Individual Insurance and the Affordable Care Act: Part 2

We are back with Part 2 of BCN's ongoing series about the Individual Health Insurance Market, also called IHIM.  The IHIM is in a state of constant flux and following is an update and some solutions regarding the individual market.

1. BCN can help your organization or employees navigate this constantly changing landscape.  We have staff that is certified as Individual Market Experts.  We can assist any current client or employee with this process.
2. Healthcare.gov, the national health care exchange website, appears to be up and working, although we are getting varying reports regarding ease of use, connectivity and being able to complete the process.  Some people are having no problems, while others are still frustrated with the technology.
3. The deadline for signing up to receive coverage effective Jan. 1, 2014 has been pushed back from Dec. 15, 2013 to Dec. 23, 2013.
4. Consumers and insurers are being told that any consumer that has paid by Dec. 31 2013 is guaranteed coverage starting Jan. 1, 2014.

There are still strong concerns surrounding the program.  They range from difficulty accessing the program, security issues, network issues (thinking your doctor is in the network, but they are not), and coverage issues (are you in the program or not), etc.

If you or your employees are feeling overwhelmed or just need someone to discuss the available options, please contact the BCN call center at 1-800-891-9911.

One option that is not getting a lot of attention is that individuals can access an insurance carrier's private health care exchanges and, in many cases, this has been proven to be a more user friendly experience for insurance sign-up.  This is one of the options the BCN Individual Marketplace experts will evaluate for employees to see if it is an option based on their income, needs and available carrier networks.

BCN will continue to keep you updated on the most important issues facing your organization.