help you choose a plan, submit an application and assist you through enrolllment. (more…)

Are you one of the many Americans who qualify for a federal tax credit under the Affordable Care Act?  If so, you can now complete and submit your application in less than ten minutes!  If you attempted to apply for a subsidy in past years, you may have encountered long wait times, confusing online applications and the frustration of poor communication regarding your application, payment deadlines and policy information.  But that is no longer necessary.  Through a simple, straight-forward, and fast online application, you can now easily enroll in health insurance through the federal Marketplace. (more…)

Open Enrollment 2016 is well underway and with all the changes in the health insurance industry, renewing your policy for 2016 can be more confusing than ever.  Updating or qualifying for a federal subsidy, changes in your local network or available plans, and deciding whether or not to keep your grandfathered plan or apply for an ACA plan can leave you feeling frustrated.  But that’s where we come in.  Having an agent can help ease the stress of renewing your insurance policy as we help guide you through the process of making any necessary changes.  We can discuss networks, benefits, deductibles, and out-of-pocket limits and help you decide which policy best suits the needs of you and your family for 2016. (more…)

Autumn is in full swing and in our part of the state, we’ve had A LOT of rain.  We’ve had wet, dreary days that get me thinking about one thing – a good cup of coffee.  In fact, I’ve found myself more than once sitting in the Starbuck’s drive through waiting to be handed my $5 breve latte.  Although there’s a McDonalds right across the street where I know I could get a cheaper cup of coffee, I still wait for that Starbucks cup and I do it for one reason.  I know I’m going to get what I’ve paid for – good quality!

As the cost of health insurance is on the rise and both insurance companies and insurance consumers are feeling the pinch of the new ACA market, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.  Across the board, insurance companies are raising premiums in order to accommodate a different demographic.  Unfortunately these rate increases have been deemed necessary by the Board of Insurance in order for insurance companies in the state of North Carolina to stay viable and to continue providing health insurance to NC residents.  Many companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, lost millions of dollars last year alone on ACA business, which is an unsustainable business model year after year.  As premiums increase to help offset soaring costs, it is now more important than ever to really examine what your premium dollar gets you when it comes time to use your health plan. (more…)

If you did not get health coverage previously under the Affordable Care Act, you can enroll in a Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC health plan for next year starting November 1st.  In addition, if you are already enrolled, you can make a change to your existing coverage or renew your plan for 2016.  Open Enrollment will end January 31st, 2016 and if you do not enroll in a plan during this time, you will not be able to obtain health coverage until 2017 unless you have a Qualifying Life Event.

There are at least three key components to choosing an ACA plan that is right for you and your family: Benefits, premiums and the network of doctors and hospitals. (more…)

The Affordable Care Act mandated that all United States taxpayers purchase ACA approved, qualified health plans or pay a tax penalty when reconciling taxes.  This is often referred to as the individual mandate.  The individual mandate went into effect at the beginning of January 2014 and continues each year. The penalty for not having coverage is paid on your Federal Income Tax Returns for each full month you or a family member does not have health insurance (unless you have an exemption) and is based on your Modified Adjusted Gross Income.  In addition, the penalty increased in 2015 and is increasing again in 2016.  (more…)

Believe it or not, Open Enrollment is just around the corner and being prepared is half the battle!  This year, Open Enrollment begins November 1st and runs through January 31st, so if you are currently uninsured, you will be able to apply and obtain coverage very shortly.  Although Open Enrollment will not begin until November, you can begin preparing even now.  In fact, there are a number of questions you can ask yourself, as well as some important pieces of information you can gather so you are ready to successfully navigate Open Enrollment 2016. (more…)

With Open Enrollment rapidly approaching, you have a number of choices regarding your health insurance provider.  If you intend to enroll in health coverage for 2016 or if you need to make a change to your current health insurance plan, consider choosing Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.  As with anything else in life, you get what you pay for, which is why BCBSNC has earned a quality reputation for its long-standing commitment to the residents of North Carolina.  Although there are a number of insurance companies offering health plans both on and off the federal Exchange, Blue Cross Blue Shield NC has the largest presence in the state and is well-known for being a name you can trust in the health insurance industry. (more…)

By now, most Americans are aware of the changes instituted by the Affordable Care Act and the impact this law has had on health insurance.  Terms like “premium tax credit,” “federal subsidy,” “Health Insurance Marketplace,” and “individual mandate,” however, are still often unfamiliar to consumers now navigating a system reorganized under completely different criteria and governed by federal law.  Understanding the new terminology is paramount in understanding much of what constitutes the Affordable Care Act and is a key part of being able to successfully choose, enroll and manage a health insurance policy.

That being said, perhaps one of the most confusing aspects of the Affordable Care Act is the Special Enrollment Period and why you must have a Qualifying Life Event in order to enroll in health coverage.  Prior to the Affordable Care Act, consumers had the benefit of enrolling in individual health insurance or making changes to their existing policies at any time during the year.  On the flip side, insurers had the right to practice medical underwriting and charge more for, or deny coverage to, consumers who had serious or preexisting health conditions.  Under the new law, these conditions have changed.  Insurers may no longer ask consumers any health questions (with the exception of whether or not you are a smoker) and no consumer can be denied health insurance based on a preexisting condition; however, consumers may not enroll or make changes to their health policies whenever they choose, but are now subject to the rules of Open Enrollment, Special Enrollment and Qualifying Life Events (QLE’s).

For 2015, Open Enrollment will begin November 1st and end January 31st.  During Open Enrollment, you may purchase health insurance or make changes to your current policy for any reason.  Currently, however, we are in the Special Enrollment period, which means consumers are required by law to have a Qualifying Life Event in order to purchase insurance.  A Qualifying Life Event is some special circumstance, such as a recent move or the loss of access to minimum essential coverage, that allows the consumer to purchase insurance outside of Open Enrollment.  Although this does limit your ability to enroll in health coverage, the good news for 2015 is that the list of Qualifying Life Events has been expanded and the Healthcare Marketplace is offering more opportunities for consumers to get insured during Special Enrollment.

In order to determine whether or not you may have a Qualifying Life Event, it is important for you to take a look at the list provided on your Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina health quote.  Reading the list of QLE’s will help you to determine if one of these special circumstances applies to you.  Although the process of obtaining health insurance has changed under the ACA, the expansion of these QLE’s allows you greater freedom outside of Open Enrollment to manage your current health plan or enroll a new health plan according to your life circumstances.

For more information on Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina health insurance coverage, the Marketplace and healthcare gov  to apply for your subsidy, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our experienced and professional agents.  Let us help you navigate through the Health Care Reform changes in accordance with the new regulations of The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama care.

Open Enrollment 2018 has officially ended and the Special Enrollment Period has begun.  Contrary to what so many people believe, this does not mean that no Americans are able to purchase health insurance.  It simply means that those purchasing or making changes to existing health insurance plans are subject to a different set of rules that apply to the Special Enrollment Period.

The most distinguishing factor of Special Enrollment is that in order to purchase or change a health insurance plan you must have what is called a Qualifying Life Event.  This means you must have a special circumstance in your life that would qualify you to purchase or change insurance outside of Open Enrollment.  People often experience Qualifying Life Events without even realizing the opportunities presented as it relates to health insurance.

The following is a list of common Qualifying Life Events:

• Loss of minimum coverage (through an employer, government plans, Medicaid, etc.)
• Adding a dependent through birth, adoption or marriage
• Gaining United States citizenship
• Enrollment/non-enrollment errors by the federal Marketplace or the United States Department of Health and Human Services
• Newly eligible for a subsidy or a change in the amount of subsidy for which you are eligible
• Move to North Carolina or a new county within North Carolina
• Other exceptional circumstances

Although this is a list of a few qualifying life events, this list is not exhaustive.  Ultimately, the only way to really determine if you are eligible to change or purchase health insurance during Special Enrollment is to complete an application.  Keep in mind that you can apply for health insurance without any obligation to purchase and the application itself will help you determine subsidy eligibility.

For more information on Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina health insurance coverage, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our experienced and professional agents.  Let us help you navigate through the Health Care Reform changes in accordance with the existing regulations of The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama care.

All information contained herein is subject to change, from time to time, if the Federal Government or Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina implement any new updates and/or changes that can impact information provided in this blog.