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Contact a Certified Covered California Agent Today!

March 28, 2014 No Comments

If you are one of the millions of Californians in need of health insurance, you should consider a certified agent as your go-to for the numerous questions you might have lingering about the Affordable Care Act or Covered California. Certified agents are trained and subsequently certified to help you with your individual or small group health insurance needs.  They know the state and federal laws better than anyone, and are ready to answer any quandaries you might have. Additionally, since certified agents are registered through Covered California, you can verify the identity of the individual you are working with before you hand over your sensitive personal information.  This is just one more way to protect yourself from predators who lurk amidst the insurance system.  The Covered California Service Center is always available for this kind of verification via their business office: (800) 300-1506. For more information about individual health insurance

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Open enrollment deadline approaching for part-time employees and subcontract employees

March 24, 2014 No Comments

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment deadline for health insurance is rapidly approaching. The last day for part-time and subcontract employees to get health insurance via Covered California, the state healthcare website, is March 31, 2014. Fortunately, if you’re still confused, you can get advice and sign up from a certified agent you trust for the same health insurance as you find online. Small group employers don’t need to offer healthcare plans to subcontract and part-time employees because the Affordable Care Act specifies required coverage for full-time employees or "full-time equivalents." While independent and subcontract employees are not included in small employer mandatory coverage requirements, these people must qualify as independent contractors.   Subcontractors must meet the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) definition as independent. Just because an employer calls someone an independent contractor doesn’t mean the IRS will agree. The IRS examines the "substance of the work relationship" to rule

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Open Enrollment Deadline Looms: Make Certain You’re Covered

March 19, 2014 No Comments

The Affordable Care Act has made healthcare available to anyone who needs it and has created penalties for those not enrolled in a healthcare policy.  Make certain that you’re not fined for failing to acquire the proper insurance in 2014; check your coverage before the March 31st open enrollment deadline. After March 31st, you will have to wait until the next open enrollment period to enroll in, or change, a policy.  You also risk paying a fine for failing to acquire insurance.  This is particularly important if you have a family; you’ll want to make certain that you are covered in the event of an emergency before the emergency occurs.  The last thing you need in a stressful situation is to find out that your coverage isn’t what you thought it would be. For more information about individual health insurance or Covered California, contact a certified agent with Bernardini & Donovan

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Small Businesses: Your Options Outside the Exchange

March 14, 2014 No Comments

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, or simply the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as it is more commonly known, gives all Americans and small business owners an option to buy private health insurance through state or federally managed healthcare exchanges. The plan is designed to give uninsured and under-insured Americans a way to shop for and compare multiple plans and buy healthcare coverage regardless of financial status, age or previous medical history. The ACA’s health care exchanges are expected to radically transform the manner in which American’s purchase medical insurance. However, such exchanges are not the only option for getting coverage. Under the ACA, all healthcare plans are required to comply with certain minimum coverage requirements regardless of whether the plans are offered via a healthcare exchange or sold directly to the consumer. All health insurance options outside the exchange have to include the same drug coverage and essential

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How to Approach ACA if You Won’t Get a Subsidy

March 10, 2014 No Comments

One of the ironies of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is that people who earn good salaries may find it harder to afford health insurance. The ACA has subsidies for people who earn below a certain benchmark (currently less than $50,000 for an individual). Once the income level is crossed, however, the subsidies no longer apply. Still, there are ways to manage the costs of healthcare even without subsidies: 1) Buy health coverage through an insurance company. If you use an independent agent, you can avoid the exchanges and compare rates and deductibles from many companies. Your agent can help you choose a plan. 2) Juggle your deductibles and co-payments. If you are in good health you may want to select a high-deductible, higher co-payment plan that will come with lower monthly premiums. 3) Look into temporary insurance. Do you expect a life-changing event in the next few months, such

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Health Insurance Choices Instead of Government Exchanges

March 5, 2014 No Comments

If you cut through the noise and dissension about the new health insurance government exchanges that don’t seem to work, you may wonder if you have any other options. Unless you live in Vermont or the District of Columbia, you have options outside the exchange. You can contact insurance brokers, companies or experienced professionals, like Bernardini & Donovan Insurance health plan experts. You can only buy coverage that complies with the Affordable Care Act (ACT), not one of the plans that were terminated as of January 1, 2014. The main feature of the exchanges, the tax credits or subsidies that can lower your health plan costs, are not available when you choose one of the options outside the exchange. However, insurance carriers selling product on and off government exchanges must offer their plans at the same price. There is no consensus as yet about the better choice for individuals. Supporters

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