Newsletter

WHY YOUR DOCTOR’S OFFICE IS SPAMMING YOU WITH APPOINTMENT REMINDERS

Going to see the doctor soon? Prepare to be hounded with appointment reminders by phone. By text. By robocall. By email. And in your online “patient portal.”

Doctors' and dentists' offices for years left a courtesy voicemail on patients’ home answering machines giving them a heads-up about their appointment. But now, medical practices are flooding patients with reminders of upcoming appointments — and warnings of cancellation penalties.

The financial pressure for medical practices to keep patients from ghosting them is a major factor. Practices miss out on revenue when a patient doesn’t show up for an appointment or cancels at the last minute and the slot sits empty.

But the notifications are getting worse because new software systems enables medical providers to send automated messages to patients. Health care providers often have multiple notification systems — one for electronic medical records, another for prescription medications, and a different one from the marketing department, for example — that do not coordinate with each other. This can lead to notification overload for patients.

Read the entire article written by Natalia Gdovskaia that appeared on March 16 in CNN Business here.

SHORT-TERM HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS STILL AVAILABLE

The Health and Human Services Department issued a notice last June that they planned to curtail duration of short-term health insurance plans to 3 months plus a one-month renewal. Final regulations were expected to be issued in September and implemented 75 days later.

As of this writing, the regulations have NOT been issued and short- term health insurance plans continue to be offered. In Florida, such plans can be issued for up to 364 days and can be packaged in “tri-term” versions that can offer coverage up to three years with fixed or variable premiums (at the option of the buyer).

Although we may not be correct, it now appears that final regulations will not be issued, if ever (depending on who wins the election), until after the election.

Meanwhile, short-term plans continue to be available as an option for those who do not have a qualifying life event and hence cannot apply for an Affordable Care Act plan, and for those who are looking for lower cost health insurance. Short-term health insurance plans do not provide all ten essential health benefits required by the Affordable Care Act, have pre-existing condition limitations, and are meant for healthy individuals. However, they’re considerably less expensive than Affordable Care Act plans that are not eligible for subsidies (advance premium tax credits) or low subsidies.

Medical cost sharing plans (non-insured plans where individuals share medical expenses) also continue to be available as well. These are meant for healthy individuals who are willing to take a more active role in the management of their healthcare and who are “self-pay” patients. However, “share contributions” (you would call these premiums if these were insured plans) are very competitively priced, and share contributions are less than gross premiums (i.e., premiums before tax credits are applied) offered by Affordable Care Act plans.

Please contact us at 786-970-0740 if you need some form of health coverage (i.e., if you have a qualifying life event and qualify for an Affordable Care Act plan) or if you want more information about short term health insurance or medical cost sharing).



14 YEARS OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

By Rhyan Henson

Published: March 23, 2024

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -

The fourteenth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act occurred on March 23. See this video and article published by the Gray Washington News Bureau.

“Fourteen years ago, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.

High premiums… few options… pre-existing conditions… all issues icing out millions of Americans looking for healthcare coverage at the time.

President Barack Obama’s solution, The Affordable Care Act, aka Obama Care. A program that’s still growing annually.

“President Biden was able to pass legislation that makes coverage under Obamacare even more affordable,” Christen Linke Young, Deputy Assistant to President for Health and Veterans Affairs said. “Saving families about $800 per person per year. Those savings have helped us to grow the program to new heights.”

Today, 45 million people have coverage for ten dollars or less a month via the landmark legislation. The healthcare plan has withstood dozens of Republican attacks through the years. The White house says the ACA keeps people and their bank accounts healthy.

“When people have access to health insurance, we see reduced rates of bankruptcy, we see reduced evictions, we see more savings in people’s bank accounts,” Linke Young said. “And that comes from the security that is associated with affordable health insurance.”

President Biden wants to continue to grow the legacy legislation by making the low premium prices permanent. The president has ambitions to cover all Americans one day.

“President Biden has laid out a clear vision where healthcare is a right not a privilege,” Linke Young said.

In contrast Donald Trump has promised, if elected, he’ll replace the program with something “much better” but hasn’t revealed any details.”

Copyright 2024 Gray DC. All rights reserved.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: President Biden has called for the extension of the increased tax tax subsidies (called advance premium tax credits) enacted by the American Rescue Plan Act and extended through December 31, 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act to be made permanent.

Donald Trump has called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and its replacement but has not yet announced details of any proposed replacement plan.



About Paul Cholak

Paul has over forty years of benefits experience and has been Director of Employee Benefits for large companies, as well as a benefits consultant with major consulting firms. He understands the health and life insurance needs of individuals and families of all ages. He also has considerable experience in selling health and life insurance to employer groups.

He guides you through the steps of getting health and/or life insurance and is available to help you both BEFORE and AFTER you've made your purchase decision.