It's healthcare
enrollment season again. Remember: everyone is required to carry
health insurance or pay a special tax surcharge. If you're covered by
your employer, you probably know what to do. If you're over 65,
Medicare is likely to be your primary health insurance plan. The
budget deal President Obama signed yesterday finally determined what
premiums for Medicare in 2016 will be. Here's the account from Forbes
(but you should receive some kind of official notification from the
government in the near future):
The Part B
payment for all those who’ll turn 65 next year and join the
program, as well as some upper-income people (incomes over $85,000 or
$170,000 for married couples filing jointly) and poor people whose
premiums are paid by state governments, ... will increase 15% to $123
a month ($120 plus a $3 surcharge).... Higher-income beneficiaries
will likely owe premiums of $168 to $384 plus the surcharge....
Similar, the
annual Part B deductible — the amount in doctor bills you have to
pay each year before full coverage begins — will increase to $167,
from $147 this year. This will avoid the planned deductible boost to
$223.
For most
Medicare beneficiaries, the Part B premium in 2016 will be unchanged,
at $104.90 a month, and the deductible will stay at $147.
If you aren't
covered through your workplace or by Medicare, you will shop in the
individual market (that's Obamacare). To make sure you're getting the
best possible deal, don't just stick with the plan you bought for
2015. It will pay for you to look at the competing plans in your
area.
You can search by
zip code to see what plans, companies, prices and more are available
in your county. You don't need to log in or create a username and
password; just provide an age and estimate annual income to see what
is available.
For coverage that
begins on Jan 1, 2016, you will need to be enrolled by December 15,
but you can sign up until Jan 31, 2016 — as long as you don't mind
risking exposure for the first couple of months in 2016. Just don't
slip on any ice or throw your back out shoveling snow before your
coverage takes effect!
In terms of
competition among plans and pricing, there's some good news and some
bad. Some areas of WI have new insurance options; others have lost
some plans. And while insurance premiums generally have not
skyrocketed, they are still very expensive. Wisconsin has been one of
the most expensive states in the nation for health insurance, and
even a 4% increase means a large dollar amount.
What is most
concerning are the deductibles and out of pocket costs. Citizen
Action's comparison of major metro areas of the state show that for
the most commonly available plan, deductibles increased 40% on
average. More and more insurance companies are pushing more of the
burden on consumers. And both Walker's Insurance Commissioner and the
State Legislature seem to have no desire to fight for more affordable
coverage for you and me.
Important Topics to
Remember:
Open Enrollment
starts on November 1st and goes until January 31st
Insurance
companies are pushing more and more of the cost of healthcare onto
consumers, meaning hundreds even thousands more in costs when someone
gets sick or injured.
The Walker
Administration has made no effort to challenge these higher prices
and costs for consumers. The state needs to act to challenge these
insurance companies and guarantee quality affordable healthcare!
Other states are
not seeing the same rise in deductibles that we are, and if Wisconsin
doesn't act we will fall behind. Wisconsin is already one of the most
expensive state in the country for health insurance.
It is important,
even if you are currently covered, to go back and compare new
options. There are new options, new plans, new rates and different
tax credits. Be sure to visit Healthcare.gov
today!
If you or someone
you know needs assistance navigating the Obamacare landscape,
Grassroots North Shore has prepared a document :
No comments:
Post a Comment