2018 PPACA Open Enrollment:
 
Important changes to our service model going forward...



Friends, 

We strongly encourage you read this entire communication
 
There are a number challenges surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), many of which have impacted our ability to assist our clients.  As a result of some of the most recent changes, we will be modifying our service model going forward.  In order to facilitate a smooth transition, we want to provide you with the following important information so you can prepare for the 2018 Open Enrollment Period.



Who is impacted by this change?

The changes detailed in this communication will impact Non-Medicare, Individuals and Families who have to pay for their own health insurance on a monthly basis regardless of whether you are "On" or "Off" the Health Insurance Marketplace.


Who is not impacted by this change?

If you are insured through an employer group plan or through Medicare you will not be impacted by this change


Why are we changing our Service Model?

In short,  we have to make changes to our Service Model due to a drastic reduction in both compensation and the amount of time we have to do our work.

Compensation

Since the PPACA has been introduced in January of 2014, advisor compensation has been reduced by roughly 60%.  This is a direct result of the losses our insurance carrier partners are experiencing in the individual market.  This reduction in compensation has challenged us to reduce our operational cost structure and still provide our clients with access to licensed professionals to address ongoing questions, concerns, and policy issues.  

Timeframe

Prior to the PPACA, we had the ability to modify coverage for our clients throughout the calendar year.  In late 2013, the PPACA established the "Open Enrollment Period (OEP)" and the time we had to do our work was reduced to only 90 days for the entire year .  For the 2018 OEP, this time frame has been reduced again to only 45 days - November 1st, 2017 through December 15th, 2017.

We are blessed to assist thousands of individuals and families each year with their health insurance needs. Transitioning to a 90 day time frame was challenging but manageable.  Transitioning to a 45 day time frame makes it physically impossible to service our existing client base the way we have in previous years.
 

What changes are being implemented?

We will be making the following changes to our Individual client service model:

We are working exclusively with Priority Health and BCBSM/BCN 

In order to make our operation more efficient, we have made a decision to work exclusively with  Priority Health and  Blue Cross Blue Shield/Blue Care Network.  After reviewing the individual market as a whole for 2017, these two providers insure roughly 80% of the entire individual market in Michigan and roughly 97% of our individual client base.  Given this research, and the need to streamline our operation, we will be working exclusively with these two providers for 2018.

If you are interested in reviewing coverage from other carriers we would encourage you to visit www.healthcare.gov to see what other plans are available in your area.  You may also contact the Health Insurance Marketplace (HIM) by phone at  1.800.318.2596.


Dedicated Customer Support Center for the 2018 Open Enrollment Period (OEP)

We will be providing a dedicated C ustomer Support Center  for the 2018 Open Enrollment Period.  This support center will be staffed with licensed, insured, and experienced health insurance agents from the state of Michigan.  In order to address the high volume of calls we will be receiving during the 45 days of OEP we need to have as many resources available to our clients as possible.

Here are the details regarding the Customer Support Center:
  • This service will be available starting  Monday, October 16th  to address any questions or concerns you may have regarding your current health insurance plan.
  • You can reach the Individual Customer Support Center by calling 1.844.200.8974 or you can CLICK HERE to submit your information before November 1st and get ahead of the game!

Important Dates for 2018 Open Enrollment
 
Please note the following Important Dates for the 2018 Open Enrollment Period:
  • October 16th, 2017 - Our Individual Customer Support Center will go life.  You can reach a licensed, insured, and experienced health insurance agent by calling toll free 1.844.200.8974
  • November 1st, 2017 - The 2018 Open Enrollment Period begins.  This will kick off a 45 day window for you to make changes to your plan.
  • December 15th, 2017 - The 2018 Open Enrollment Period ends.  You
    MUST make changes to your plan before this deadline or you may have to wait until the following Open Enrollment Period to make a change.
     

GET A HEAD START!

We will only have 45 days to address client concerns/questions and make policy changes.  As you can imagine, this is very challenging when we are dealing with thousands of clients.   If you want to make changes to your plan we strongly encourage you to get a head start so we can identify you and get some alternatives out before November 1st, 2017 :
  1. CLICK HERE to access the "Pre-Qualification Application" page on our company website
  2. Please complete all the required fields
  3. Select "Anthony Fracchia" as your advisor
  4. Click "Submit"
  5. Our individual customer support team will reach out to you to assist.
Our individual customer support team will review your information and contact you to discuss your 2017 plan options.  This is a great way to get ahead of the game and it allows us more time to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

As always, we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to assist you with your health insurance needs!  You can contact the professionals at Altruis Benefit Consulting using the information below if you have any general concerns about your coverage, Open Enrollment, or Health Care Reform in general.  We look forward to hearing from you!



 
www.altruisbenefit.com | 877.442.5878 | @altruishealth | info@altruisbenefit.com

 

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877.442.5878 | www.altruisbenefit.com | info@altruisbenefit.com