Insure It Forward Online Video Series

A lot is happening with Health Insurance.

Your best choices start with a better understanding. We've designed this video series that is easy to understand.

LIVING OKLAHOMA OBAMACARE TRUMPED

WHAT IS THE MARKETPLACE OR EXCHANGE?

Can you tell me what The Marketplace or exchange is? The Marketplace or exchange is the exact same thing. When the Affordable Care Act passed originally they were gonna call it The Exchange. The government decided that the term Marketplace was a better visual picture of where you pick and choose which way you want.

LIVING OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN HEALTH SHARE PLANS

Welcome back Jim Scheihing, owner of Insure It Forward joining us once again because this is important time of year and there are only six days left to get signed up for the health insurance for 2017 so we're kind of in the last few days for people trying to do that and you're kind of here to help people do that that may have some issues and look at some other plans as well right? That's exactly right there is only six days left which means you're not going to be able to get health insurance for 2017 after January 31 unless you have a qualified change like you lose your job or something like that but if you just call and say Hey, I want to buy health insurance you're not going to be able to do that. So what do people need to know and what are some other options? Okay, the main thing is is the federal poverty level which I believe I mentioned last time when I was here and I believe that's going to be put up on the screen - that's a really big factor. If your income guidelines are on that you really want to look at one of the Blue Cross ACA-compliant plan so if your income is between like for a family of 2 $16,000 all the way up to $64,000 you can get a lot of help. Again, the example I used the other day with an older family in their 60s making $66,000 a year didn't qualify for any help but if they made $63,000 they would have gotten $1,800 a month help. This is all based on 2017, income so you can you know some people can still change it you can if you're on that low in like one of your viewers that cold in said that the Affordable Care Act that they wouldn't qualify well they put that they d estimated they make $11,000 for 2017. Well if they think they can find a way to make $12,000 they'll get a couple hundred dollars a month help. So just being told no's not really the right answer there in my opinion. So, if you qualify if your incomes. within those guidelines and you don't have group health insurance you're with a Blue Cross plan which is the only Affordable Care Act compliant plan is the way to go. If your income guidelines aren't in that, then we do have some other options. The other options are the Christian HealthShare plans. There's five of those. Now they are not health insurance but they do make you exempt from the penalty so you don't have to pay the penalty and it's just the idea of Acts II where Christians are sharing each other's burdens so it's not insurance but you are taking care of your risk by having other people partner - partner with you and sharing those risk, and, you know a lot of people don't know we represent the Christian Health Share plans. We represent all the different health insurance plans so we can help you figure out the plan that's that's right for you all. Right, I mean this isn't just about one plan, it's about finding out what's best for a person or family that's exactly right, and sometimes it's a Christian Health Share, sometimes it's a short term. Sometimes I told them ya know you need to just go with your with your group plan. You know it's really about finding out what's right for that person.
Is there a cost to use an agent? How does that work?
No, there's no cost to use an agent, we're paid by the insurance companies and our rates are the same whether you use us or not. So, if your rate is $200 buying it from me it will be $200 through buying it direct from from the company. Now there are some agents that do charge admin fees but we don't do that at Insure It Forward. Okay, because that's a big question. I'm sure you can yeah yeah it's always kind of awkward when it's a friend or something afterwards room. By the way, what do i owe you that was nice to have that up front. Remind people why it is so important to have health insurance if they can. You know because you really don't know when you're going to have that big bill everybody thinks about the doctor's, office co-pays, and the prescriptions, but you buying the health insurance because you don't know when your baby is going to be premature and you have a $3,000,000 charge. And you don't know when you're going to need some type of surgery and it's $90,000 or $200,000 - that's what I'm so passionate about, making sure you know what you're buying because a lot of the plans out there that - If it's not a Blue Cross plan and it says in the fine print that it doesn't meet the ACA guidelines, it means it has limits and the ACA plans don't. If you have a $2,000,000 bill in your maximum out-of-pocket is $5,000 or $10,000, then all you're going to pay is $5,000 or $10,000. Well, that's - that's you're going to pay are $5,000 or $10,000. Well, and that's why getting expert advice is so important, because I know there are a number of plans out there that don't really cover what you think they do and you find out too late, right? That's exactly right one of your viewers called in the other day and they had purchased a plan through and when they looked at it it said it didn't meet the ACA guidelines so they called us and that plan actually wasn't insurance at all it was just a bunch of discounts. We see a lot that, they have like, they'll say they have a $2,000,000 maximum but the maximum daily benefit is a $1,000 which you said isn't really enough (laugh) right? Right, it's not even close to enough.
You're talking about, it sounds like a lot - but in the medical world it is not.
All right, let's talk about your extended hours and everything.
All right, yes, between now and Tuesday January 31st we're going to be open extended hours. Be open to at least eight at the Edmond office we'll be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday and Tuesday we'll be open till at least 8:00 at both offices, alright? A,lright 6 more days and Jim has any information you need, he'll get you in the right spot.
You want to call Insure It Forward right now 405 585 0648 you can go to the website InSureitforward.com., Facebook and Insure It Forward, and Twitter Insurance It Forward.

PRESIDENT TRUMPS ANNOUNCEMENT

Howdy, Jim Scheihing here with Insure It Forward, you probably heard Friday the Trump administration has ended the CSR subsidies effective immediately the problem is the CSR subsidies are not the same as the advanced premium tax credit and people are confused let's talk about which is which and how Friday's announcement will affect them. Let's start with cost share reduction or CSRs the ACA plans have deduct deductibles that are unaffordable to individuals and families with lower incomes. However, insurance companies are required to make these plans deductibles and co-pays more affordable. The CSR subsidies were made to reimburse the insurance companies for the lower deductibles and coinsurance. Friday's announcement by the Trump administration ends the CSR subsidies meaning the insurance companies will no longer get reimbursed for these cost. The advanced premium tax credits or APTC on the other hand, is where the government pays a portion of the premium for those who make between 100% and 400% of the federal federal poverty level. This payment is made by the government to the insurance companies on behalf of the policyholders. So, for example, a family of 4 here in Oklahoma may have a Blue Cross and Blue Shield policy that is $1,000 per month and premium. However, based on the income on their income they qualify for the advanced premium tax credit or APTC and the government is paying $800 of that premium and they're only paying $200. Friday's announcement does not effect this payment the APTC has not changed these payments will remain the same. I hope this helps clear up the confusion between cost share reduction subsidies and the advanced premium tax credit. To keep up to date with all the changes in health insurance for Oklahomans like our Facebook page and follow us on YouTube the links are below and remember open enrollment is shorter this year, November 1st through December 15

LIVING OKLAHOMA OBAMACARE EXECUTIVE ORDER

We're here with Jim Scheihing, owner of Insure It Forward joining us now and he was - you were here talking about this last week but things have actually changed since we were last here. There has been an executive order that could affect all of us, many Oklahomans for sure. What's going on here? That's right, the first day in office President Trump did an executive order basically saying that he wanted to eliminate any of the hardships associated with the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare as most people know it. and it's kind of we're not exactly sure what that means, but we do know that he wants to remove any financial hardships on individuals, corporations, hospital, stuff of that nature. When I've done some research and really dug into it you know most of the Affordable Care Act is legislated so he can't change a whole lot of it through executive order, but he can give his people the ability to interpret it. For example, if somebody doesn't buy health insurance because of a bankruptcy or something like that, they can apply for a hardship exemption. Well, this would give Tom Price, if he's confirmed, which we believe he is, the ability to broaden that somewhat - what a hardship exemption looks like. You still have to file for it, you still have to get approved, but it should create a little more leniency for the different parts of the administration. Let's localize it. What does that mean for Oklahoma or Oklahomans? For the most part I don't think it's going to mean a whole lot this year and there are going to be a few people that are going to qualify for a hardship exemption, but I really wouldn't bet on it because they really - all the laws have already been passed. The insurance companies are, you know, their contracts are already set up for the year, so I really don't expect any changes for Oklahomans this year. Other than a few people might get exemptions. Well, but you may have not qualified for one before and maybe you could now. Right, right. The - umm, you might qualify for an exemption now once once they kind of define what that is. So those are those may loosen up here in the next couple months a little bit. But as you said, it is very confusing and that is something you guys do is help people through this. Yes, yes - what we try to do is help people find the right health insurance claim and it is really confusing. We get a lot of people that call in and they say, well I don't want Obamacare. Well, basically if you had health insurance in Oklahoma that that meets the requirements where you don't have the penalty, you have Obamacare in some form or fashion. For the most part that gets Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Oklahoma for individuals. There are a couple exceptions which I'll be getting into great detail on tomorrow, umm, like the Christian Healthcare plans. They don't, they're not Obamacare but they're an exemption to Obamacare. Then you also have some other plan,s out there but for the most part on on health insurance if it's not Blue Cross Blue Shield there's probably something missing. some part of it missing. There's a lot of, many medical plans out there and what they do is they pay X amount per day in the hospital and those type line at planes you want to be leery of. If yours isn't a true major medical with Blue Cross and Blue Shield, if you haven't at least looked at one of those plans first. you really want to because a thousand dollars a day might sound like a lot, but if you got a hundred thousand dollar bill that's not really a whole lot. Well, we still have time to, if people are not registered, they still have til the end of the month? Yes, they still have till the end of January 31 and we'll be working extended hours in both of our locations in Edmond and in Moore to help people get qualified and signed up for a plan. A lot of people that have gone there before it didn't qualify for subsidies maybe last year, and this year they've changed a lot. The premiums have gone way way up, so have the subsidies and so on my website or on my facebook page we went ahead and posted those guidelines, and, you know a lot of people will qualify for basically no cost health insurance if their income isn't within those guidelines. I didn't - I just a so many questions, I know riveting, and yet I just have a million questions so that is exactly why Jim will be back with us was more expert advice. In fact, he'll be back tomorrow but you don't have to wait if you have a question. Call Insure It Forward right now the number is right there - 405 585 0648, or, you can get on their website InsureItForward.com, also Facebook Insure It Forward, and Twitter at Insure It Forward

INSURANCE RATE INCREASE - WE CAN HELP WITH THAT!

Hello, Jim Scheihing here with Insure It Forward. Man, Facebook has been blowing up this week with people frustrated with the crazy rate increase letters they're receiving in the mail and I completely understand. A couple things to keep in mind. If you were receiving a subsidy, your subsidy will most likely go up with the rate increase so your cost could be the same or just a little bit higher or a little bit lower. A lot of people's letters from the insurance companies didn't reflect that. However, a good reason to use an agent is we don't just do health insurance we contract with the Christian Health Care ministries like all Trula to help you find an affordable alternative for those people that aren't getting help from the government. So call us at 585-0648 585-0648, thank you.

IS MY DOCTOR IN NETWORK?

One of the questions that I get the most is;

Elite Circle of Champions Badge recognition for Insure It Forward

The Elite badge; The highest designation by HealthCare.gov to top agents who serve their community. “Agents are there for people in the community,” said Kevin Counihan, Marketplace CEO. “They help people get the coverage they need for their families, where they need it.”

Insure It Forward Online Video Series

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