I hope this will give you with some insight into the behind-the-scenes forces that are driving up health care costs.
How One Pharmaceutical Company Priced Its Drug
Phil Lee
Lee Health Insurance Services (BLIS Corporation)
925-284-2000
www.linkedin.com/in/philwlee www.yelp.com/biz/lee-insurance-services-lafayette-7Affordable
Wall Street Journal 5/2/2016:
Valeant’s CEO Was Key Force on Pricing
Documents collected during a Senate investigation provide look at how Valeant arrived at sharp price increases
Michael Pearson, chief executive officer of Valeant, lobbied for aggressive price increases on acquired drugs in recent years. PHOTO: DREW ANGERER/BLOOMBERG NEWS
By JACQUIE MCNISH and LIZ HOFFMAN
Updated May 2, 2016 10:33 a.m. ET
In early 2015, when Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.’s top brass met to set prices on a soon-to-be-acquired cardiac drug, some executives suggested slow, staggered price increases. Chief Executive Michael Pearson disagreed.
To reach Valeant’s internal profit targets, Mr. Pearson lobbied for a single, sharp increase. Hospitals could still make a profit at the higher price, he argued, which meant patients would still have access to the drug. The team deferred. The day it completed its February 2015 purchase of the drug, called Nitropress, Valeant tripled the cost.
The exchange, recounted in a document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, shows in greater detail than was previously known how Valeant and its now-outgoing CEO Mr. Pearson pursued quick, aggressive price increases on acquired drugs in recent years—a strategy that sparked widespread backlash and landed Mr. Pearson in front of a Senate investigative panel last week.
A spokeswoman for Valeant, Laurie Little, said, “We heard very clearly the concerns raised by the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and the board is working to map out a new path for the company going forward. That will include consideration both of how best to set drug prices and of the appropriate role of patient assistance programs in helping to ensure that patients can obtain the drugs that doctors prescribe for them.”
At last week’s Senate committee hearing Mr. Pearson said Valeant was “too aggressive” with drug price increases.
Dozens of documents collected during the Senate investigation provide a deeper look at how Valeant arrived at sharp price hikes on some of the drugs it sells. The documents underscore the challenges Valeant faces now that it has promised to roll back some prices and rely less on acquisitions for which price increases are a major driver. That pivot has investors and analysts concerned about where Valeant’s profits will come from and how it will service the $30 billion in debt it carries.
Related Video
Valeant CEO Michael Pearson testified at a Senate hearing investigating drug pricing Wednesday that he and the company made mistakes and “Valeant was too aggressive.” Watch an excerpt of his testimony. Photo: AP
Concerns over the company’s reliance on price increases, its accounting and other business practices hammered Valeant stock, which has fallen more than 85% since its high last summer. Valeant has said it is comfortable with its liquidity.
William Ackman, a major Valeant shareholder and recently appointed director, told the Senate committee that he and other new directors have “stabilized” a company that has made “significant mistakes.” The company’s stock has gone up about 27% over the past month as the company filed a long-overdue annual report, hired a new CEO and reached an agreement with lenders to avoid a technical default.
Under Mr. Pearson, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant, Valeant earned a loyal following on Wall Street for its profitable strategy of buying existing drugs with price-increase potential rather than developing them in-house. “Bet on management, not on science,” he often said. While Valeant did have a research program, Mr. Pearson said that most of Valeant’s R&D products are reformulations of existing drugs, such as a new delivery method for a glaucoma medicine, according to the Senate documents.
Valeant’s pattern of price increases, including on Nitropress, was the subject of a page-one story by the Journal last year. That strategy drew criticism amid broader political scrutiny of pharmaceutical costs. The Senate panel last week—the third in a series of hearings on drug pricing—focused on four Valeant drugs in particular, including Nitropress and Isuprel, which Valeant acquired from Marathon Pharmaceuticals in February 2015.
The other two drugs, Cuprimine and Syprine, are used to treat Wilson’s disease, a rare ailment involving a buildup of copper in the body, and were acquired by Valeant in 2013. Months after it raised the price of the cardiac-care drugs in 2015, Valeant sharply raised its price tags on Cuprimine and Syprine.
The price of Cuprimine has risen 5,787% to $26,189 since 2013, with most of the increase occurring in the summer of 2015, according to an analysis prepared by Senate committee staff for the hearing. The cost of Syprine jumped 2,934% to $19,783 during the same period. A doctor testified at last week’s Senate hearing that a liver transplant, an alternative treatment for Wilson’s disease, is now cheaper than a lifetime of Valeant drugs.
The Senate analysis referred to wholesale acquisition costs that hospitals and other purchasers pay for drugs.
Although the four drugs made up only a fraction of Valeant’s $10.3 billion in 2015 sales, they ranked among Valeant’s 30 most profitable drugs as measured by net profit, Valeant Chief Financial Officer Robert Rosiello told the Senate committee last month in a written response to questions.
So valuable were Syprine and Cuprimine that when a senior Valeant official learned that Valeant’s customer-service group lacked a way to log inquiries from patients complaining about their rising costs, he wrote in an email that “for these…drugs we need to find a way asap.” He inquired about purchasing software to track their complaints. “These patients are too valuable to lose,” Laizer Kornwasser a former Valeant executive vice president, wrote, according to the Senate hearing documents.
Mr. Kornwasser didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
At the 2015 meeting on Nitropress, which was attended by Valeant’s then-finance chief,Howard Schiller, Mr. Kornwasser and other top executives, some of the executives recommended gradual price increases to avoid alienating core hospital buyers of the drug, the Senate documents show. Mr. Pearson argued it wasn’t an “exorbitant” price for a drug that saved lives and represented only a fraction of hospital costs, according to the documents.
Upon completing its purchase of the two drugs in February, Valeant sharply raised the price of both Isuprel and Nitropress.
A month later, when a Deloitte consultant studied further price-tag spikes on the two drugs, the consultant asked a senior Valeant executive in an email: “Are you ok with the above assumptions? They are leading to high gross margins (more than 99%).”
The Valeant executive replied in an email that the analysis “looks right, and I’m not surprised they are extremely profitable.”
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For those of you who have not already enrolled into an Individual health plan, the enrollment deadline is this Sunday Feb. 15th.
After the Feb. 15th deadline, you will have to wait until the end of the year to enroll for Jan. 1, 2016. If you are uninsured, you may also face a penalty when you file your tax return in April 2016.
Possible Extension:
For those of you applying through Covered California for an On-Exchange health plan, if you start an online application before 2/15 but are not able to complete it on that day, we, as agents, have been given an extension to help you complete it, by 2/24. This extension is not available to the public and does not apply if you do not start an application by 2/15.
If you need help, please call us at 925-284-2000 or email [email protected] .
Phil Lee
Lee Health Insurance Services
925-284-2000
www.health-insurance.com
To avoid a penalty, the deadline to enroll into an individual health plan is Feb. 15th, 10 days from today. If you submit an online application by that date, you will be able to secure an Effective Date of March 1st. If you miss this deadline, you may not enroll again until the end of 2015.
This deadline does not apply to you if you experience a qualifying event during the year, such as a loss of Employer group coverage, a change in family status such as a marriage, divorce or newborn, a move out of the area, etc.
If you are uninsured, or insured only with a temporary or non-creditable health plan, you may face an IRS-assessed penalty for 2015 of up to 2% of your household income. (This is up from 1% in the 2014 tax year.)
If your estimated 2015 household (MAGI or Modified Adjusted Gross Income) is between 138% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL, equivalent to roughly between $16,106 and $46,680 annual income for a single person household), you may apply to Covered California for an APTC (Advance Premium Tax Credit or Tax Subsidy) to help pay the monthly premium on a creditable health plan. If not, you may apply for an Off-Exchange health plan at the same price without a subsidy. We can help you with both. If you income is below 138% FPL (or your children below 200% FPL), then you may qualify for Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid).
Please call us at 800-286-7445 if you need help.
Philip W Lee
Lee Health Insurance Services
Employee Benefits and Health Insurance
[email protected]
www.Health-Insurance.com
Re: IRS Form 1095A and Form 8962
Covered California, the California health insurance exchange, will shortly be sending out a form called the IRS Form 1095A to all individuals and families who received tax subsidies in 2014 to help pay for their Individual/Family health plans. This is required by the federal ACA law (Obamacare) and will be sent out by Jan. 31st.
These forms will show, in detail, by month, the amount of APTC (Advance Premium Tax Credit or Tax Subsidy) that the recipient received in helping pay the premium for their subsidized health plans in 2014.
These individuals will be required to use this Form 1095-A to obtain information needed to complete Form 8962 (Premium Tax Credit (PTC)). They must then complete IRS Form 8962 and file it with their 2014 Tax Return by April 15.
Those who enrolled into Off-Exchange health plans need not be concerned, since they did not receive any tax credit, you will not receive a 1095A. Only those who applied for a health plan through Covered CA AND who received an APTC to reduce the premium paid, will be receiving these 1095A forms.
Those enrolled into Medi-Cal (California Medicaid), those on Medicare, and those enrolled on employer group plans are not affected by the above.
Disclaimer: We are not qualified to give tax advice. If you have any questions concerning either Form 1095A or Form 8962, please contact Covered CA, your tax adviser, the IRS or go to the IRS website links below:
www.irs.gov/uac/About-Form-1095-A
www.irs.gov/uac/About-Form-8962
Philip W Lee, MBA
Lee Health Insurance Services
www.health-insurance.com
800-286-7445
ON Exchange (Covered CA) plans:
As reported earlier, the 12/15/14 deadline has been extended to midnight Sunday 12/21/14. Online applications only. This applies to all Covered CA Exchange plans from Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Kaiser.
OFF Exchange plans (outside of Covered CA and direct with insurers):
Anthem: The deadline has been extended to midnight Sunday 12/21/14. Applications must be on paper.
Blue Shield: There are no extensions. The deadline passed on 12/15. (If you still want Blue Shield but do not need a subsidy, you may still apply through the Covered CA portal. But you will still have to provide income and immigration status to the Govt.)
Cigna: The deadline has been extended to Friday 12/19/14 at 5 pm PST.
Health Net: The deadline has been extended to midnight Sunday 12/21. Online applications only. Applicants are encouraged to pay their initial premium by 1/1/2015, without waiting for their NOA (Notice of Acceptance). You may use HN’s 24-hour payment line at 1-800-539-4193. You will hear the amount due as soon as HN has your enrollment in their system.
In all cases, the application extension plus the time required to process the files will impact timely receipt of the NOA (Notice of Acceptance) letters, initial premium bills, delivery of ID cards and policy descriptions.
If you need help, please call us at 925-284-2000 or email [email protected].
Phil Lee
800-286-7445
]]>We just learned tonight that Covered CA, the State Health Exchange, has extended the previous deadline for Jan. 1 enrollments, from Monday Dec. 15th to Sunday Dec. 21st at midnight. This extension applies only to Individual plans, and only to Consumer and Agent-assisted enrollments.
Covered CA also states that enrollments completed after Dec. 15th may see delays in invoicing as well as delays in proof of enrollment procedures. To facilitate faster enrollment, they encourage submitting applications as soon as possible, but no later than Dec. 21st.
Please call us, Lee Health Insurance Services, at 925-284-2000, if we can be of assistance.
Phil
Philip W Lee MBA
Lee Health Insurance Services, BLIS Corporation
800-286-7445
]]>Note: The last chance to apply for individual health insurance in 2014 is Monday March 31. However, based on our experience with past deadlines, Covered CA and possibly the insurance company websites may crash or be inaccessible on the last days. I highly urge you to apply before the end of Friday March 28th. If you miss the 3/31 deadline, you will have to wait until the end of the year to apply, and possibly pay a penalty.
Avoid these common mistakes on your Covered CA application:
• Designating an Agent — In order for us to help you during the enrollment process, and to troubleshoot problems, you must designate us as your agent on your online application. You do this by clicking “Finding Help Near You” on the upper right had corner of the screen. Please see screenshot instructions below:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ckzl7m70h9brnt6/Agent%20Designation%20ScreenShots.docx
There is no cost to you to have an agent. And we provide free ongoing service and advice throughout the year.
• Remember your Username, Password and PIN — If you lose your login info, you will have to call Covered CA to reset them. Hold times may be as long as 3 hours, or not even be able to get through at all.
• Try to enter the correct information into the online application the first time around — some of the inputs are difficult to change unless you start a new application or call Covered CA (hold times may be as long as 3 hours.)
• Social Security Numbers — If you have already started an application with one (or one set of) Social Security Numbers, the system will not allow you to start a new application with any of those numbers.
• Withdrawing an application in order to restart a new one — it may take up to 2 weeks before you will be allowed to start a new one. By which time, you may be past the deadline.
• Entering the wrong income amounts into the online application — Before signing and submitting the application, be sure to check the income amounts carefully. If you submit an erroneous income amount, it may be difficult to change later without having to submit an Income Change, or withdrawing the application
• Household Members — Household members include dependents, but only those dependents who are claimed as dependents on your tax return. If they are adult children, or elderly parents who are not claimed as dependents on your tax return, they are not considered dependents.
• Household Income — You must include income from all household members who are considered part of your legal or tax household, even if they are not applying for coverage. You must carefully check the correct boxes or circles to indicate this on your online application.
• 3 Categories of Coverage Depending on Your Income — There are 3 categories. (1) If your HH income is below 138% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL), (or for children, 250% of FPL), you will be automatically slotted into Medi-Cal (the CA version of the federal Medicaid or welfare program). As you know, very few providers accept Medi-Cal. (2) If your HH income is between 138% and 400% of FPL, then you are eligible to receive a subsidy (Advanced Premium Tax Credit) to help pay the monthly premium. Furthermore, if your income is between 138% and 250% of FPL, in addition to the subsidy, you will also be eligible to receive Govt. assistance for reduced Copays, Deductibles and Max. Out of Pocket costs. These plans go by names like Silver 77 or Silver 93. (3) The last category of Coverage is for those with HH income over 400% of FPL. For those in this category, there is no subsidy from the Govt. You may purchase any plan outside of the Covered CA Exchange. Although you may purchase these plans inside the CovCA Exchange as well, for full price, it is advisable to go outside the Exchange (using the links below) because: (a) You will not need to provide income, immigration, or other private information outside, (b) Your private data will not be shared with Govt. agencies like the IRS, Homeland Security, etc. and not submitted to Govt. databases for verification, (c) there are more plans and more carriers available outside than inside, (d) the online application process with the insurance carriers outside of the Exchange is faster, shorter and the websites function much more smoothly, (e) the prices are the same whether outside or inside the CovCA Exchange, it’s just that subsidies are not available outside.
Links to Apply to OFF Exchange (non-subsidized, non-CoveredCA) health plans:
Anthem Blue Cross: https://brokerportal.anthem.com/ehb/web/bkr/acc/agentconnect/PHILIPLEE_1
Blue Shield: https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsca/ApplyNow?xyz=I%2Bc68ZizpmLi
Health Net: https://www.healthnet.com/portal/consumer/ca/getYourQuote.ndo?region=CA&a=10952
Kaiser: https://smu.kaiserpermanente.org/expressweb/ClearWorkspace.action?nextAction=/user/URLDecryptAction.action&refID=7o830apvbn8eyriuut5qmukks0hfomvhibykqt7emn1yam3vpqwgnp5t815gww
How to apply to Covered CA and Outside marketplace:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hqbjyqdxcecrs1j/How%20to%20Apply%20to%20CovCA%20or%20Outside2.docx
We offer one stop shopping and can help you with all of these plans. Please call us at 925-284-2000 if you encounter any problems in this application process. We are prepared to help you.
Thank you for reading.
Phil Lee
www.health-insurance.com
925-284-2000
(This information applies only to Individual and Family health plans. It does not apply to Employer Group plans or to Medicare plans.)
Covered California Payment Deadlines:
For those of you who applied for Individual/Family coverage with an Effective Date of Jan. 1st., either On Exchange (Covered CA), or Off Exchange (from the insurance carrier). Some of the deadlines for initial premium payments have been extended. Those deadlines are:
Blue Shield, Jan. 15th
Health Net, Jan. 15th
Anthem Blue Cross, Jan. 31st
Kaiser, Jan. 31st
Open Enrollment Period Continues
If 1) your plan was cancelled, or
2) you were mapped to a new plan by your insurance carrier, or
3) you opted for an extension to March, or
4) you are on a grandfathered plan, or
5) you are simply uninsured
You may still apply to a new or change insurance carriers before March 31st.
Open Enrollment Application Deadlines:
For Feb. 1st start dates, the deadline is Jan. 15th.
For March 1st start date, the deadline is Feb. 15th.
For April 1st start date, the deadline is March 15th.
For May 1st start date, the deadline is March 31st.
Last day of Open Enrollment for 2014 is March 31st.
We offer one stop shopping and can help you with all of these plans. Please call us at 925-284-2000 if you encounter any problems in this application process. We are prepared to help you.
Thank you for reading.
Phil Lee
www.health-insurance.com
www.HealthPlanTalk.com
925-284-2000
I apologize for this lengthy post. But it contains critical information and links necessary for you to make a decision on which health plan to choose, and to apply to either a Covered California Exchange health plan, or to a plan outside of the Exchange.
It’s been a challenge to communicate such an enormous amount of information to so many people in such a short period of time. But we are determined to help you take care of this before the deadline of Dec. 23rd.
How to apply
(A) On-Exchange (CoveredCA) Plans — Plans that allow tax subsidies.
www.coveredCA.com
Please use these links below for paper applications and instructions on how to apply online.
(If these links do not open automatically when you click, please copy and paste the URL address onto the address line on your browser, and click return.)
(1) Link to, “Fillable Covered CA paper application”. This paper application form allows you to complete by typing in answers and then printing out. This form is much easier and takes one-fifth of the time to complete over the CoveredCA.com online application:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/olamsrnb43cv2xl/Fillable%20CovCA%20Application%20P%20Lee%20Agent.pdf
(2) Link to, “Application Screenshots Covered CA”. Step by Step instructions with screenshots on how to submit an application using coveredCA.com. It shows how to set up a User ID, password and then designate an Agent. You then continue to complete the application yourself:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9pas1gmsycqdrfx/Application%20Screenshots%20CovCA.docx
(3) Link to Instructions for “Agent Designation ” on CoveredCA.com website. Step by Step Instructions with screenshots on how to designate Philip W Lee, License #0795681, as your Certified Insurance Agent to service your account:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ckzl7m70h9brnt6/Agent%20Designation%20ScreenShots.docx
Please be sure to enter my agent license number so that we may continue to service your account and receive credit for doing so. (Agent Philip W Lee License # 0795681) There are no fees to you and you do not pay any additional premium for having an agent. You will however receive our ongoing helpful service.
(B) Off Exchange (non-CoveredCA) Plans — Non-standardized plans with no tax subsidies.
Apply by clicking the below links and following the online instructions:
Anthem Blue Cross:
https://brokerportal.anthem.com/ehb/web/bkr/acc/agentconnect/PHILIPLEE_1
Blue Shield: https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsca/ApplyNow?xyz=I%2Bc68ZizpmLi
Health Net: https://www.healthnet.com/portal/consumer/ca/getYourQuote.ndo?region=CA&a=10952
Compare On and Off Exchange Plans
Side-by-Side Comparison Reports
If you have not already received customized side-by-side comparison proposals or reports from us, please ask me (email agent@health-insurance or call 925-284-2000). Please include your name(s), Dates of Birth, Zip Code(s) and email address. There are two reports: (1) On Exchange Proposal comparing plan inside the Covered CA Exchange, and (2) Off Exchange Proposal comparing plans outside of the Covered CA Exchange.
What you need to consider in your decision:
1) Do you qualify for a Tax Subsidy?
You may estimate your health plan premiums and subsidies using the Shop and Compare Tool Calculator on the Covered California website.
https://www.coveredca.com/shopandcompare/#calculator
If you know that you qualify for a subsidy, and want to take advantage of it, then you should apply to Covered CA, naming us as your Designated Agent (Instructions on Agent Designation are above).
If you know that you do not qualify for a subsidy, it will be advisable to consider plans that are outside of the Covered CA Exchange. Plans sold in the Exchange are also available outside of the Exchange at the same prices with the same benefits. But there will be a larger variety of plans to choose from outside. The plans outside the Exchange may have different provider networks and additional carriers.
Applications to plans outside the Exchange will not require you to divulge personal information like income and immigration status to Govt. entities like the IRS, CMS, HHS, DOL, NSA, Homeland Security, etc.
2) Are your doctors and hospitals listed in the Provider Network of the plan that you are considering?
Most Individual/Family plans, except for Health Net and Kaiser, whether in or out of the Covered CA Exchange, will have reduced or “skinny” provider networks. .These plans do not have the same full PPO or HMO networks that you may have been used to with pre-ACA plans. The provider search function in coveredca.com may not have up to date listings. However several of the carriers have posted “provider lists” on their own websites. There are links to these lists below. Please be aware that physicians are still negotiating with the carriers, and that these lists may change daily.
Anthem Blue Cross will only be offering a limited, reduced size provider network for their Individual/Family plans in and out of the Covered CA Exchange. This list is about 40% -60% of their full PPO network.
Blue Shield of CA will be offering a limited provider network for all their Individual/Family metallic plans in and out of the Covered CA Exchange. The new network will have 50% of the doctors and 70% of the hospitals of their previous full network.
Kaiser’s network will be the same in and out of the Exchange, and same as their current network.
Health Net has announced that they will be using the same provider network in 2014 as in 2013, i.e. their full PPO network.
Cigna will also be offering a reduced PPO network call the LocalPlus Net for their Individual plans in 2014. However, Cigna is allowing individuals to enroll (through Dec.14th) onto their 2013 plans. They will then renew these plans for one year on 12/31/13 (with a 5% increase for ACA taxes and fees), thus delaying ACA changes until Dec. 2014. These plans will retain the old provider network and drug formularies until Dec. 2014.
If you are not able to find a satisfactory provider network among the Individual and Family plans inside or outside of the Exchange, please give us a call at 925-284-2000. There may be other options such as small group plans.
To search for Doctors and Hospitals:
Anthem Blue Cross Provider Finder:
http://www.anthem.com/wps/portal/ca/popcontent?content_path=shared/f1/s0/t0/pw_e206382.htm
Blue Shield of CA Provider Finder:
https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsca/ApplyNow?xyz=I%2Bc68ZizpmLi
Health Net Provider Finder:
https://www.healthnet.com/portal/provider/providerSearch.do?region=CA
Cigna Provider Finder:
http://www.cigna.com/ifp-providers
Plans starting in 2013 have the OAP network (expansive)
Plans starting in 2014 will have the LocalPlus Network (narrower)
3) Are your prescription drugs on the Drug Formulary List of the plan that you are applying to?
Please be aware that carriers have told us that they may be reducing some of their prescription drug formulary lists prior to Jan. 1.
Some carriers are starting to post their formulary lists on their websites. But those lists may be updates frequently. Health Net has announced that there will be no change to their drug formulary list in 2014 from 2013.
For your convenience, I have attached a link to the online formulary lists for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Please keep in mind that these lists may change.
Anthem Blue Cross Drug Formulary list can be found at:
http://www.anthem.com/ca/CAExchangedruglist4.pdf
Blue Shield Formulary List can be found at:
https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsca/documents/pharmacy/Standard_Formulary.pdf
4) Are you on a grandfathered health plan?
If you are on a grandfathered plan, you would have received a letter from your carrier notifying you of that.
If you don’t know, please call your carrier to find out.
If you do have a grandfathered plan, then it will retain its existing provider network, drug formulary list and benefit design.
If you find that the new ACA-compliant plans for 2014 do not satisfy the provider network, formulary list or pricing that you desire, then you should keep this grandfathered plan.
To recap, apply to Covered CA (with us as your Designated Agent), if:
a) You qualify for a sizable Tax Subsidy
b) Your doctors and hospitals are in the plan’s reduced network.
c) Your prescription drugs are in the plan’s Formulary List and you do not need to obtain prior authorization from the new Exchange plan to continue an expensive prescription medication.
d) You do not want to consider any of the Off-Exchange health plans.
e) You do not want to keep a grandfathered plan which may have a more favorable provider network or drug formulary list.
f) You are comfortable with the fact that Covered CA will be sharing your PII (Personal Identifiable Information), PHI (Private Health Information) and financial information with other government and non-government entities that may include the IRS, Dept. of Homeland Security, Center for Medicare Medicaid Services, US Dept. of Health & Human Services, Dept. of Labor, Dept. of Insurance, Dept. of Managed Health Care, the State of California and Equifax.
g) You are comfortable that the Covered CA website will provide adequate security and protection against hacking and identity theft.
If you are not comfortable with all of the above, you may consider an Off-Exchange plan, or another carrier not on the Exchange like Cigna, or a small group plan.
Documents that Covered California may request from you when you apply to On Exchange plans. (These will not be required for Off Exchange plans.)
• Your W-2 wage statement
• Your Bank Account Statement
• Your IRS 1040 form showing your household AGI income
• Your current health plan information such as ID card, plan summary, billing statement, cancellation notice, notice of mapping, premium increase letter, letter of grandfathered status, etc.
• Drivers License, Passport, Resident Alien ID card or naturalization papers.
Thank you for reading these lengthy emails.
Please call me at 925-284-2000 if you have any questions. You may get updates on my blog at http://www.healthplantalk.com/
Very sincerely,
Phil Lee
www.health-insurance.com
925-284-2000
News this past week (Quite a lot has happened):
• 12 month Delay in Cancellations
Obama’s press conference last week called for a delay of 12 months to the millions of plan cancellations letters that consumers have received. The President vetoed similar bills submitted to him by Congress to remedy this, but preemptively, offered up his own version, an “administrative fix” which did not give him the legal authority to force a delay, but basically passes the problem down to the States and the insurance carriers.
Although many States have instituted this delay, many have not, including California.
• California Cancellations
In California, Dave Jones the Insurance Commissioner was in favor of a delay, but the final decision rested with the head of Covered CA, Peter Lee, who thought otherwise. The Covered CA Board decided yesterday not to follow Obama’s recommendation for a 12 month delay in cancellations. Cancellations scheduled for Dec. 31 and March 31 will go into effect as planned.
• Dec. 15th Application Deadline Extended to Dec. 23rd
It was announced today that the Dec. 15th deadline for enrolling into a health plan with an effective date of Jan. 1st, has now been extended to Dec. 23rd. This new deadline will apply to all individual plans on or off the Covered CA Exchange. You will have one extra week to enroll for a Jan. 1st plan.
• Off Exchange Rates and Benefits Released
Insurance carriers in CA have now released rates and benefits for all their Off-Exchange health plans, i.e. those plans that are outside of Covered CA and not eligible for subsidies. We now have all the information necessary to help you make a decision.
• Annual Open Enrollment Period (AEP) for all individual plans
The AEP for 2014, which was previously scheduled to begin on 10/15/14, has now been delayed to 11/15/14, after the midterm elections.
Important Information to Know:
1. Those Cancellations that were delayed to March
Only some of you, but not all of you, have received letters from your carriers (Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield or Health Net) notifying you that your current health plan’s cancellation date has been extended to March 2014. And that if you wish to accept this delay, you must notify them in writing.
This is a tempting delay to accept, but you should understand that you may have to satisfy two deductibles in one year, instead of one. The reason is that you will be satisfying one deductible from Jan. to March, then start a whole new deductible after March. The deductible satisfied in the first 3 months do not carry over to your new plan in April.
For the same reasons, even if the open enrollment period does go to March 31st, you may want to enroll on Jan.1st to avoid the two deductible problem.
2. Although you may apply to Covered CA for a health plan, even if you do not qualify for a subsidy, this is not advisable for these reasons:
a) There are 3 buckets of health plans in the Individual marketplace: On-Exchange plans, Off-Exchange plans and Off-Off-Exchange plans. All the plans offered inside the Covered CA Exchange, the metallic plans, are also available outside of the Exchange at exactly the same premium and same benefits. We call these “mirror plans” of “Off-Exchange” plans. They are similar, but may not use the metallic names of Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The only difference is that these plans do not have subsidies.
b) Inside the Exchange, you are required to report personal and financial information like your income.
c) Inside the Exchange, your personal and financial information will be shared with government agencies like the IRS, Dept. of Homeland Security, INS, HHS, CMS and their contractor Equifax.
d) Inside the Exchange, you may be subject to retroactive audits and recalculations years down the road, by the IRS, for any errors in reporting.
e) Outside the Exchange, there will be many more plan designs and rate levels available, besides the “metallic plans”.
4. If you do not qualify for a subsidy, then you should consider a health plan outside the Exchange. All plans are guarantee-issue regardless of pre-existing conditions, you will not be asked for any health or financial questions. And your information will not be shared with any government agency.
Next Steps
A. Use the Covered CA Calculator to see if you qualify for a subsidy (See instructions in my piece “Choosing an On or Off Exchange Health Plan”)
B. Ask for a comparison proposal that compares all plans inside and outside of the Covered CA Exchange. Email me at [email protected] or call 925-284-2000.
C. Ensure that your doctors and other providers are on the network of the plan you are applying to. (See instructions in my piece “Choosing an On or Off Exchange Health Plan”)
D. Ensure that your prescription medications, especially Brand Name drugs are on the formulary list of the plan that you have chosen. (See instructions in my piece “Choosing an On or Off Exchange Health Plan”)
Decision
a) If you decide to keep a Grandfathered plan, then you do not need to do anything. Your plan will continue at the rate that the carrier has notified you of.
b) If you are eligible for a subsidy, then you must apply to a Covered CA Exchange plan.
c) If you are not eligible for a subsidy, or you choose to voluntarily forgo any subsidy, and your current plan is being cancelled, then you may apply for an Off Exchange health plan.
d) If you find that your providers are not on any of the 2014 plans, but your current plans is going to be cancelled. There is one possibility. You may apply to a Cigna 2013 Off-Off-Exchange health plan by Dec. 14th for a Dec. 15th effective date. This application requires underwriting and approval. But Cigna will renew your plan on Dec. 31st. They will add a 5.8% increase for ACA-related taxes and fees. Then allow you to keep the plan with full provider network (instead of the narrow 2014 networks up until 12/31/2014. This move allows you to delay your transition to ACA plans until 2015. Hopefully, there may be better options at that time.
Applying for a Covered CA On-Exchange Health Plan:
• Apply online at www.coveredca.com. Set up an ID and password. Find and designate me as your agent (Philip W Lee License #0795681) so that we may help you with this enrollment and continue to service you in the future. Please ask me for my Step by Step Application Screenshot instructions for setting up an account and designating an agent.
• Apply using a Fillable Paper Application. Please ask me for a copy of the fillable paper application where you can simply type you information on the form, print out, and send or fax to us for processing Print and Hand Complete an Application. Please ask me for a copy of the fillable paper application which you may print out blank, handwrite your answers on the form, and return to me. (Fax 925-284-5484 or email [email protected] or mail Lee insurance Services, 935 Moraga Rd., Ste. 240, Lafayette CA 94549)
Applying for an Off-Exchange Health Plan:
• Apply Online at Carrier Website. The following links to the insurers are encrypted with my agent info so that the insurer will recognize that we are helping you so that we may monitor and troubleshoot any problems for you.
Anthem Blue Cross: https://brokerportal.anthem.com/ehb/web/bkr/acc/agentconnect/PHILIPLEE_1
Blue Shield of California: https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsca/ApplyNow?xyz=I%2Bc68ZizpmLi
Health Net:
(Online link pending)
Kaiser:
(Online link pending)
Cigna:
(Online link pending)
Getting Paper Applications to Us
• Fax to us anytime at: 925-284-5484
• Email to: [email protected]
• Mail to: Lee insurance Services, 935 Moraga Rd., Ste. 240, Lafayette CA 94549
• Deliver in Person: We are open on Weekdays (except holidays) from 9 am to 5 PM. After hours, there is a mail slot at the door to our office. If you live nearby and find it more convenient to drop off your application, you may simply slide it through the slot. We will attend to it as soon as our office opens again.
It would give us immense pleasure to see that you are all taken care of before your respective deadlines.
Phil Lee
www.health-insurance.com
www.healthplantalk.com
800-286-7445