|
About Caffrey Insurance Solutions
| |
|
|
That Procedure Costs How Much?
| |
A massive federal database of national health care costs was made public last week, according to an article in the Huffington Post.
If you want an eye opener on just how much prices can vary for the same procedure, we recommend you take a look at the full data set.
|
|
Best Broker in the
East Bay
| |
|
|
California Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan No Longer Accepting Enrollments
| |
Following federal direction received on February 15, 2013 California PCIP has suspended new enrollments for applications received after March 2, 2013.
Any applications in process with PCIP will be referred to the MRMIP (Major Risk Medical Insurance Plan).
For more information, please visit the CA PCIP website.
|
|
Review us on Yelp!
|
Thanks to your great reviews, we have a five star rating on Yelp. If you have received good service from Caffrey Insurance Solutions over the years, please drop by and let prospective customers know about your experience. We really appreciate your time! Thank you.
|
|
Group Coverage Could Help Your Next Tax Day
|
If you are currently considering small group coverage for your emplo yees, you may not know that in addition to tax-deductibility of premiums, there are also tax credits available to groups of 2-50 employees.
For more information,
|
|
How Long Will You Live?
| |
This easy and fun calculator estimates your life expectancy. It was developed by Northwestern Mutual Life, and it tries to predict how long you're likely to live.
The predictions aren't going to be close if you do have a long-term health issue, but generally it works well. Barring long-term health problems, we are going to live a long time, most was into our late 80s or 90s.
|
| Do You Like This Newsletter? | |
Some of you may be receiving this newsletter for the first time. We have been expanding our outreach efforts, but by all means, if you are not interested in receiving future newsletters, please click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the page. If we haven't spoken in a while and you have concerns about health insurance that we can help you with, please let us know.
|
| As You Grow, We Grow With You | |
Please ask about additional services and value-added products such as HR administration and online policy management tools.
|
| Testimonials | |
"Your expert advice is always appreciated. I literally don't know what I would do without you. You give me the most valuable gift of all: time." --Scott Gordon
"I'm glad there are individuals like Gabriel who can break it down so the average joe can understand the ins and outs of each plan, and make better-informed decisions."
--Kerwin K.
"You are different from any image I have had of an insurance broker. I simply enjoy being with you. I experience a combination of efficiency, care, honesty, commitment and flexibility. I couldn't ask for better. --Miki Kashtan
"Lynn is friendly and genuine without being intrusive, overly chatty or fake, navigating the sometimes challenging boundary between professionalism and human interest with natural ease." --Yelp.com Review |
|
|
|
Greetings!
In an ongoing effort to keep you apprised of changes in the health care arena, we are commenting below on subsidies and reduction of paperwork requirements.
Future newsletters will discuss actual plans and rates as we get them, in addition to what will happen to your plans as the carriers transition to new mandated benefits. You should know that if you are not eligible for subsidies (see below), your rates will probably go up, but benefits will improve as well. Part of what we will continue to do for you as brokers is assist you in sorting through the choices and finding what's best for you.
|
|
Early Renewal Opportunity for Group Plans
| |
As of our latest information, Aetna, Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross will allow you to "renew" your group policy on December 1st, 2013 to maintain your current plan at 2013 rates. This is an opportunity to shield you from the expected price increases and volatility in the benefits market during the initial first year implementation of full health care reform.
|
|
Caffrey Insurance Solutions Presentation on Health Care Reform and How It Will Impact You and Your Business!
| |
 On May 14th, 2013 we will conduct the second session of our monthly updates on changes in health care reform legislation, new rules and how they impact prospective and current group and individual clients.
Every month this year until the beginning of 2014, we will host a presentation on the industry. Our goal is to increase your comprehension of all of the issues so that you can continue to make the best choices regarding your benefits.
The session will be on May 14th, 2013 at 9:00 AM in the conference room of our offices at 405 14th Street, Suite 204, Oakland, CA 94612. We're centrally located just above the 12th Street Oakland BART Station.
We can handle approximately 20 attendees for these sessions. They will be a great opportunity for you to get ahead of the coming changes of Health Care Reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
To sign up, please click here.
|
|
What Would Lynn and Gabriel Do?
| |
Q: I had a claim that was not paid as I expected it to be. I had a suspected heart attack and a neighbor called an ambulance to take me to the hospital. They held me for a couple of days for tests and treatment. The ambulance company turned out to be non-PPO and they charged me based on a separate deductible and lower reimbursement instead of being folded into the overall claims, for which I would have owed no payment. What can I do?
- The claim was paid according to the contract. There's nothing to do.
- Demand that the ambulance company accept the payment received as payment in full.
- Ask that the ambulance company become a preferred provider retroactively so the claim could be paid.
- None of the above.
None of the above.
A: We were really surprised by this one. Usually, if the insured has no choice in services like ambulances, assistant surgeons and anesthesiologists, the insurance company pays as if the provider was a preferred provider. But we would go to bat for you, even if the claim was paid correctly. You'd need to submit an appeal letter, but we can assist with some standard wording to start with. When you send the letter in, reason sometimes prevails and the insurance company agrees to pay the claim in full. It's good to have an advocate.
What can we do for you?
|
|
Obama's New Paperwork Is Simpler Than Private Insurers'
| |
There are now reasons to believe that "the 'chaos' of Obamacare just got a little less chaotic," according to the New Republic. "On Tuesday morning, the Obama Administration released its new insurance application, for use on the new health insurance marketplaces. The marketplaces are for people without employer-sponsored coverage, and the idea has always been to make the application process as simple as possible.
Here's how it's supposed to work: You go online. You enter some basic information about your family, income, and employment status. You find out what kind of insurance is available to you, whether it's Medicaid or a regulated private insurance plan. And you find out whether you're eligible for financial assistance that can reduce the premiums--or, depending on your income, eliminate the premiums altogether.
Sounds great, right? It didn't look so great in March, when the administration released a prototype of the application. The paper version was 15 pages long for a family of three. That's not quite as bad as it sounds. The form would have appeared shorter online, and not everybody would have been forced to fill out the entire thing.
...
Administration officials...sought out communications consultants...and had them edit the forms...The result is a new, sleeker application. (You can see the full family version here.)
|
|
Nearly Three Million Californians Will Be Eligible for Affordable Care Act Tax Subsidies
| |
Nearly three million Californians will be eligible for federal tax subsidies to help pay for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to a report by Families USA, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
About the Tax Subsidies
In California, if one's anticipated 2014 household income is and will be between 0% to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), then one will be eligible for subsidized no-cost Medi-Cal health insurance.
In California, if one's anticipated 2014 household income is and will be more than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), then one will not be eligible for subsidized health insurance. Everyone will be required to purchase and/or enroll in health insurance, and if not purchased and/or enrolled, then is subject to a tax penalty.
The federal tax subsidies will take effect in January 2014 to help individuals pay for health plans purchased through state health insurance exchanges. Individuals eligible for the credits are those with incomes up to four times the federal poverty level, or $46,000 for individuals and $94,200 for a family of four.
The size of the subsidies will be determined by a sliding scale based on income. The subsidies will be paid directly to the health plans to offset the total cost of premiums, rather than requiring enrollees to pay the full cost up front.
Report Findings
The report found that more than 85% of all Californians who are expected to qualify for the tax credits are part of families with at least one full- or part-time worker who does not have employer-based coverage. According to the report, 52% of Californians who are expected to qualify for the credits are from middle-income families earning up to $95,000 annually.
|
|
About Caffrey Insurance Solutions
|
Lynn Caffrey and Caffrey Insurance Solutions is a family business employee benefits brokerage firm that provides insurance expertise for small companies (fewer than 50 employees) and individuals seeking individual or family coverage. We also provide Medicare assistance.
Caffrey Insurance works with you to find the best insurance benefits that provide the best value, tailored to the unique needs of your company.
California License Information
Lynn Caffrey: 0557451
Gabriel Caffrey: 0H66348
Caffrey Insurance Solutions, Inc.: 0G80281
Caffrey Insurance Solutions, Inc.
405 14th Street, Suite 711
|
|
|
