The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made sweeping changes to America’s healthcare system. And for small businesses, those changes have a big impact. If your firm has 50 or more employees, the ACA requires that you provide affordable coverage to your employees. If your firm has fewer than 50 employees, you don’t have to offer health insurance — but you do
It’s that time of year again! Open Enrollment, the annual period in which you can sign up for a health insurance plan for 2018, runs Nov. 1, 2017 to Jan. 31, 2018 in California. This window is your only chance to sign up for 2018 healthcare coverage. (Exceptions will be made, however, for those who qualify for Special Enrollment). So now’s the time
Health insurance in California saw three major changes in 2017. First, PPO plans were phased out in favor of HMO and EPO plans. Second, all Obamacare enrollees had to choose or be recommended to a PCP. Third, most plan premiums increased in price. Because California has the nation’s largest state-run health insurance exchange, its pool of about 1.4 million enrollees helped insurance companies
In 2017, Blue Shield will be the only insurance carrier in California to offer a PPO. Blue Cross offered PPOs in 2016, but next year they’ll convert the majority of their PPO plans to EPOs. By 2018, it’s likely that zero carriers will offer a PPO. How do these changes impact you? Which plan should you choose? We’ll compare each plan type
When it comes to your health, you want to pick the best possible health insurance plan. But how do you decide which parts of a plan are most important? How can you be sure that your policy will cover your medical needs? In short, how do you find a plan that works for you? It’s easier than you think! Here’s a
Health insurance is a pretty straightforward concept: You pay your insurance carrier a monthly premium, and your insurance carrier helps pay for your medical costs. Unfortunately, what’s not straightforward about health insurance is just about everything else. Healthcare coverage varies by plan type, insurance carriers, the network of doctors that carrier offers and state laws. Plus, each plan has its
By age 26, you’ve hit plenty of milestones. You’ve made it through school, scored a “real” job, and maybe even quit that “real” job. You’ve learned the value of a full night’s sleep and a predictable routine. And, according to your parents, you’ve become a technology prodigy. Despite everything you’ve mastered by your mid-20s, there’s still one thing that you
By 2022, Obamacare is projected to offer healthcare coverage to 33 million previously uninsured Americans. But if you’re confused by what Obamacare means to you, you’re not alone! The law is thousands of pages long — hardly the type of casual reading you want to do in your free time. We won’t get into the nitty gritty of Obamacare complexities.
You need health insurance, but you’re not sure how to get it. You did a quick Google search and saw that Open Enrollment ended on Jan. 31 — and it won’t reopen until November 2018! If you missed this short window of time to sign up for a plan, can you still get covered? The answer lies in three words: Special Enrollment Period. What
