Many doctors know the open enrollment period is currently going on for HealthCare.gov.
We can help your practice stay on top of the latest healthcare news, rules, regulations and trends. Subscribe to stay current and up to date on important matters that will impact your practice. (To subscribe to our blog Click Here).
It’s important that physicians know the dates of open enrollment so that they can inform curious patients, or patients who need guidance.
For the federal marketplace, the open enrollment period for 2017 coverage runs from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017.
Outside of the open enrollment, most patients can generally only enroll in a health insurance plan if they qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. This stems from life events like marriage, having a child, or losing other health coverage.
Please let your patients know that job-based plans may have different enrollment periods.
Be warned that many of your patients may have trouble with insurance this year.
Premiums on the federal exchange are rising by 25%.
Many consumers are opting to pay the penalty as opposed to finding coverage. Depending on your patients, this could have an impact on your practice.
Consumers this year will also see less insurers on the marketplace.
Further, if you treat patients with chronic conditions, they might have difficulty switching insurance due to the choice of plan designs.
We help our clients stay apprised of insurance trends, so that they know how to help their patients stay covered.
In our next blog post, we will keep you informed of related issues. To get this important information delivered directly to your mail box, Click here to Subscribe
Do you need help staying current and compliant with the latest laws, rules and regulations? We can help. To contact us about your new government rules and regulations, your practice’s risk assessment, or about your other legal needs: CLICK HERE.
P.S. If you or your patients are interested in consumer healthcare issues, check out myhealthspin.com.
