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Group health insurance is a popular benefit.  If prospective employees are considering competing opportunities, the health insurance offered can definitely be a deciding factor.  While group health insurance is a great way to distinguish your company in the job market, it isn’t the only tool at your disposal.  If you currently have a health plan, …

2014 is the first year that there could be a penalty for individuals that didn’t have coverage for 3 consecutive months or more during the year.  While 2014 is already behind us, it’s important to understand the penalty as you prepare to file your taxes.  In addition, open enrollment for 2015 coverage extends until February …

There are a lot of abbreviations out there for health insurance.  A lot of them!  It’s really important to understand the coverage that you’re purchasing, which is why using an agent is a good idea.  Here are a couple of common abbreviations that it might be helpful to familiarize yourself with prior to your appointment. …

Wondering what are qualified expenses for an HSA?  Congratulations!  You have an HSA.  Check out our blog here if you have questions about the deductible. With an HSA, it’s important to make sure that you only use the account for ‘qualified medical expenses.’  Otherwise, you may be subject to a penalty for improper withdrawal.  As always, …

The Affordable Care Act has impacted how individuals and small businesses buy health insurance coverage.  One of the provisions of the law created online marketplaces through which insurance can be purchased.  Pennsylvania opted not to create a state marketplace and therefore uses the Federally Facilitated Marketplace, healthcare.gov. The plans that are offered on the exchange …

Every health insurance plan has to provide coverage for the Essential Health Benefits.  Not every health insurance plan has to provide the same level of coverage for Essential Health Benefits (EHB).  We believe that it’s helpful to understand what the EHB is – it level sets across policies when you’re making a comparison. Essential Health …

Can an employer pay for individual policies for their employees?  Many small to mid-size companies have asked this question.  Depending on the size of the company or the participation in the plan, individual policies may make more sense than a traditional group plan. Employers may not pay the premium for individual coverage.  The Dept. of …

Open Enrollment starts November 15, 2014, with applications due by 12/15/14 for a 1/1/15 coverage start date. The process is pretty simple.  Like anything else, it helps to have the right information when you start.  We suggest that you bring the following to your appointment to apply for coverage. Having all the right information speeds …

You have decided to pick the same plan for your entire family – either directly with the insurance company, through your work, or through the Federally Facilitated Marketplace.  That’s probably a wise decision, but now you’re confronted with the question: ‘How does the family deductible work?’ That’s a very good question, and the short answer is …

Health Insurance can be complicated.  We make it simple to get along with. Part of that simplicity needs to be developing a solid understanding of the terminology within the health insurance policy.  Here are a couple of common terms that it is helpful to understand when evaluating your insurance options.  Our agents will always discuss any …