General
Companies are either For-Profit, Non-Profit, or Benefit. SnapHealth is filed in the state of Pennsylvania legally as a Benefit Corp. Unlike traditional For-Profit companies, whose SOLE purpose is to earn revenue for their shareholders, Benefit companies are required to meet a DUAL mandate. For SnapHealth we must balance both business and public interests (our public benefit is improving human health at its core.) This is important because we have a legal fiduciary duty to do what is equally in the best interest of our stakeholders, clients, employees, and the community we are in.
When buying health insurance from ANYONE, ask yourself two questions: 1. Are there limits on the plans available? 2. Are their recommendations biased? Depending on your age, income, and employer status, your health insurance recommendations change and some systems don't have all the options. SnapHealth fixes all of that. Our team is Pennie Certified, Healthcare.gov certified, works with over 50 insurance companies, is connected to the Department of Health for Medicaid, and is Medicare certified. There is no wrong door. And, as a benefit company, we only recommend what is best for you.
Pennie is the state-based exchange for Pennsylvania when individuals who choose to have major medical coverage would enroll in coverage.
First step would be to call the Social Security Administration office to begin the process of enrolling in Part A and Part B coverage to start on the 1st of the month of your 65th birthday. Additional steps would be to decide on a Medicare Supplement and drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan.
Once your first premium payment is made your cards should be mailed out by the insurance company. At the beginning of the year, insurance companies tend to get backed up so it may take a few weeks to receive. If you feel that your cards should have been to you by now, please call the customer service line for your insurer and request that the cards be mailed again.
There are several types of verifications Pennie could be requesting, income, social security number and citizenship among the most requested. Income: submit your two most recent paystubs, your most recent tax return, or fill out a self-attestation form and upload it to Pennie. Social Security: take a scan of your social security card and upload it to Pennie. Citizenship: take a scan of one of the following and upload to Pennie. US Passport, Certificate of naturalization, or Certificate of Citizenship.
Your 1095A should be mailed directly to you at the end of the year. If you did not receive it or misplaced it you can locate it in the profile your enrollment was processed in. For example, in Pennsylvania, your 1095A would be located in your Pennie login and within your inbox. If you cannot immediately find it, search "1095" in the toolbar.
Enrollments outside of Open Enrollment for any given year can be accepted based on a Qualifying Event that would give you special enrollment period. Reasons for a Qualifying Event include losing creditable coverage, moving, getting married/divorced, and having/adopting a child.
Losing employer coverage would be considered a Qualifying Event and would give you a special enrollment period to choose and enroll in a marketplace plan.
If you cannot find your ID card you can look at your insurance provider login to see if they have a printable version available. If you would like a new card mailed, you would call the customer service line for your insurance provider.
First months premium is due prior to the start date of the coverage. For open enrollment coverage started January 1st, premium would have to be paid before December 31st prior to the January 1st start date.
CHIP is a great option for a lot of families. There are levels of premium due to income guidelines provided by the state. CHIP provides quality coverage with low visit costs.
Medicaid is need based coverage. You could qualify based on income, disability or the need to go to a nursing home. To find out if you qualify, use the link below. https://www.compass.state.pa.us/Compass.Web/Screening/DoIQualify#/SelectBenefits
If your company offers COBRA coverage, you could continue with your current employer plan at a full cost rate for up to 18 months although this can get costly. Your second option would be to choose a major medical plan during your special enrollment period due to a qualifying event. Additional options are available such as short term medical, Medicaid, or faith based coverage.