Texas Health Insurance  -  Texas health plan enrollment

 

Texas Health Insurance Exchange Enrollment

 

Health insurance enrollment was never fun but it's only become complicated with the ACA law passage.

It now combines taxes with health plan selection for the ultimate torture test!

No worries, we've processed 10's of 1000's of exchange applications and we can guide you through the process with this level of support:

If you want to access the Texas health exchange app directly with no delay:

Otherwise, here are common questions on Texas exchange enrollment:

• How can I apply for Texas Obamacare (exchange, ACA, etc) plans?
• Are there certain times I can apply for Texas exchange plans?
• What effective date will I get?
• Do I have to pay up front with the application?
• Is there a Texas health exchange application fee?
• What happens after I apply for Texas exchange plans?
• What if I need to update info on my application?
• Do you have a fee for your service?

Let's get started knowing you can reach out with specifics here...

Zero cost for our assistance:

 

How can I apply for Texas Obamacare (exchange, ACA, etc) plans?

Let's step back a bit.

Most enrollment (probably 95%+) in the Texas individual market is on-exchange now. Learn how on and off-exchange plans are different but two key points:

• We can only get the subsidies based on income if we apply on-exchange
• Online enrollment has actually been easier especially outside of open-enrollment

That doesn't mean it's easy!

 

For the first few years, we let people enroll directly through our exchange-links but so many people had errors.

Roughly 50% of people who self-enroll had errors that prevented them from getting the full subsidy available or worse!

So, we created a simplified Texas exchange app that we process on this side:

This way, we can reach out if we see something that will cause issues before it's submitted.

It's much easier this way than to try to correct on the back-end with the exchange.

Many people reach out to us for help with existing Exchange accounts for this very reason and we've seen it all over the year now. 10's of 1000's of enrollments and situations.

We can go through any questions on:

• What income is used for the subsidy
• How to get the enhanced silver plans if eligible
• What about changing households (marriages, divorces, births, etc)

Reach out with any questions.

Then there's the joy of when we can apply in Texas?

 

Are there certain times I can apply for Texas exchange plans?

Yes! That's the trade-off to guaranteed issue (can't be declined based on health).

We go through it in our When can I enroll in Texas health plans or What if I missed Texas open enrollment.

The big ones are:

• Open Enrollment - Nov 1st - Jan 15th of every year
• Loss of coverage (medicaid, employer, from a move, etc)
• Household changes: marriages, divorces, births, etc
• Moves that affect health plan options
• Income within certain ranges

Those are the most common but there are all sorts of smaller ones we can investigate for you.

Worst case, we can look at short term health plans till another window comes around.

This also figures into effective dates. Let's go there!

 

What effective date will I get?

There are different situations:

• Enroll Nov 1st - Dec 15th: earliest effective date is Jan 1st
• Enroll Dec 16th - Jan 15th: earliest eff date is Feb 1st
• Loss of qualified coverage within 60 days: 1st of the month following enrollment
• Other qualifiers; enroll 1st - 15th of month: following 1st of the month
• Other qualifiers; enroll 16th - end of month: 1 month after next 1st!

This is all confusing but we can help.

Loss of coverage is the fastest and most flexible if you have that as an option.

Reach out to us with your situation here...

Zero cost for our assistance:

 

Some health plans will end mid-month (very frustrating) and we may not be able to get an eff date till the following 1st.

We can use 1 month of short term health insurance (quote here) for the partial month till the permanent plan starts.

 

Do I have to pay up front with the application?

No. For exchange plans, payment is not required up front.

You'll get an invoice from the carrier directly with the subsidized amount (subsidy already reduced from total).

Make sure to pay this as soon as possible since the first payment activates the account!

The coverage will go back to the 1st of the month it was expected to be effective but we're not in membership till the first payment is made.

This is usually an issue when we enroll at the end of the month for the following first and need health care right away.

We can help process payment to expedite things so let us know.

 

Is there a Texas health exchange application fee?

There is no fee to apply for Texas on or off-exchange plans. Not from us or the exchange itself!

Be leery of anyone who tries to charge you.

The rates are identical through us, the exchange directly, or the carrier directly. No fee for standard plans.

Texas short term health plans do have an application fee.

What happens after I apply for Texas exchange plans?

Here's what to expect after you submit your Texas individual and family application:

• You'll generally get a confirmation of enrollment in 24 hours (working hours) from us with details of plan enrollment and what to expect
• A confirmation will come from the Exchange in terms of what you're eligible for with other details
• The first invoice will come from the carrier for the 1st month. Pay right away to activate the policy
• After payment, a welcome kit will arrive from the carrier with ID cards and more information

We recommend that you set up your online account with the carrier to view billing, claims, doctors, etc.

Don't worry, we can help with this process!

Occasionally, the Exchange requests additional information, usually around eligibility with income being a big topic.

We can guide you through that process as well!

Make a mistake on the application?

No worries. First, we catch a lot when we scrub the initial app.

What if I need to update info on my application?

Whether it's a change of information (address, income, etc) or just incorrect information, we can update your existing application or account on this side.

Just email us the updates and we'll process it. We can't tell you how much easier this is than fighting with the Exchange system if you're not in it every day.

More importantly, we're aware of how simple changes, if not done correctly, can mess up our subsidy.

This is especially true around changes in income. We see it every day where someone updates their income estimate and it blows apart the subsidy.

Learn more about what income the Texas exchange subsidy is based on.

Do you have a fee for your service?

Zero fee for our assistance. The rate is identical through us, direct with the Exchange, or with the carrier (but they can't handle the subsidy piece).

We are paid commissions from the carriers but the rate to you is identical. Zero cost for us.

Most importantly, we can make sure you're getting the most subsidy that's available to you and that can mean 1000's per year!

You can access our simplified Texas exchange online application here:

Reach out with any questions!

More on how to Apply for Texas Obamacare plans.