Our office is certified to reopen, however we are following our own schedule. Our staff will return to the office on June 1st, but we will not be accepting in office client appointments until we feel confident of the safety of our staff and our clients. Stay safe and healthy 

The instability of the Health Insurance market has raised many questions to us regarding clients and brokers alike. As things stand right now:

1. Yes, there is currently a penalty if you do not have credible Health insurance. Despite what you hear, that law still stands in the eyes of the IRS. If you have gone more than 3 consecutive months without proper Healthcare coverage this year, you will be penalized when you file your 2017 tax return.

2. There has been recent press in CT that the two remaining carriers in the Access Health CT exchange are threatening to pull out for 2018. As it stands, Anthem and Connecticare were given an extension to September 8th to decide if they would be staying in CT's exchange for 2018. This extension was granted due to the uncertainty of the Healthcare Bills coming from Washington. To date, no bill has been made law. So the sky is not falling at this time. I will tell you if or when that happens. We are currently preparing for the open enrollment-business as usual.

3. This past year, brokers like myself, had their commissions shut off by the carriers (Anthem and Connecticare). We fought the entire year and we won. We will be able to service and help you with your enrollments this fall from November 1st to December 15th. Yes, the enrollment period has been shortened from 3 months to a month and a half.

I will post updates as they are made available to me.

Did You Know that nearly $10,000 was the average cost of a hospital stay in 2010?  

Accidents can result in serious injuries that require hospitalization, extended treatment and recovery.  Contact Crystal Financial (860-436-9522) and learn more about this new Accident Plan.  This is the perfect investment to help enhance your current essential health coverage benefits. There are two benefit level options. Both pay a blend of lump-sum and daily cash benefits to help cover the unexpected expenses that often accompany those injuries.  The money can be used to pay unexpected medical costs or everyday living expenses.  Give us a call and find out more (860-436-9522).

Buyer Beware

Here are some commonly asked questions by consumers purchasing Health Insurance through Access Health CT.

When I purchase Health Insurance through Access Health CT can I purchase ancillary products such as: AD&D, cancer, critical illness, dental, vision, or disability plans to include as a package with one monthly payment?

No, you are only able to purchase health insurance plans and separately some dental plans through Access Health CT. If you are interested in adding other insurance products to make your health insurance coverage a more complete package you are able to purchase these plans separately. These plans are not offered through Access Health CT and are not part of the National Health Care Act. Most of these plans are offered through insurance carries other than the carries offering health insurance on the exchange. Contact us for more detailed information and a list of ancillary products at 860-436-9522.

What benefits are included in the Health Insurance Plans offered through Access Health CT?

All Access Health CT plans offer the same set of minimum essential Health Benefits. The varying factors for these plans are the carrier’s networks as well as the cost of the premium and benefits.

Essential Health Benefits included:

• Ambulatory patient services (outpatient care you get without being admitted to a hospital)

• Emergency room coverage

• Hospitalization (such as surgery)

• Maternity and newborn care (care before and after your baby is born)

• Mental health and substance abuse services, including behavioral health treatment (includes counseling and psychotherapy)

• Prescription drug coverage

• Rehabilitation and Habilitation services and devices (services and devices to help people with injuries, disabilities, or chronic conditions gain or recover mental and physical skills)

• Laboratory service coverage

• Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management

• Pediatric services

Are dental and vision benefits included in the market place health plans available for purchase through Access Health CT?

Only Health Insurance Coverage is available for adults in any commercial plan on or off the Access Health Market Place. The Affordable Care Act treats dental coverage differently for children versus adults. For children, dental and vision coverage is an Essential Health Benefit, which means it must be made available either as part of a health plan or a stand-alone plan. However, insurers do not have to offer adult dental or vision coverage as part of their health plans. All of the plans offered through Access Health CT provide preventive pediatric dental and vision coverage as a benefit. Dental and Vision products for adults are available as a separate plan. Please contact us at 860-436-9522 to learn more.

If my employer offers insurance, am I still eligible to purchase a plan through Access Health CT?

Yes, but if you buy an individual plan through Access Health CT, you may not be able to qualify for an affordability program, such as an Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTC). Your eligibility for APTCs depends on your income as well as whether or not the insurance from your employer was affordable and met certain other requirements. An employer plan is declared “affordable” if the price the employee is required to pay for “employee-only” coverage would cost no more than 9.66% of the employee’s household income.

Please also be aware that if a plan is declared affordable for the employee, any member of the employee’s household who could have also joined that plan will also be declared to have had access to affordable coverage, even if the cost to add that person would result in a total plan price over the limits above. This may result in all members eligible for that employer plan not being eligible for Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTC) or Cost Share Reduction which can help people enrolling through Access Health CT afford their coverage.

How do I pay my Health Insurance premium and when is it due?

About 3 days following the selection of your health insurance plan through Access Health CT, Access Health CT will send you a letter confirming your enrollment and information such as if you enrolled in a Qualified Health Plan, and what coverage provider and plan you chose. Please note that if your application was incomplete or if additional eligibility verification is needed, you may receive a letter requesting additional information to either validate or complete your enrollment.

About 10–14 days after your enrollment is complete, your insurance provider will send you a bill with directions on how to make your first payment and when it is due. You will receive your Member ID Cards shortly after.

Am I able to purchase insurance from Access Health CT at anytime during the year?

No, you are only able to enroll during the Open Enrollment Period, but you may be able to apply for coverage if you have a Qualifying Life Event or if you are eligible for Medicaid (HUSKY A and D) or the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), are an American Indian or Alaska Native.  For more information on qualifying events contact Access Health CT.

 DID YOU KNOW?

62% of bankruptcies in 2007 were due to illness... 78% of those filers had health insurance!

A critical illness can strike suddenly and disrupt your life physically and financially. To find out more about affordable critical illness insurance that offers seven affordable benefit level options that pay lump-sum cash benefits directly to you, contact Crystal Financial (860-436-9522). IT'S WORTH LOOKING INTO!

Now that open enrollment has come to a close you can enroll in a 2016 insurance plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace only if you have a life event that qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period.  

Definition of a Qualifying Life Event

A change in your life that can make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period to enroll in health coverage. Examples of qualifying life events are:

• moving to a new state
• changes in your family size (for example, if you marry, divorce, or have a baby)
  
• certain changes in your income such as loss of job
• loss of job based coverage
• loss of individual health coverage for a plan or policy you bought yourself
• loss of eligibility for Medicaid or CHIP
• loss of eligibility for Medicare
• loss of coverage through a family member

Do you have a qualifying event to enroll in coverage during a special enrollment period? If you lost your employer sponsored coverage, husky, or spousal coverage within the last 60 days or will be losing it within the next 60 days, you may be eligible for a special enrollment period. Please call us for details.

Access Health CT open enrollment begins on November 15th and ends on February 15th. Whether you are renewing your health insurance or signing up for the first time, we can help. There is no cost for our services, no long hold periods on the phone, parking is free, and you will be getting assistance from the most experienced and knowledgeable enrollment specialists in the industry. Call today to get your appointment secured: 860-436-9522

The healthcare enrollment period closed on March 31st 2014. Many of you that did not elect to have free broker representation during your enrollment are still eligible to add or change brokers. If you would like to have someone working on your behalf that answers the phone, answers your questions, and makes the whole process much smoother then call our office today to add one of our knowledgeable and certified brokers. 860-436-9522

There is still time to enroll in Health coverage! Make an appointment in our office or visit one of our staff members at the Access Health Ct enrollment center at 200 Main St, New Britain, Ct. In order to have your coverage effective for the first of the month, you need to enroll prior to the 15th of each prior month. Proof of income, citizenship, etc needs to be submitted by upload or mail and payment needs to be made as soon as the bill is received. Anthem & Connecticare have been severly behind with getting the bills and insurance cards in the mail. Calling the carriers directly to make payments prior to receiving any confirmation has sped up the process. Once the bill is paid, it takes 7-10 days to receive the insurance cards. If you have questions or need our assistance, please contact our office during regular business hours.