This year’s Open Enrollment is fast approaching and Steinlage Insurance Agency wants to make sure that you are making the necessary steps to gain qualified health coverage for this upcoming year or *gulp* you will face a monetary penalty.
Gaining qualified coverage is easy and headache free if you know where to start. Since we want this process to go smoothly, we offer a Free plan assessment that will hopefully end
Step 1: Determine whether you qualify for ACA/Obamacare coverage or Medicare?
If you are under the age of 65 and not receiving Medicare due to a disability or End Stage Renal Disease then you will enroll into a health insurance plan through the ACA/Obamacare.
If you are turning 65 or older and aging into Medicare, or receiving Medicare due to disability or End Stage Renal Disease then you will enroll into a health insurance plan through Original Medicare, or through a Medicare Advantage plan.
Step 2: Signing up
ACA’s Marketplace enrollment 101
There are four ways to sign up for your State’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
1) Sign up through healthcare.gov.
2) Call 636-561-5060 to get in person help from an independent broker. Steinlage Insurance, a family owned independent brokerage with over 30 years of experience in the health insurance market, provides its services free of charge and can help maneuver the marketplace for you. By reaching out to our agency you will be left with qualified coverage that suits your needs and meets your budget.
3) Call the 24/7 marketplace helpline 1-800-318-2596.
4) Mail in a paper application.
Medicare enrollment 101
1) Sign up for Medicare Part A and B through the local Social Security Office during your 7 month Initial Enrollment Period (3 months prior to your 65th bday and 3 months after your bday month).
2) Once enrolled in Medicare Part A and B, you are now qualified for a Medicare Supplement and a Part D plan or you can move into a Medicare Advantage with Part D plan.
During Open Enrollment you can move from a Medicare Advantage with Part D back into Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement and Part D and vice versa.
Contact our office and we will give you a FREE plan assessment and assistance. The assessment will include a cost analysis of all suitable Medicare Supplement plans and or Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. In addition, we can also help with the Part A and B sign up process-free of charge.
3) Things to think about before you sign up for Medicare and or the ACA.
- What is your current MAGI: Modified Adjusted Gross Income? (Wages, salaries, tips, taxable interest, taxable SS benefits, alimony received, ordinary dividends, unemployment compensation, rental real estate royalties, taxable refunds, credits or offsets + non-taxable SS benefits, tax-exempt interest)
- What are your current medications
- Who is your primary doctor, what specialists do you see, do you have a preferred hospital
- Do you plan to move or live part-time somewhere other than Missouri
- What is the status of your current health insurance plan i.e., group, individual, COBRA–know your monthly premium, total out of pocket, annual deductible, and Part D premium and copays
Again, Open Enrollment is right around the corner. During this period individuals who are eligible to enroll in a Qualified Health Plan or Medicare/Medicare Advantage plan can enroll without any restrictions. Contact us today at 636. 332.3032. and we can help you through the Open Enrollment process.
