Blue Shield of California will be implementing a new online payment system for their individual and family plan members in 2018. Consumers with off-exchange health plans, those bought directly from Blue Shield and not from Covered California will be transitioned to the new billing system in March … [Read More...]
InsureMeKevin
- 2019 Income Levels For Financial Assistance For Medicare, Medi-Cal, Prescription DrugsYou must apply for the Medicare Savings Program through your local Medi-Cal county office. You apply for the Social Security Extra Help program directly with Social Security. If you are determined eligible for the Medicare Savings Program you will be considered a Dual Eligible: eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal. Your eligibility can change throughout […]
- Covered California Enrollment Decline Not Solely Based On Individual MandateThe cost of the individual mandate is nothing compared to the cost of a decent health insurance plan. People are not enrolling in health insurance because it is too damn expensive. I don’t know what percentage of the decline in new enrollments for Covered California is due to expensive health insurance and they don’t know […]
- Covered California Premiums Higher Than Small Group RatesThe first comparison was of two individuals at a Sacramento company enrolled in a Sutter small group HMO Silver plan. The rate for the 60-year-old employee is $838 and $688 for the 56-year-old employee. An IFP Silver plan directly from Sutter Health Plus HMO is $1,115 for the 60-year-old and $958 for the 56-year-old. The […]
- Minimum Wage Increase Will Push People Out Of Medi-Cal EligibilityThe $1 increase in wages per hour between 2018 and 2019 is an 8% increase. The FPL has been increasing approximately 1% every year. But if we assume the FPL increases 2% that would put the new Medi-Cal monthly income level at $1,425. The increased minimum wage for 2019 still makes the individual working 30 […]
- Explaining Medi-Cal & Covered California Federal Poverty Level Income AmountsWhere a primary source of confusion starts to creep into the preliminary eligibility determination for either Medi-Cal or Covered California hinges on when the new FPL amounts are considered for eligibility. This is where the rules concerning determining eligibility are not necessarily aligned between Medi-Cal and Covered California. The rules put forth by the ACA […]