September 2019
Laughlin Insurance Report
Oregon and Washington
The agents at Laughlin Insurance are always looking for ways to save you money and time with your health insurance. Our Market Report is one way we provide you with industry information that you can use. Top industry stories include; individual health insurance rate stabilization, continued employer compliance emphasis, Oregon Legislative Summary, New Qualified Small Business Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSBHRA) for 2020, and Oregon Individual and Small Employer Rate Approvals for 2020.

This edition of our Market Report will have information that you can use to get started with your 2020 open enrollment planning. W e are preparing to begin our annual open enrollment outreach activities for our individual & Medicare customers, as well as employer customers, who renew in January. Watch for mail or emails from your health and dental plans, the Marketplace, and from us over the next few months. The carriers will send renewal notices and information about any changes in rates or coverage.

Important Dates

November 1 through December 15: Individual Health Insurance Open Enrollment Period

October 15 through December 7: Medicare Annual Election Period

January 1, 2020: Start date for health and dental plans selected during the annual enrollment period

Each year in about September, we preview the new Oregon and Washington employer and individual health and dental plan options, rates, underwriting, procedures, and major market changes, so we will be best prepared to help you with 2020 plan reviews and enrollment.

Use our specialized training, experience, and resourcefulness to your advantage. Allow us to help you shop, compare, and enroll in the employer or individual insurance plans that work best for you. Please read the articles of interest to you and share this publication with anyone that you think can benefit from our specialized no cost services. We appreciate your business, and are here for you all year long. You can contact us any time you have questions or need assistance.

Thank you
Paris Laughlin
2020 Health Insurance Market Updates
Annual Health Insurance Open Enrollment Periods. Are you ready?
The Annual Health Insurance Open Enrollment Period is the time of year that US individual consumers may purchase individual health insurance plans through the marketplace, or direct from a health insurance company. Plans & pricing are the same in and out of the marketplace, but consumers who want to have financial help to pay some premiums, must purchase their plans through the marketplace healthcare.gov, or the Washington Health Plan Finder. We are Elite Champion Marketplace Certified Brokers for Oregon, and marketplace certified brokers for Washington Health Plan Finder Marketplace. We will be reviewing the 2020 plans, options, tax credit qualifications, and will have that information ready for you during the open enrollment period. We will be here with extra agents to help you with this open next open enrollment season, starting November 1st, for plan start dates Jan 1, 2020. Find out about how to best prepare for the next open enrollment period here . Shop and compare plans here .

Medicare Annual Election Period is the time of year that Medicare Beneficiaries can review Medicare plans and change carriers or options for the upcoming new year. The Annual Election Period is from October 15 through Dec 7 for plan start dates Jan 1, 2020. We offer numerous quality Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare Supplement (MediGap) Plans, and Prescription Drug Plans (PDP), and can help you with your renewal questions, or provide you with information about other plans.

Employer Annual Open Enrollment Period is usually the month before the group health insurance contract renewal. The Open Enrollment Period provides the employer and employees time to review available options, and make elections for the plans they want for the new policy year. Employees must usually enroll during the open enrollment period, but some employees may enroll at other times, if they have a special enrollment period. Employer open enrollment periods may be at any time during the year, so you will want to check with your employer or broker to determine when your employers open enrollment period.
Have you claimed your Small Business Health Care Tax Credit?
There is a valuable small business health care tax credit for eligible employers. If you are an employer that offers group health insurance, have fewer than 25 employees, contribute at least 50% of the single party rate, have a qualified health plan option, then you may be eligible for the small employer health care tax credit. This tax credit can provide employers with a tax credit of up to 50% of their premium contribution for up to two years.

Do not miss out on this valuable tax credit. We are Small Health Options Program (SHOP) Certified Brokers, and can help you determine if you are eligible for the tax credit, and how much the tax credit may be for you, and how to get the tax credit. You can read more about the tax credit at healthcare.gov , irs , and OregonHealthCare.gov.
Medicare Planning & Enrollment - Are You Ready for Medicare?
There are about 11,000 people turning age 65 daily in the U.S. and becoming eligible for Medicare. If you are approaching Medicare age, or eligible due to disability, then you may want to enroll in a Medicare health plan. The planning and setup process can be challenging to navigate, but we can help make it easier for you. Once you get set up, it is fairly easy to understand and manage, with long-term stability reported by most Medicare beneficiaries. We offer various Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Supplement & Pharmacy plans in the area and can help you with your Medicare review, enrollment, and ongoing no cost broker services.

Advanced Medicare planning can help make your transition to Medicare go smoothly. Contact us up to 4 months before you turn age 65, or before you reach Medicare eligibility, if you are disabled. We can help you with social security income questions, how to set up your Medicare parts A and B, plan review, enrollment, and ongoing broker services. We offer numerous Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Supplement (MediGap) plans in Oregon and SW Washington.
Marketplace Changes and Special Enrollment Periods
If you're enrolled in a Marketplace plan, then you should know when and how to report changes. Special enrollment periods are granted for some consumers who have specific types of changes. If your income or household changes, you should update your application with your changes as soon as possible. These changes, like higher or lower income, adding or losing household members, or getting offers of other health coverage, may affect the coverage or savings you’re eligible for. Read more here .

Programs and Services Spotlight

EASE online eligibility and enrollment system . Managing group benefit programs can be complicated for employers and their benefit managers. We have worked closely with benefit managers for over two decades and understand their unique challenges. To help benefit managers, we offer EASE enrollment services. EASE helps efficiently managing benefit programs including; employee communications, online access to benefits, rates, enrollment options for employees, reporting for employer, and much more. EASE is an easy to use, modern benefits administration tool for you and your employees. Watch the EASE informational video here .

THE IHC GROUP Teladoc

  • Teladoc 24/7 physician consultations. Talk to a doctor anytime! Only $15 per consultation. Teladoc connects you 24/7/365 to a national network of board-certified doctors who average 15 years’ experience. Within minutes, a doctor will call you back ready to listen and resolve your issue. If medically necessary, a prescription will be sent to your pharmacy of choice. It’s healthcare in the palm of your hand. For more information, visit www.teladoc.com.

  • Medical bill review and negotiation. Studies show about 10% of medical bills have errors. If something seems off about your medical bill, an Athos expert will double check it for you! Our advocates will answer your medical billing questions, find and fix errors on your medical bills, and negotiate a fair price for large expenses. Once you’re signed up, there is no additional cost to use Athos. You’ll be able to securely submit a bill for review, and/or schedule a time to talk to an advocate at https://my.athoshealth.com.

  • Hearing discounts. Did you know that hearing loss is the third most common physical condition after arthritis and heart disease? American Hearing Benefits (AHB) will help you and your family members take care of your hearing with access to free hearing consultations and significant discounts on hearing aids. Our Hearing Care Advisors guide you through the process and will connect you with a hearing professional in your area to take full advantage of this valuable benefit. For more information or to contact AHB: www.americanhearingbenefits.com/partners/IHC.

Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC ) . TASC offers a complete suite of compliance and administrative services. The risk for financial loss and business disruption for non-compliance can be significant. Proactive compliance is recommended. We can negotiate cost effective compliance packages for employers, so let us know if we can help you with compliance and administrative services through TASC. Learn more about TASC here .

HR Answers, Inc. is a major provider of HR specialty services and products. Their vision is to approach human resource with originality. We have known the Co-President, Deborah Jeffries for many years, and we recommend her for your human resource needs. Learn more about HR Answers here . Contact HR Answers here .

AFLAC voluntary insurance policies . AFLAC is a strong brand, and recognized for offering useful voluntary insurance products to employers and their employees, for over six decades. We are AFLAC representatives, and have a dedicated and experienced field agent to help you. Read about the popular AFLAC insurance programs here .

HealthEquity and WageWorks Have Joined Forces. HealthEquity and WageWorks have combined to create a new health savings and consumer-directed benefits partner. Together, we look forward to serving our combined employer clients through our HSA, FSA, HRA, COBRA, commuter, fitness and education reimbursement programs. Read more here .

What we are reading
Connect with Laughlin Insurance
Paris Laughlin, Agent, President

Stuart Ouellette, Agent

Victoria Monteblanco, Agent, Account Manager

Kai Krokum, Agent, Office Support

Yong Phou, Office Support

503-282-0827 Office | (503) 282-0830 Fax | (877) 779-0788 Toll-Free

Laughlin Insurance Report is a periodic publication featuring the latest news of interest to employer, individual, and Medicare health insurance consumers throughout Oregon and Washington. mat ion provided herein.