Brad Wright hosted the latest Health Wonk Review over at Wright on Health, and it’s full of great stuff. First, congratulations to Brad on the recent expansion of his blog team! His site has always been stellar, and now it’s growing from two writers to four, with expanded topics and coverage of healthcare issues. And… Read more about The ACA getting the job done, and a great Health Wonk Review
Archives for January 2014
What to look for when comparing Connect for Health Colorado plans
Many of the health insurance regulations in the ACA have made it easier to compare apples to apples in the individual health insurance market. There are no more “junk” plans with low benefit maximums or major holes in the coverage. All policies cover maternity (although that has been the case in Colorado since 2011). Preventive care is covered before the deductible with no copays or coinsurance. All policies must cover the essential health benefits with no annual or lifetime maximums (there can still be limits on the number of visits for some treatments). And all policies must have out-of-pocket maximums of no more than $6350 ($12,700 family) in 2014.
Other than Catastrophic plans, which are available for people under 30 and those who have a hardship exemption from the exchange, which includes people who had a 2013 policy that was terminated in December, all policies available in Connect for Health Colorado (and off-exchange too) fall into one of four categories: bronze, silver, gold or platinum (virtually all of them are bronze, silver or gold though). Also, Catastrophic plans aren’t significantly less expensive in Colorado. The designation is based on the actuarial value of each policy. Bronze plans cover roughly 60% of costs; silver, 70%; gold, 80%; and platinum, 90%. After the maximum out-of-pocket is met, all policies cover 100% of covered costs (with some rare exceptions, such as policies that put an annual limit on the number of covered visits for services like home healthcare and skilled nursing).
But comparing apples to apples still takes quite a bit of reading. Within each metal level, there’s a wide variety of different plans available from the many different carriers offering policies in the exchange (Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Colorado HealthOP, Elevate by Denver Health, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, United Health). Networks vary considerably, but so do the plan designs
Our Glass Is Half Full And We Like It That Way
David Williams hosted a great Health Wonk Review this week, and it was interesting to see how he divided the articles into optimistic and pessimistic viewpoints, with one section for “glass half full” articles, and another for the “glass half empty” ones. It’s a reminder that there are always different ways of looking at the… Read more about Our Glass Is Half Full And We Like It That Way
Carrier Contact Information And Updates For People Who Need To Pay January’s Premium
Today, January 10th, is the payment deadline for most Connect for Health Colorado policies with January 1 effective dates. A few carriers have pushed the deadline out a little bit: Updated Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is moving the payment deadline to 1/31 for 1/1 effective dates. Delta Dental: January 15. Premier Access Dental… Read more about Carrier Contact Information And Updates For People Who Need To Pay January’s Premium
Do Not Assume Your Provider Network Will Be The Same As It Was Last Year
A description of PPO, HMO, EPO and a search tools for all carriers is available here. EDIT 2/18/14: Connect for Health Colorado updates the provider directory once per month. It is possible therefore that the list may not be up-to-date at all times. If you have questions, you can call your carrier directly, or contact… Read more about Do Not Assume Your Provider Network Will Be The Same As It Was Last Year
Kicking Off 2014 With A Great Risk Round Up
Michael Stack from Workers’ Comp Resource Center hosted the first Cavalcade of Risk for 2014, full of lots of good risk-related articles. If you’re looking for a really interesting read, I recommend David Williams’ post about medical child abuse and a case that has pitted Boston’s Children’s hospital against a patient’s parents. David links to… Read more about Kicking Off 2014 With A Great Risk Round Up