HST Post of the Week: 
By: [email protected]

How many times do you hear someone say to you “I never get sick?” Or maybe you say that yourself. Why get health insurance coverage if there is nothing wrong with me? As the clock ticks toward the 2014 launch of the Affordable Care Act, health leaders across the nation are embarking on a tough task: persuading young adults to enroll. Their participation will be critical to balance out older, sicker patients more likely to sign up for health insurance as soon as they are able.

This has been the battle that private insurers have faced in the past as well. If any plan regardless if it is a private carrier or the plans in “ObamaCare” the only way it would ever work is if there is a “balance” in the age of the people who apply. The success of the healthcare law depends on reaching everyone who is uninsured, but particularly young people who may feel like they don’t need insurance.

Beginning in 2014, nearly everyone will be required to have insurance or face a fine — $95 or 1% of their household income in the first year. Many young adults who are not covered through work or their parents may be eligible for Medicaid or the new state-based insurance market places known as exchanges.

Health officials worry that the fine, which increases over time isn’t high enough to convince people to sign up for coverage. The penalty itself will not convince a young person or any other person. Young people will need to understand the risks of not having health insurance. If there is a lack of young people signing up there is a concern that the older, sicker generation will use up all the money that is set aside for the “Obamacare” plans

So parents of the younger generation, please call us. We can insure your son or daughter so that you will not have the stress of trying to protect them and answering to the federal government all at the same time.

By Joel Harrison

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been stated by many to be the single most controversial and confusing piece of legislation in United States history. With so many different people and groups interested in healthcare in one form or another everyone has something to say and they are all saying something different.  Like it or not healthcare reform is coming FAST. The countdown is to less than 6 months left in 2013 and the exchanges open in October.   If you’re “just waiting to see what the ACA does” you’re going to be left in the dust and be scrambling to comply with regulations early next year.  This could end up costing you in the end. So here are a few tips to stop worrying and love the ACA.

Drop the politics

OK I’ll admit love is a bit of a stretch. My point is Healthcare reform is coming whether you like it or not.  Congress tried to overturn it… FAILED. The Supreme Court tried to say it was unconstitutional… FAILED. States said they would not participate… FAILED.  It’s time to face the facts… the healthcare reform is here to stay. So stop arguing about who is right and who is wrong and start having intelligent conversations about what solutions work best for your business. The number of businesses who will actually be severely hurt by the new laws is minimal.

Get educated (properly)

Healthcare reform is complex; there is no way around it. If you have not already begun to understand how the ACA will affect you, your time is running out. Now is the time to meet with professionals in the healthcare field. Search out and attend seminars that help you to navigate the pitfalls business owners will have to deal with. Have specific conversations about how reform will help or hurt your business and what strategies are available to make the transition as smooth as possible.  When doing research remember to pay attention to the political affiliations of your sources. Because everyone feels so strongly about healthcare reform there is A LOT of misinformation out there… be careful.

Relax… it’s just the ACA

Once you have made your peace with healthcare reform and found the best solutions for your business you can sit and watch the chaos happen around you. The “wait to see what happens” crowd will be forced to make last-minute, hasty decisions and pay costly fines because they have been too stubborn to just stop worrying and learn to apply and love the ACA. 

In order to be eligible for your 2014 deductible to decrease by 20%, policies must be active in June. Last day to apply for a June 1 effective date is Tuesday 5/28.

Posted on May 16, 2013 by [email protected] 
Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr once famously observed, “Time takes time.” While I’m sure that Ringo Starr wasn’t talking specifically about health insurance as far as I know, his keen observation remains a timely one as we witness the gradual unfolding of health care reform. It makes you think doesn’t it??

The Affordable Care Act is now just five months away from the historic first open enrollment period of the new federal-state health exchanges. It is supposed to provide a simplified, one-stop online source for affordable health insurance for individuals and small businesses. But the on-line 21 page application has our federal government scrambling to find a more “stream-lined” version that will be less demonstrative for the many people that cannot maneuver around a computer let alone a complicated website and application process with no help.

The individual mandate portion of the law, of course, requires all Americans to obtain health insurance or face a penalty on their federal income tax. But many are in the dark and will have to pay more for their coverage through the exchange verses if they would contact us at “Healthcare Solutions team” for the help that they so badly need.

Unfortunately, a health tracking poll done in April by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 4 in 10 of us (42 percent) still don’t know that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Why? Well, 12 percent think Congress repealed it, 7 percent think the Supreme Court overturned it, and the other 23 percent are just plain confused about it. And because our species tends to be change-averse, more of us (40 percent) have an unfavorable rather than a favorable view (35 percent) of the law just now. With that in mind our insurance agents are ready and able to help all of you face your fear with the change that is looming in the very near future!

Health care reform is a huge change that’s been surrounded by a lot of noise and will take, yes, some time for people to become comfortable with it. President Barack Obama acknowledged as much in a press conference last week, calling health care reform “a big undertaking” with many “glitches and bumps” ahead.

What do we think about this quandary? Most Americans haven’t digested health care reform because it’s not likely to affect them initially. That’s because they now have health insurance through their individual plan that offers all the same benefits as the new exchange plans, is theirs to control and they will still save money!

Oh sure, you all will try to understand the process and the concept of the new exchange plans…or not!

But as Ringo observed, that’s gonna take some time.

By Kandi Mensing:

Are you on COBRA and it is too expensive? Were you offered COBRA and had to decline coverage because you couldn't afford the premiums? Have you ever lost access to your employer's health plan? It could have been because of a layoff, a termination, or reduction in hours. If you have ever seen the cost of COBRA coverage, you know that it is expensive!! Most individuals and families cannot afford to pay for COBRA.

Just to briefly explain for those that don't what COBRA is, COBRA stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It is a Federal law that was enacted in 1986 mandating that employer's allow employees (or ex-employees) that were formerly eligible to join the employer's group health plan access to the group's health plan, even though they're no longer 'eligible,' where coverage would have otherwise been cancelled. The legislation allows that the employer charge the (ex)employee full premium cost plus a 2% administrative fee. This can be very costly.

If you lose group coverage, what are your options?

1. Pay the expensive premiums for group healthcare 
2. Go without healthcare coverage, letting your policy lapse
3. Elect coverage on your new employer's health plan
   (If they offer healthcare, and if you're lucky enough to find another position immediately)
4. OR, purchase your own affordable individual health plan

At Mensing Consulting Solutions, we help people get off of COBRA (or avoid having to elect COBRA) by helping them shop for affordable individual health plans. We find them coverage they can afford without the markups of group healthcare. The last time my family was eligible for COBRA, our family plan through the group coverage was $1,100 per month. Add on a 2% administrative charge and we were looking at about $1,122 per month. Instead, we were able to purchase our family plan under an individually written plan (not group) for less than $400 per month! So, as you can see, there is  a sizable difference between what is paid for coverage under an individually written plan versus a group plan. We saved over $700 each month by purchasing our individual plan instead of electing COBRA coverage.

Group health plans are simply more expensive than plans written on an individual level (i.e. not group). Why is COBRA so expensive, you ask? Well, when you purchase COBRA, you're likely paying a 2% surcharge on the employer's group health plan (the only COBRA fee allowed by the government). Group health plans are accessible by the employer's eligible employees. Group health plans are guaranteed issue, meaning that eligible employees cannot be declined for coverage under the group health plan regardless of pre-existing conditions, lapse of healthcare coverage, or any other reason.  Group health plans do not afford employees the ability to customize their coverage. Some employers may offer several plans for employees to choose from, but not all employers.

When you purchase your own individual plan, you can choose the plan design that fits for you and/or your family at the price that you can afford! 

We work with many large carriers and are very competitive in the market. When you work with us, we don't just write your plan. We're there for you even through your claims process, for any support or assistance that you might need. We are a family business supporting families and other family owned businesses.