What’s all this talk about the Open Enrollment Period and how will it affect your family? We’re going to break down all the facts and talk about the important dates to save on your calendar.

What is the Open Enrollment Period?

This refers to the time period when Americans can either purchase or modify a health insurance plan for the upcoming year. This time frame was officially established by the Obama administration with the creation of the Affordable Care Act.

While the future of the ACA remains uncertain as the current White House attempts to undermine the program, the Open Enrollment Period remains an annual event.

When Is The 2019 Open Enrollment Period?

It officially begins on November 1st, 2018, and ends on December 15th, 2018, providing exactly 45 days for Americans to make an informed decision. If you have any questions or concerns regarding enrollment, we encourage you to call one of our agent at 1-855-881-0430. We can help you navigate through the confusion and find a plan that’s suited for you.

Other Enrollment Dates

Each state either uses the federal exchange (otherwise known as healthcare.gov) or their own state-based exchange. For this reason, approximately a dozen states have slightly different enrollment dates outlined below.

What If You Miss The Open Enrollment Period?

If you missed the 2019 Open Enrollment Period, you’ll unfortunately have to wait until next year. It’s not all bad news though, as you do have a few options. Firstly, if you’ve experienced a Qualifying Life Event, you can apply for special enrollment. Examples of a Qualifying Life Event include the following:

• Marriage, divorce or legal separation
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Death of a spouse or child
• Change in residence or work location, which impacts the eligibility
• Your child fails to meet the plan’s eligibility rules (for example, the student status changes)
• You or your covered dependents gain or lose other coverage because of a change in employment status (for example, beginning or ending a job) 

For more information regarding this topic, you can always visit our resource page.

Short-Term Health Insurance

Those without an annual plan can also purchase a short-term health insurance plan, which can now last up to a few months. In most cases, short-term health insurance plans are more expensive compared to the competition, but these policies can serve as a lifeline for this who missed the Open Enrollment Period. For more information, you can visit our page dedicated to short-term health insurance.

If you have any outstanding questions, we recommend contacting one of our agents at 1-855-881-0430 or visit HealthQuoteInfo.com.

It appears a crisis has been averted for the time being. With health insurance and care continually in flux due to the politicized nature of our times, many have lost sight of why we have insurance in the first place.

Insurance offers protection against rising costs and unexpected expenses. Yet some of the most vulnerable within our communities, children from low-income families, rarely can afford or are provided such protections.

That’s where the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, comes into play. CHIP sets out to provide health insurance to children that would not otherwise have such protections.

What is CHIP?

Now, CHIP is a little more in-depth than that. The program aims to fill a gap in the health insurance marketplace. If a family makes too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but cannot afford health insurance, then the children may qualify for CHIP coverage.

If a child has CHIP coverage, then a parent won’t be required to have traditional health coverage for said children. The Children’s Health Insurance Program is run on the state level and works closely with a state’s Medicaid program.

Changes Coming Soon

Recently, CHIP was on the brink of disaster. For 114 days, the program was without a budget. States didn’t know how much money they’d receive from the government for CHIP or when they’d get it.

Many states had grieved concerns about the future of the program and if they could afford funding. This was because lawmakers had been using the program as a bargaining tool in larger talks surrounding the budget and immigration.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program had been politicized. One side of the coin tried to attach the bill to budget cuts for Obamacare, while the other side wanted DACA protections included with CHIP.

Neither side got what they wanted with regards to these political issues, yet both realized CHIP must be passed and funded. So, both sides came together and got the bill funded for an additional six years, while also creating a budget for the states.

This was huge for proponents of CHIP, as the current bill now has until 2024 before it comes up for funding, again. This gives states and low-income families a lot of breathing room and protections.

An Insurance Industry Look at the Children’s Health Insurance Program

Nearly everyone inside the insurance industry, along with both Republicans and Democrats, finds huge value in CHIP. The program offers significant benefits to low income to middle class families looking to keep their children protected for a low cost.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program has also been a huge success. Since being implemented over 20 years ago, CHIP has cut the rate of uninsured children in half nationwide. 14% of children in the United States were uninsured in 1997. That number was down to 7% in 2012.

During that same timeframe, the numbers of uninsured adults went from 19% to 21% nationally. As well, many studies have shown that CHIP not only provides health insurance coverage to children, but that the coverage levels are nearly equivalent to the private sector coverage many kids receive through their parents’ employer plan.

The program has had such great success that many in the insurance industry were baffled to see lawmakers using CHIP as a political bargaining tool. Most believed that the program was incredibly effective and here to stay. Thankfully, that has turned out to be the case, as CHIP is locked in until 2024.

Everything You Need to Know About the Children’s Health Insurance Program

The Children’s Health Insurance Program is here to stay for now. While the health insurance industry is currently in political limbo, this is one of the best government-sponsored programs. There is no reason to politicize it or attempt to destroy CHIP at this point. From many viewpoints, that would be a disaster.

We shouldn’t have to worry about that anytime soon. With CHIP getting an extension until 2024, there’s nothing to worry about in the near future. Plus, studies have shown that CHIP is cheaper for the government to manage than other healthcare alternatives. As such, there shouldn’t be many issues moving forth.

To learn more about family health insurance policies or additional insurance options, contact the experts at HealthQuoteInfo.com at 855-881-0430. Our licensed health insurance experts will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Over the last five years, Amazon has grown exponentially and has successfully entered new markets, which include food, television, fashion, and technology (just to name a few). Amazon’s services are now an integral part of our lives, and it’s revolutionized the technological landscape.

On January 30, 2018, CEO Jeff Bezos announced his company would be partnering with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway to create a company that would provide affordable health insurance to their employees. The news has sent shockwaves through the insurance industry, so we’re going to break down the facts and look at what this move means for the future of American health care.

Reactionary Responses

Immediately following this announcement, the market reacted, and media outlets are reporting that 10 of the largest health insurance and pharmaceutical companies in the US dropped by $30 billion within two hours of trading. The companies that were the hardest hit include MetLife and UnitedHealth, which were both down by five percent and eight percent respectively.

How Will This New Company Work?

The announcement didn’t provide a lot of details, although this new organization will act as a non-profit as opposed to a traditional corporation. This new endeavor is expected to provide health coverage to nearly 1.2 million employees across the country.

The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett said in the press conference “the ballooning costs of healthcare act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy.” This is in reference to the rising costs of health plans across the country, and how the fate of the Affordable Care Act is seemingly hanging by a thread.

Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan said, “the three of our companies have extraordinary resources, and our goal is to create solutions that benefit our U.S. employees, their families and, potentially, all Americans.” How will these resources be pooled? We’re not entirely sure, but according to Forbes, these organizations have a combined capital of $1.5 trillion.

Structure Of The Company

This venture will be led by three leading individuals from the three companies. This includes Todd Combs, one of Warren Buffett’s chief investors, Marvelle Berchtold, the managing director at JPMorgan, and Beth Galetti, the SVP at Amazon. The focus, in the beginning, will center around utilizing technology to discover new solutions in this industry.

This deal is incredibly exciting and perhaps is a new chapter in US health care realm. While we don’t have too many details to report on, we can certainly agree this announcement will have a profound long-term impact.

A crucial component of your overall health involves taking care of your teeth and gums, which means it’s essential to visit the dentist regularly and remember to properly brush and floss. Sadly, millions of Americans neglect their oral health and wait until there’s an emergency before taking action. A segment of the population does not have health insurance, meaning they have to pay out of their pocket for regular dental services. So, we’ve created this guide in regards to how much a routine cleaning will cost you if you’re uninsured.

What Does A Routine Appointment Involve?

The human body naturally produces a substance called plaque that coats the teeth and gums. Plaque cyclically forms after 24 hours and if it’s not properly removed, it hardens and starts to decay over time. A regular cleaning prevents this build up and is the only way to properly remove the callous substance.

During a normal check-up, the dentist will also ask for a few x-rays, which can provide a view of what’s happening beneath the surface. You typically have to wear large goggles and a heavy piece of lead armor to ensure the rays don’t penetrate your upper body. The results can indicate if you have a rotten or decaying tooth that’s going to need a filling, extraction or other types of dental intervention.

How Much Does It Cost?

The truth is that it really varies depending on where you live in the nation. Some states are less expensive compared to others and it usually has something to do with the number of dentists in the area. For example in a big city, there are tons of dental offices, which create competition and naturally drive down the price of routine cleanings. However, in a small town, it’s usually the opposite, as there may be only one dentist to serve the entire population, which therefore drives up the price.

The Academy of Dental CPAs and Dental Economics did some research in 2016 and compiled an average price based on the region. Here are the results.

Northeast region

• Comprehensive exam:  $101
• Cleaning: $110

Mid-Atlantic

• Comprehensive exam: $90
• Cleaning: $95

Midwest region

• Comprehensive exam: $85
• Cleaning: $92

Southern US region

• Comprehensive exam: $84
• Cleaning: $88

Mountain region

• Comprehensive exam: $89
• Cleaning: $97

What If You’re Insured?

Routine dental services are usually 100 percent covered, whether you have a job-based plan or one that you purchased through HealthCare.gov or the state-based exchange. Insurance companies typically allow for two visits a year that involve cleaning, fluoride treatment, and x-rays. Remember the insurance company is looking to save money in the long run, which is why they’re willing to expend money on preventative measures.

Do You Have More Questions?

If you’re looking for dental coverage and are still slightly confused about the subject, call one of our agents today at 855-881-0430! Here at HealthQuoteInfo, it’s our mission to serve you and provide the latest advice regarding health insurance. We understand it can be confusing at times, which is why our agents are ready to respond to any questions or concerns.