Health Insurance Blog

Health Insurance

What is Surprise Billing?
June 29, 2023

What is Surprise Billing?

Have you ever gotten a bill that you weren't expecting? When you get provider care from outside your network, you might receive one. Learn more here.

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What is Travel Insurance?
May 19, 2023

What is Travel Insurance?

Travel insurance comes in handy when you're out of the country for a period of time and have medical emergencies. Take the extra step to stay safe.

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Why Accident Insurance?
May 1, 2023

Why Accident Insurance?

Accident insurance covers costs of accidental injuries. At a low cost per month, it can be a great benefit to help you save money.

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Why It's Important To Talk To Your Agent Every Open Enrollment
April 28, 2023

Why It's Important To Talk To Your Agent Every Open Enrollment

Taking the time to meet with your health insurance agent during open enrollment will benefit you all year round. We're here to assist you!

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Understanding Telehealth
April 24, 2023

Understanding Telehealth

Telehealth allows for meeting with a healthcare provider virtually. Find how you can utilize this new resource to protect your health.

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What is Short Term Insurance?
April 19, 2023

What is Short Term Insurance?

What does Short Term insurance cover? Who qualifies for it and why would it be a better choice than other insurance?

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Diabetes Support Plan
April 10, 2023

Diabetes Support Plan

Being diagnosed diabetes comes with medical expenditures. Learn about a plan that makes it affordable to fit your needs.

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The Importance of Accurate Consumer Information
March 31, 2023

The Importance of Accurate Consumer Information

What kind of information is needed when applying for health insurance?

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Why not Medicaid?
March 30, 2023

Why not Medicaid?

Why would Medicaid not be a good choice of insurance? What other affordable options are there?

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What is a Health Share Plan and What are the Risks?
March 29, 2023

What is a Health Share Plan and What are the Risks?

A Health Share Plan is a method of “sharing” medical expenses across a group of people and is not considered “insurance” in the traditional sense.

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Did Health Insurance Make Healthcare More Expensive?
March 24, 2023

Did Health Insurance Make Healthcare More Expensive?

How did the price of healthcare get so high?

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The Importance of Income
March 23, 2023

The Importance of Income

Do you know how does your income affects your insurance premium? Learn how to estimate your Adjusted Gross Income and why it's important.

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Unwinding Medicaid
March 21, 2023

Unwinding Medicaid

What to Know About the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Provision

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Open Enrollment and Special Enrollment Periods
March 20, 2023

Open Enrollment and Special Enrollment Periods

Find out more about Open Enrollment and Special Enrollment Periods and how they can best serve you and your loved ones.

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Should My College-Age Student Buy Campus Health Insurance?
July 21, 2021

Should My College-Age Student Buy Campus Health Insurance?

As your child goes off to college, a lot of times, the question, “Should we buy the health insurance that they offer at the school?” comes up.

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The Federal Poverty Level Guidelines For 2021 Coverage
November 11, 2020

The Federal Poverty Level Guidelines For 2021 Coverage

Below are the Federal Poverty Level Guidelines (FPL) used to determine cost assistance for 2021 health coverage under ObamaCare.

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Citizenship Verification
October 5, 2020

Citizenship Verification

Documents to confirm your immigration status - Documents to confirm your U.S. citizenship

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Income Verification
October 5, 2020

Income Verification

You told us your yearly household income on your application. The documents you submit to the Marketplace to confirm your income must show a yearly...

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Talk To Tim: The 5 Basics of Health Insurance (Part 2 of 5)
July 22, 2020

Talk To Tim: The 5 Basics of Health Insurance (Part 2 of 5)

What is Coinsurance? Coinsurance can be described as “your share of the costs of a health care service.”

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Talk To Tim: The 5 Basics of Health Insurance (Part 1 of 5)
July 8, 2020

Talk To Tim: The 5 Basics of Health Insurance (Part 1 of 5)

Deductible is the first part of your insurance that you pay out of your own pocket before health insurance kicks in.

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Does your Health Insurance cover COVID-19?
April 9, 2020

Does your Health Insurance cover COVID-19?

Here at the Health Insurance Specialists we are sincerely concerned about the health and safety of our clients.

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FAQ For Required Documents
February 3, 2020

FAQ For Required Documents

Why is the Marketplace asking me to send in more information? Did I do something wrong? Why didn’t the Marketplace ask for documents last year?

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What is a Qualifying Event?
March 9, 2017

What is a Qualifying Event?

What is a Qualifying Life Event? Once Open Enrollment is over, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period if you’ve had a qualifying life event.

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Jump Into An Awesome Policy
November 10, 2016

Jump Into An Awesome Policy

Health Insurance has many options. A lot of these plans are less than awesome. But we can help you find the plan that is awesome for you.

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Premiums are increasing 30% WHY IS THIS HAPPENING???
October 26, 2016

Premiums are increasing 30% WHY IS THIS HAPPENING???

Most of us have seen this coming for years. It’s unfortunate but true, health insurance premiums are increasing on average in the state of Utah by 30%

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Feeling Trapped by your Health Insurance
September 15, 2016

Feeling Trapped by your Health Insurance

In our industry, this happens all the time. People pay tons of money for health insurance coverage, and then come to find out that the plan they have

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Free Health Insurance Advice
September 8, 2016

Free Health Insurance Advice

Health Insurance may seem boring. It’s honestly one of the stupidest things you have to deal with.

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Back to School Means Increased Sickness – LowestMed Can Help!
August 31, 2016

Back to School Means Increased Sickness – LowestMed Can Help!

It’s back to school time again. While some parents may be excited to ship their children off to school, others are worried about the on sight sickness

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What we do.
August 15, 2016

What we do.

Sometimes, I feel like people have no clue what our company does. This is sad because our company is freaking awesome.

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Did you pick the wrong health insurance plan?
August 10, 2016

Did you pick the wrong health insurance plan?

We’ve all made mistakes. Big ones. Little ones.

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Suicide Prevention Pancake Breakfast
July 29, 2016

Suicide Prevention Pancake Breakfast

We are so excited to have our Suicide Prevention Pancake Breakfast tomorrow morning. At our office parking lot.

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Excited to be a part of the AGC!
May 5, 2016

Excited to be a part of the AGC!

We have some awesome news. We are now members of AGC or the Association of General Contractors.

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5 Simple ways to get more out of your Health Insurance
April 18, 2016

5 Simple ways to get more out of your Health Insurance

Here at the Health Insurance Specialists, we try very hard to make boring things interesting.

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Heart Shaped Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls–with a dairy free option
February 12, 2016

Heart Shaped Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls–with a dairy free option

So basically I love my bread machine. A lot. But I had to figure out how to use it right. Whenever I made bread, it would turn out dry and crumbly.

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Aetna has extended it’s Payment Deadline!!
February 9, 2016

Aetna has extended it’s Payment Deadline!!

Maybe you’ve heard. Maybe you haven’t. Maybe you are wondering: Did Aetna extend the payment deadline for health insurance premiums that start on Feb.

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Doctor Networks Uncovered
February 8, 2016

Doctor Networks Uncovered

Doctor Networks Uncovered Your key to understanding how Doctor Networks work and how to make them work for you.

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Your Guide to Qualifying Events and Special Enrollment Periods
February 4, 2016

Your Guide to Qualifying Events and Special Enrollment Periods

So now that Open Enrollment for 2016 has come to a close, there are probably a dozen different questions running though your mind.

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Question #1 If I have a child in college out of state, which insurance carrier is best?
December 26, 2015

Question #1 If I have a child in college out of state, which insurance carrier is best?

If I Have a Child in College Out of State, Which Insurance Carrier Would Be Best for Our Family Situation?

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Question # 1 If I have a child in college out of state, which insurance carrier is best?
December 26, 2015

Question # 1 If I have a child in college out of state, which insurance carrier is best?

If I Have a Child in College Out of State, Which Insurance Carrier Would Be Best for Our Family Situation? Arches has a plus plan. This plan...

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Question # 3 Is one health insurance carrier better than another?
December 24, 2015

Question # 3 Is one health insurance carrier better than another?

Is one health insurance carrier better than another? Whether one carrier is better than another all depends on what your looking for in your...

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Question # 4 Do I want Select Health?
December 22, 2015

Question # 4 Do I want Select Health?

Do I want Select Health? That depends on what network of doctors and facilities you have. In the state of Utah we definitely have a dominant...

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Question #4 Do I want Select Health?
December 22, 2015

Question #4 Do I want Select Health?

Do I want Select Health? That depends on what network of doctors and facilities you have.

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Question #5 Why would I take the Avenue H Route?
December 21, 2015

Question #5 Why would I take the Avenue H Route?

Why would I take this route? Why wouldn’t I? (Avenue H)

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Question # 5 Why would I take the Avenue H Route?
December 21, 2015

Question # 5 Why would I take the Avenue H Route?

Why would I take this route? Why wouldn’t I? (Avenue H) As an employer if you want to be able to provide your employee’s multiple options to choose...

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Question #6 Can I Sign Up Through Avenue H as an Individual?
December 20, 2015

Question #6 Can I Sign Up Through Avenue H as an Individual?

Can I Sign Up Through Avenue H as an Individual?

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Question # 7 What is Avenue H?
December 17, 2015

Question # 7 What is Avenue H?

What is Avenue H? Avenue H is an online health insurance marketplace for small business’s in Utah. With Avenue H the employee can pick...

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Question # 9 How long have you been around?
December 15, 2015

Question # 9 How long have you been around?

How long have you been around? Tim Jackson has been selling health insurance for about 10 years. When the Affordable Care Act came around, a lot...

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Question # 11 What are your business hours?
December 11, 2015

Question # 11 What are your business hours?

What Are Your Office Hours? When Are You Open? Our Office Hours are Monday thru Friday 9 AM to 5 PM. This is the best time to call us or stop by...

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Question # 12 Who’s Patrick?
December 10, 2015

Question # 12 Who’s Patrick?

Who’s Patrick? Hey! That’s me. I’m Patrick and here at HIS I am a Broker. That means I help families and small businesses navigate through the...

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Question # 13 Do you speak Spanish?
December 9, 2015

Question # 13 Do you speak Spanish?

Do you speak Spanish? We do! If you prefer to speak Spanish, we’ll make sure to set up an appointment for you to speak with one of our Spanish...

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Question # 15 Why do I need to use you as a middleman?
December 7, 2015

Question # 15 Why do I need to use you as a middleman?

Why do I need you as a middle man? Getting health insurance can be a complicated process. Going through the healthcare.gov application can be confus

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Question # 16 Can I talk to Tim?
December 4, 2015

Question # 16 Can I talk to Tim?

Tim Jackson is really a nice guy. It makes since that you would want to talk to him. We put this question in our forum some what as a joke but...

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Question # 19 Do I need to come to your office or can we just talk over the phone?
December 1, 2015

Question # 19 Do I need to come to your office or can we just talk over the phone?

Do I Need to Come to the Office, Or, Can We Just Talk Over the Phone? Whether or not you come into the office or speak with an agent over the phone is

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Question #24 How much do you cost?
November 24, 2015

Question #24 How much do you cost?

How much do you cost? Is there a consultation fee?

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Question #25 How does your company make money?
November 23, 2015

Question #25 How does your company make money?

How Do You Guys Make Money?

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Question #26 What makes you guys different from anyone else I could work with?
November 20, 2015

Question #26 What makes you guys different from anyone else I could work with?

What makes you guys different from anyone else I could work with?

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Question #29 Do you provide HSA cards?
November 17, 2015

Question #29 Do you provide HSA cards?

Do you provide HSA cards or where should I go to get one? What happens if I use my HSA card for the wrong purchase? What if my HSA Card gets lost or s

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Question # 31 If I have a child serving an LDS church mission, do I still add them on my application?
November 13, 2015

Question # 31 If I have a child serving an LDS church mission, do I still add them on my application?

If I Have a Child Serving a Mission, Do I Still Add Them on My Application? You don’t have to, but it’s strongly recommended. The church has secondary

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Question # 32 What if I don’t get coverage?
November 12, 2015

Question # 32 What if I don’t get coverage?

What if I don’t get coverage? What will my penalty be? When will I have to pay that? If you go more than 60 days out of the year without health insu

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Question #33 What is Obamacare?
November 11, 2015

Question #33 What is Obamacare?

What is Obamacare? The aim of Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, is to provide individuals and families with health insurance who otherwise would

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Question # 35 Why do I have to verify my citizenship?
November 9, 2015

Question # 35 Why do I have to verify my citizenship?

Why do I have to verify my citizenship? When you apply for insurance through the health insurance marketplace you may receive a letter from them askin

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Question # 36 Why can’t healthcare.gov backdate my policy?
November 6, 2015

Question # 36 Why can’t healthcare.gov backdate my policy?

Why can’t healthcare.gov back date my policy? Only your carrier and not healthcare.gov can backdate your policy. You can submit your request and your

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Question # 38 Why do I have to verify my income?
November 4, 2015

Question # 38 Why do I have to verify my income?

Why Do I Have to Verify My Income? When you submit your application on healthcare.gov, it will ask you to submit documents to verify your income. This

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Question # 39 Where do I go to create a healthcare.gov account?
November 3, 2015

Question # 39 Where do I go to create a healthcare.gov account?

Where do I go to create a healthcare.gov account? To create at healthcare.gov account go to www.healthcare.gov then click on “Log in” on the top rig

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Question # 40 I hate Obama, why would I choose his health insurance program?
November 2, 2015

Question # 40 I hate Obama, why would I choose his health insurance program?

I hate Obama, why would I choose his insurance? Do I need to go through Obamacare? Even if you hate Obama, understand that Obamacare is simply a nick

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Question #41 Will my subsidy change next year if my income stays the same?
October 30, 2015

Question #41 Will my subsidy change next year if my income stays the same?

Can I Expect the Same Price For My Health Insurance and Subsidy Next Year If My Income Doesn’t Change?

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Question #47 Will Obamacare get repealed?
October 30, 2015

Question #47 Will Obamacare get repealed?

Will Obamacare be repealed?

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Question #42 Do I qualify for a subsidy?
October 29, 2015

Question #42 Do I qualify for a subsidy?

Do I qualify for a subsidy? How do I know how much? What is a tax subsidy?

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Question #44 How do I send in Documents to the Marketplace?
October 27, 2015

Question #44 How do I send in Documents to the Marketplace?

How do I send in documents to the marketplace?

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Question # 45 I thought Obamacare was supposed to lower my health insurance cost. Why didn’t it work for me?
October 26, 2015

Question # 45 I thought Obamacare was supposed to lower my health insurance cost. Why didn’t it work for me?

I thought Obamacare was suppose to lower my health insurance cost? Why didn’t it work for me? Remember when you were in grade school and your teacher

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Question #51 What are qualifying events?
October 26, 2015

Question #51 What are qualifying events?

What are qualifying events? How long do I have after a qualifying event to sign up for coverage?

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Question #46 Why does the Marketplace Suck?
October 25, 2015

Question #46 Why does the Marketplace Suck?

Why does the marketplace suck? Could the marketplace get any worse? There are plenty of ways to answer the first part to this question, but to answer

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Question # 49 What day do I have to sign up?
October 25, 2015

Question # 49 What day do I have to sign up?

What day do I have to sign up for Health Insurance to get a 1st of the month effective date? This depends on your situation. If you are a consumer t

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Question # 50 Why is there Open Enrollment?
October 24, 2015

Question # 50 Why is there Open Enrollment?

Now that health insurance has changed with the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare, one thing that has drastically changed is that you cannot purchase h

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Question #48 What if my income goes up after I qualify for a subsidy?
October 24, 2015

Question #48 What if my income goes up after I qualify for a subsidy?

What if My Income Goes Up After I Qualify for a Subsidy? And What Do I Need to Do to Get My Subsidy Back? If your income goes up during the year but y

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Question # 56 What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
October 21, 2015

Question # 56 What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?

People often ask us the question what is the difference between Medicaid and Medicare? So instead of going through a lot of detail of when the plan w

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Question #55 What is CHIP?
October 21, 2015

Question #55 What is CHIP?

What is CHIP? CHIP stands for Children’s Health Insurance Program. CHIP provides Low-Cost Insurance for Children. This Health Insurance Program covers

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Question # 57 What is happening with the medicaid expansion?
October 21, 2015

Question # 57 What is happening with the medicaid expansion?

What is happening with medicaid expansion? WHO KNOWS?! This is a big deal in Utah that keeps getting pushed to the back of the line. Next week House a

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Question # 59 Does my health insurance plan include dental and vision?
October 20, 2015

Question # 59 Does my health insurance plan include dental and vision?

Most of the time, Dental and Vision Insurance come separately from your health insurance plan. Although you can enroll in a plan that includes these

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Question # 54 How do I apply for Medicaid?
October 20, 2015

Question # 54 How do I apply for Medicaid?

How do I apply for Medicaid? You can apply for Medicaid either by going directly to your Medicaid agency or you can fill out a Marketplace applicatio

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Question # 52 When is Open Enrollment?
October 20, 2015

Question # 52 When is Open Enrollment?

Open Enrollment is less than two weeks away. Open Enrollment for 2016 begins on November 1, 2015-January 31, 2016

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Question # 60 When does my Health Insurance Coverage Renew?
October 19, 2015

Question # 60 When does my Health Insurance Coverage Renew?

When does my coverage renew? Am I locked into a year contract? Why does my premium go up every year? Coverage renews at the beginning of the year, Ja

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Question #61 Do I need to change insurance plans if I move for the Summer?
October 16, 2015

Question #61 Do I need to change insurance plans if I move for the Summer?

Sometimes during the summer or during the year, people move, and it might be from across town or to a new city or possibly to a new state.

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Question # 63 What kind of health care is covered by my health insurance?
October 15, 2015

Question # 63 What kind of health care is covered by my health insurance?

What Different Types of Health Care Are There? And What kind of health care is covered by your plan? There are several different types of health car

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Question # 62 If I move, am I still covered by my Health Insurance Plan?
October 15, 2015

Question # 62 If I move, am I still covered by my Health Insurance Plan?

If I move am I still covered by my health insurance plan? Yes, you will remain covered if you move, however you may want to review your coverage. Most

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Question # 64 How do I pick a health insurance plan?
October 14, 2015

Question # 64 How do I pick a health insurance plan?

How do I know what plan is best for me? Choosing the plan that is best for you can be hard. There are different factors to look at such as: High or

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Question # 65 Am I covered out of the country?
October 14, 2015

Question # 65 Am I covered out of the country?

Am I covered out of the country? Most individual and group plans (insurance through the company you work for) do not offer benefits out of the country

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Question #66 What is an Agent of Record “AOR” and why do I need to sign one?
October 13, 2015

Question #66 What is an Agent of Record “AOR” and why do I need to sign one?

Occasionally, we ask our clients to sign a letter that states their name and their policy number and that they would like us to be their “Agent of Rec

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Question # 67 My doctor overcharged me. Who should I call to have this fixed?
October 13, 2015

Question # 67 My doctor overcharged me. Who should I call to have this fixed?

When it comes to Health Insurance Claims, and doctor’s visits, it’s very common to have a mistake in your billing. I don’t think I can count how many

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Question # 68 Why did my Health Insurance Premium go up? I didn’t change plans.
October 12, 2015

Question # 68 Why did my Health Insurance Premium go up? I didn’t change plans.

Why did my Health Insurance Premium go up? I didn’t change plans. Every year health insurance premiums automatically go up in price. Every.

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Question # 70 How do I set up automatic payments for my Health Insurance Bill?
October 9, 2015

Question # 70 How do I set up automatic payments for my Health Insurance Bill?

Can I set up automatic payments for my Health Insurance premium? Can I Set Up Automatic Withdrawal to Pay My Insurance Bill? Once your first month’s p

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Question # 69 What happens if I pay my premium late?
October 9, 2015

Question # 69 What happens if I pay my premium late?

What happens if I pay my premium late? Can I reinstate my plan if I forgot to pay last month but I still want insurance? Do I get a special en

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Question # 75 What is covered under preventative care?
October 7, 2015

Question # 75 What is covered under preventative care?

Preventative Care is a medical treatment, procedure or doctor’s visit that you receive to prevent yourself from undergoing a serious illness or to cat

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Question # 73 What is a short term policy?
October 7, 2015

Question # 73 What is a short term policy?

Occasionally, we help clients find short-term policies. What a short-term policy is, is a plan that literally has a short term. The maximum amount o

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Question #76 What is an Out of Pocket Max?
October 2, 2015

Question #76 What is an Out of Pocket Max?

What is the out of pocket max? What happens when I reach the max? Do I have to do anything?An out of pocket max is the most amount of money you will h

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Question #77 Is My Plan Grandfathered?
September 22, 2015

Question #77 Is My Plan Grandfathered?

Wondering if your Health Insurance Plan is Grandfathered?

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Question #82 Can my work reimburse my Health Insurance?
September 17, 2015

Question #82 Can my work reimburse my Health Insurance?

simple answer is: Yes, your work can reimburse your...

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Question #72: How do I change my insurance if I’m not happy with it?
September 16, 2015

Question #72: How do I change my insurance if I’m not happy with it?

How do I change my insurance if I’m not happy with it? Can I do that immediately or do I have to wait until open enrollment?

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Question #81: How does the Co-Pay Work?
September 16, 2015

Question #81: How does the Co-Pay Work?

How Does the Co-Pay Work?

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Question #79 What is a deductible?
September 12, 2015

Question #79 What is a deductible?

What is a deductible?

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