As your broker, we become your advocate and helper for all concerns regarding your health insurance policy. Being your official broker means we have your permission to discuss your policy with your health insurance company and we can resolve problems or make changes on your behalf. It is our job to serve as your go-to contact when you have issues with claims, informing your health insurance carrier of an address change, adding a dependent to your plan, etc.

No, you are not required to remain on the plan you decide to enroll in for a certain amount of time. You can terminate coverage at any time. However, if you terminate outside of the “open enrollment” period, you cannot enroll in a new plan until the next “open enrollment” period.

Let us know! We have the income guidelines for Covered California and are able to tell you if you qualify for a subsidy based on your income. There are different income levels depending on how many people will be enrolling per application so this is something you would need to ask us about so we could give you accurate answers. Covered California requires certain documentation as well to verify your information such as a copy of your driver license/ID, citizenship verification (if applicable), and proof of income (this can be shown using your tax forms for the current year). We are able to make this process easier for you and enroll you through our agency’s Covered California account so you don’t have to deal with completing the application on your own.

For individuals and families enrolling in plans on their own (or changing their current plan) and not with their employer, that open enrollment period takes place during November 1st and January 31st. See the following dates for more specific information:

Nov. 1st – Dec. 15th for an effective date of January 1st

Dec. 16th – Jan. 15th for an effective date of February 1st

Jan. 16th – Jan. 30th for an effective date of  March 1st.

After January 31st, there will not be an opportunity to enroll in a health plan until the following year’s open enrollment period, unless you have a “qualifying event” which you can read more about in the next question.

A qualifying event is a life event that happens and qualifies you to enroll in health insurance outside of the open enrollment period, which is considered a “Special Enrollment Period.” These events can be things like losing insurance from your employer or your spouse’s employer, getting married, having a baby, turning 26 years old and no longer able to stay on your parent’s plan, moving to California from another state, becoming a citizen.

If you experience a qualifying event, you have 60 days to take action and enroll in a health plan. If not, you will have to wait until the next open enrollment period.

Visit the following link for more info on the Covered California site:

Qualifying Events & Special Enrollment

You can start using your plan on the date your coverage becomes effective. If you enroll for an effective date of February 1st, then you can use your plan starting on that date. Depending on when your application was submitted and how long insurance carriers take to process applications (during open enrollment it usually takes longer than the rest of the year), you may not receive your welcome packet and ID cards until after your effective date to start coverage but you would still be able to see a doctor if that’s the case. There are ways of getting temporary ID cards until you receive your hard copy and we can help you get those as well.

As your group’s broker, you will have our direct lines and emails to contact us with any questions and concerns regarding your group’s policy. We will be easily accessible to you and your employees as questions arise or issues need to be addressed. Once you enroll in a group plan through our agency, we will be who you contact when you have to change information for your company such as contact information, address updates, etc. We are also who you send employee information change forms, new hire applications, and other necessary forms so we can ensure they get to the right department of your insurance carrier. We will provide you with all of the forms you need from your carrier as well so you are aware of what is needed when changes need to be made. We will also be responsible for discussing your renewal with you every year thereafter and make sure you know your options to stay within your budget by creating spreadsheets and proposals with our broker tools. As your broker, we dedicate our time to serving your company’s health insurance needs so you don’t have to.

No, you are not required to remain on the plan you decide to enroll your group in for a certain amount of time once you sign up. You can terminate coverage at any time.