The Health Advocate: Health Insurance Consulting Services LLC

Small business owners with less than 10 employees, can you relate? I *know* many of you can Because I speak to folks like you all the time —> You either A. Don’t provide benefits because of the high cost Or B. Are overpaying for group coverage that’s bringing down your bottom line And sometimes the coverage isn’t even that good and employees complain anyway ?? —> It feels like a lose-lose Because if you don’t provide benefits, it can hinder your ability to hire as well as employee satisfaction and retention But if you do, it’s very expensive and maybe even stifling growth —> There are ways to strike a balance I work with a number of businesses like yourselves Who aren’t quite ready yet to offer group coverage or who were overpaying for it and wanted out —> The method is simple: - You choose how much you pay It doesn’t have to be 50% of the premium, it can be a fixed dollar amount - How you pay is also up to you You can either pay the premiums in full and deduct a portion from employees checks Or Have the employee pay the premiums and stipend them a fixed dollar amount for their coverage - I consult with each employee to find them the best coverage for their needs and budget Yes, they actually have a say in what their coverage is and how much they would be paying as well And they would have me as their own personal resource if they ever had questions or wanted to make a change — All of this without all the red tape of a group plan participation requirements - if someone doesn’t want coverage or need it, they don’t have to elect coverage No big yearly renewal price increases No requirement to offer COBRA Year round enrollment - you hire someone new, we get to work, they don’t have to wait for an enrollment window for coverage —> So, what do you say? Ready to regain control over healthcare costs for your small business or look at providing benefits for the first time? Send me a DM and I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have Happy Sunday yall! ????

POV: You just submitted your phone number in an online form for Health Insurance quotes and now your phone won't stop ringing You thought you were just going to get emailed quotes But unfortunately....that's not really how it works And now you're pulling a Michael Scott when you're normally a pretty level headed person → Look, I get it, you just want it to be easy → You just want it to be done fast → You want it to be good But I think there's a phrase out there that basically says you can't have all 3 And in some cases in this space....you might not even be able to get 2 of those right Because when your phone starts ringing like that, if its not super important to you to get it done, you probably won't You'll shut out the noise and say "well, nevermind then" I see people do that all the time → When they could have just asked a pro Or sought out a recommendation from their network for one (although this can actually get you blown up too if you're making a public post online - protip: keep it internal) → Point being: don't do this to yourself Working with a professional is one to one It's personal and its on your schedule It could even still be a relatively fast process But most importantly, you'll ensure that you find the right coverage for needs and budget Which is what you were looking for all along when you put your phone number in online ??♂? Have you ever found yourself in this unfortuante situation?

Big results are possible in the self employed health insurance space *Especially* if you do not qualify for ACA subsidies and are paying out the wazoo for coverage Case in point ?? Not only did I save this business owner nearly $700 a month I lowered his deductible from over $6,000 to $2,500 Network coverage? It’s now nation wide whereas before it was just for his area And much more —> Want to learn more? Send me a DM Happy Friday ya’ll What was your biggest win this week?

If you aren’t expanding, you’re contracting With that being said, my new website is now live! Over the last few years I’ve used LinkedIn as my landing page To much success - tons of great clients, partners, and newfound friends I’ll continue to do the same but I knew I needed to expand my digital footprint And be visible outside of social media pages To have something concise that would tell people who I am, what I do, who I help, and how they can easily contact me —> Why has it taken me this long? Well, if you know my story You know I started from ground zero - with nothing My focus was on the work, making connections, and simply getting traction And to that end, after a moderately successful first year in business, my income the next year doubled, and rose another 30% in 2024 All without a formal website outside of social media pages —> So, do I need this? Not exactly. But I want to keep growing and to that end, I know this will help Particularly because I’ve already built my brand Because let’s face it - any Joe Schmo with a credit card can set up a web page and claim they have a legitimate business This is just icing on the cake for me and for the folks who do take a lot of stock in someone having a website Because I’d like their business, too. Anywho, let me know what you think of it! I’ll drop the link in the comments ?? P.S. What should I do next to grow? I’m thinking maybe a newsletter??

My #1 takeaway from talking to self employed folks about Health Insurance over the last 3+ years 9 out of 10 do NOT understand what all their options are Or how they work Just an observation, not a judgement It doesn’t mean that what you’re doing is wrong But it could very well be the case that you are either ? Overspending on coverage ?? Or ? Settling for sub par coverage ?? When you could have something better, more cost effective for your needs ??Some quick examples: - Don’t qualify for a subsidy through the ACA(Affordable Care Act), or not much of one - Paying for an expensive short term plan with a high deductible, limited benefits - Paying for an HMO with no subsidy when you’d really prefer a PPO - Paying for group coverage because you think there is no other way to provide coverage for your family and employees (Small businesses, usually under 10 employees, as reference point) ?? Depending on the state you live in, there may be more options available than you realize And I stress this It does depend - each state has its own insurance board and they determine what can and cannot be sold there Some states are more limited than others And if you’ve ever wondered if you’re missing something Or would like some confirmation that you are doing things the right way My door is always open to set the record straight At the end of the day, you want to make sure you get this stuff right And if you’re doing it on your own and always have You very well could be missing something I see it all time - about 9 times out of 10, to be exact ______________ What’s the most surprising thing to you about individual coverage vs coverage through an employer?

Can you spot what’s wrong with this picture? Let’s do a quick check ?? - Huge subsidy, low premium, very nice ? - Both hospitals in network, great ? So, what is it? I’ll give you a hint: It’s not the high deductible or Out of Pocket Max It’s actually one of those green check marks above ?? Both of those hospitals actually are not in network and do NOT accept this plan ? This is what is happening to folks enrolling for Health Insurance More often than it should Sometimes the information online is not even accurate For something as crucial as a pregnant woman seeking care at her local hospitals ?? Even the list of insurances accepted on the hospitals website was not accurate It also confirmed this plan was accepted But after calling to double check, they said they did not take it Unreal ?? Welcome to the worst of the worst blind spots in researching your health insurance options For all the talk of expensive premiums, high health costs, claims issues Often times the worst things I see are things like this and various issues with billing itself The knitty gritty, yet seemingly basic things you think you can take for granted ?? This is just a snapshot into why it’s so important to get it right Especially if you are considering an HMO network plan And why I continually will recommend PPO if the monthly cost and covered services make sense Because you just don’t see this happen nearly as often, particularly with a nationwide PPO network ________________________ LASTLY, With that being said - Today is the last day of Open Enrollment And while that window for ACA coverage is about to close If you find yourself not satisfied with your HMO plan moving forward Give me a shout - there might be something out there in the private space that you can apply for year round While I hope you got it right, you are not locked in for the year and do not have to drop your coverage to shop other options either Either way, if you need help today, give me a shout, I do still have some openings in my calendar

My client got hurt last year and was reimbursed $8,000 How? Supplemental coverage Guys, I digress Supplemental coverage IS worth the expense You already pay a lot every month for your health insurance coverage That probably has a fairly high deductible and max out of pocket So ?? Why would you not pay a little more to know you will be reimbursed for accidents and hospitalization? It’s a no brainer If you could pay a little more and have a low deductible and max out of pocket You’d probably do it, no? ?? So why would you not pay a little more to negate it? I understand saving money is key and you don’t want to “waste” anything But let’s not kid ourselves When the ?? hits the fan and you get hurt Do you want to pay thousands of dollars outright? Or would you be pretty happy knowing you can get that money back for a nominal fee? ?? Having a good Health Insurance plan is important But sometimes It’s hard to get one, period If you can make it better by supplementing your coverage Please consider it Your future self will thank you And you’ll probably thank me too for recommending it and helping you with it When you get that fat check in the mail ?? ____________________ Have you ever gotten reimbursed for your health insurance expenses? If so, please share your experience!

Sometimes having a low deductible isn’t all it’s cracked up to be When you find out later your Max Out of Pocket is $9,200 for an individual And $18,400 for your family ?? This is one of the ways you could be blindsided by your health plan If all you focus on is the monthly premium and deductible You are probably missing a lot, including that Max Out of Pocket ?? To reiterate - * This MOP is the total amount you could end up owing on a large bill After you've hit your deductible, your plan goes into Coinsurance ?? This is when you are sharing costs with the insurance company *The split can go a few different ways It could be 80%/20% 70%/30% 60%/40% 50%/50% You get the idea - The insurance company starts to pay a percentage And you pay a percentage on every dollar after you hit your deductible ?? Until you reach that Max Out of Pocket Then your plan will cover 100% of the bill ?? However, if your amounts are this high, you need to ask yourself, could I pay that? If the answer is no or its an amount you'd really rather not pay You need to either consider other options or adding supplemental coverage to your health plan to help cover those expenses Or Continue to shop your options and ask for help if you want to make sure you are exhausting all your options Sometimes it is still possible to find plans with a reasonable Out of Pocket Max (Hint: I may be able to help) ______________________ Have you started looking at your renewal for 2025 yet? If you need any help or are facing a price increase, reach out and let’s chat

Self employed folks, you know all this stuff already, right? ;) In the event you don’t… I thought I'd start a series of posts where I discuss in very basic terms The attributes of your healthcare options as we head into this years Open Enrollment period How they work ?? And what you need to be aware of most, starting with... ? ? Networks This may be common knowledge for some, although there are nuances you might not be aware of... ?? Networks are essentially the backbone of any Health Plan Just from knowing the Network, I can usually tell you a lot about someone's Health Plan For instance... ? HMO Pros: - More focus on and sometimes better benefits for Preventative Care - Sometimes less expensive if you qualify for a subsidy Cons: -Limited network of doctors and hospitals, usually confined to a couple zip codes -No out of network coverage, although exceptions are "supposed" to be made for emergencies -Assigned a Primary Care provider that you must go through. If you need to see a specialist, you will need to be referred to one by your PCP -Often times High Deductibles and Out of Pocket expenses ? PPO Pros: -Largest network of doctors and hospitals, largest discount on medical bills -Out of network benefits -Freedom to choose, no PCP/Referral needed to see a Specialist -Often lower deductibles and Out of Pocket Max, some private network plans feature reimbursement benefits for accidents, critical illness and hospitalization(!) Cons: -Usually higher premium -Some private plans have cap limits or are Short Term insurance and not guaranteed renewable ? POS Pros: -Out of network benefits -Usually less expensive than PPO Cons: -PCP refers you to in network specialists, much like an HMO -Out of network expenses are usually very high and you need to file paperwork -Premiums are usually a bit more expensive than HMO plans -Still a smaller network despite out of network capabilities, POS is not a common network ? EPO Pros: -No referral needed from PCP for in network specialists -Less expensive usually than a PPO plan Cons: -No out of network coverage except for emergencies -Usually more expensive than HMOs ?? While it is important to understand how these networks work Ultimately, whatever you select should take all factors into consideration ? * Benefits * Renewability * Monthly Cost * Tax implications * Your current Health situation * Your docs and hospitals in network * Your habits(if you travel, in particular) * Deductible, Coinsurance, and Max out of pocket But it all starts with the Network. _______________________________ What was your worst experience with one of these networks? Or What was the best? Would love to hear from you in the comments ??

Many will of you who don’t qualify for a subsidy will have an unfortunate surprise this open enrollment Rate increases ?? Some of them big, as in, 10% or greater Which may not sound like *that* much without context ?? But if you’re paying over a $1,000 a month in premiums each month $100+ a month increase is nothing to turn your nose up at That’s over $1,200 a year in additional health insurance premiums Hardly a minimal increase ?? That said, it depends, it won’t be all of you The majority of price increases fall between 5-10% with a median increase of 7% A smaller fraction of plans will only be 1-5% Some will even decrease (!) Some. Not a lot ?? ?? But 85 insurers are planning increases over 10% With 31 of them planning increases of 15% or greater, some even over 25% ?? Imagine that happening and you don’t even like your plan or what you’re already paying for it You’d be pissed. I know I would. All of this is to say ?? Rate increases are often unavoidable in Insurance ?? But minimizing those increases *is* often achievable How? Let me explain ?? Simply put, you escape the matrix. You leave the Marketplace behind and seek out Private insurance Not based on your income, no subsidies involved Rates and coverage types based primarily on your age, number of dependents, and your health With many private plans, you do have to qualify for the coverage, it’s not guaranteed ?? But… If you’re relatively healthy and don’t qualify for a subsidy It could be just the thing you’re looking for And those rate increases? Low and predictable I’m talking 1-3% year over year Not bad considering the average is 5-10% and sometimes more ?? Now you have predictability with your yearly insurance premiums Now you have peace of mind Instead of anguish and anxiety over your yearly renewals ________________ Wanna see if its possible for you to escape the matrix? DM me Or book time for a free consultation here?? https://lnkd.in/g94spspF What’s the most your health plan has ever gone up in a single year?