Hello, Friends!
Are you ready for health insurance news for NEXT year?? Sit, get cawfee, or a cocktail and let’s tawk!
This interesting article from the NY Times and this one from the Free Beacon each have loads of important info, but here’s the gist….
The SAME news: the NEXT open enrollment period will be 11/1/16 through 1/31/17.
The HAPPY news: Obamacare will be rating health insurance plans based on how many doctors and hospitals are in their networks. BUT (as I am your interpreter of bulls*#$) this doesn’t necessarily mean that doctor networks are going to improve for individual plans. It just means there’s more transparency for you to make informed choices.
The PHEW! news: there’s a new thing next year called “continuity of care.” What do you do if your doc leaves your network? Often they leave or get dropped from the network without any heads up to YOU. BUT in 2017, if you’re in an “active course of treatment,” you’ll be able to continue seeing the doctor if they leave the network.
The BAD news: out-of-pocket maximums are going up. WAY UP! In some states, they’ll increase from $6500 to $7150 for individuals, and from $13,000 to $14,300 for a family.
The YUCKY news: The Beacon article anticipates that deductibles in most states will see increases , too.
The WORST news: hold on to something… premium increases are on the horizon for 2017.
The more you know, the more prepared you’ll be for 2017.
