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Anna Moorman Recognized by Anthem for Medicare Sales

Anna Moorman

Anna Moorman

Anna Moorman of Allen Insurance and Financial has been recognized with a gold level award for Medicare supplement sales in 2022 by Anthem, one of the largest Medicare supplement carriers in the state of Maine.

Moorman is one of three agents at Allen Insurance and Financial who specialize in the complex market of Medicare insurance, working with a number of insurance carriers to give customers a range of choices to suit their needs. Moorman has been with Allen Insurance and Financial since 2012.

This is the eighth consecutive year that Moorman has received an award from Anthem for Medicare sales; she is consistently ranked in the top three of Anthem’s sales leaders in Maine.

Moorman and her colleagues Jo-Ann Neal and Lee Cabana have a goal of simplifying the process of enrolling in a Medicare plan, by providing dedicated, one-on-one attention to their customers, assessing each person’s needs and finding options that will align with their budget and healthcare goals.

Anna Moorman of Allen Insurance and Financial, and Angela Sanborn, Anthem agency service representative for Maine and New Hampshire.
Anna Moorman of Allen Insurance and Financial, and Angela Sanborn, Anthem agency service representative for Maine and New Hampshire.
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End of Public Health Emergency Means Changes in Health Insurance Coverage (MaineCare)

In December 2022 Congress passed a law regarding the COVID-19 public health emergency that will cause the State of Maine to conduct a review of every member on MaineCare to determine their ongoing eligibility for coverage. The process will start in April 2023 and a full review must be completed by May of 2024. By the end of the process it is expected that 65,000 to 90,000 individuals will lose MaineCare.

If you are someone impacted by the loss of MaineCare, you will have a 90-day special enrollment period (SEP) before or after your MaineCare ends to purchase a health plan in the private market. If you need assistance with this process, we have specialists in our office who can assist you with this process. Call 236-4311 and ask for a member of our benefits team to help you with individual health insurance.

Here are some additional notes for those who want to read more:

What is the Medicaid Continuous Coverage requirement?

  1. Public health emergency declared in Jan 2020 because of COVID19
  2. Received increase from the feds to help offset the cost of Medicaid- to receive those resources states had to agree to provide continuous coverage and not terminate Medicaid coverage
  3. This means even if someone should lose MaineCare because of a change in income, they continued to be enrolled in Medicaid
  4. In December 2022 Congress passed a law that separates the continuous coverage provided from the COVID-19 public health emergency and in April 2023 every state has to begin review Medicaid eligibility

Implications for MaineCare members?

  1. In April 2023 states need to start review of every MaineCare member’s eligibility
  2. States have 12 months to initiate the process
  3. May 2024 is the last month for the state’s Office for Family Independence to complete all renewals/terminations
  4. About 1 in 3 Mainers are covered by MaineCare
  5. By the end of the redetermination process an estimated 65,000 to 90,000 members will lose MaineCare
  6. Renewals start April 2023 and for example if a member is typically reviewed in July of 2021, they would be reviewed in July 2023
  7. Current members will lose MaineCare if they do not fill out renewal paperwork or respond to requests for income verification or if they are determined to no longer be eligible because of their income

Preventing coverage loss?

  1. Renewal letter will go out one month prior to scheduled renewal
  2. OFI will mail members a pre-populated renewal form in an envelope with a blue box
  3. OFI will also text and email members with a reminder
  4. Renewals can be submitted online at www.mymaineconnection.gov
  5. On May 11, 2023, MaineCare will stop waiving copays, premiums for CubCare, etc

CoverME.gov

  1. Loss of MaineCare will create a qualifying event for individuals to apply for coverage through the Marketplace
  2. Applying for MaineCare and being uninsured then denied MainecCare no longer creates a qualifying life event to enroll in a Marketplace plan
  3. With a loss of MaineCare, there’s a 60-day Special Enrollment Period for Marketplace enrollment

Additional information: www.mainecare.gov/unwinding

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Greg Karlik Joins Our Benefits Team

Greg KarlikGreg Karlik has joined the benefits division at Allen Insurance and Financial to work with individual and group health insurance clients.

Following a three decades-long career in the television broadcasting industry, Karlik has spent the past three years as a licensed insurance professional in the individual health insurance market place, helping customers manage and better understand, what, for many, is a stressful decision-making process.

He is a graduate of the University of Vermont and the University of San Francisco, where he earned a Master of Business Administration.

Karlik and his family live in Northport. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, their children and two dogs as well as gardening and exploring the Maine outdoors.

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Schedule of Medicare 101 Workshops – September 2022

Allen Insurance and Financial is offering a series of  Medicare 101 workshops in September. We hope you can join us.

All workshops are free and open to everyone, though registration is required. All will be offered via Zoom and run from 5 to 6:30 p.m.  Zoom information will be send upon registration. Here is the schedule, which is  also available online at AllenIF.com/Medicare.

  • Tuesday, Sept. 13: Register via email with  Hope Library at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
  • Wednesday, Sept. 14: Register with Medomak Valley Adult Education; register at msad40.coursestorm.com.
  • Thursday, Sept. 15: Register with Belfast Adult Education; belfast.maineadulted.org.
  • Wednesday, Sept. 21: Register with Five-Town Adult Education (Camden Hills): fivetowns.maineadulted.org
  • Wednesday, Sept. 28: Register with Medomak Valley Adult Education; register at msad40.coursestorm.com

During these workshop, Jo-Ann Neal and Anna Moorman of Allen Insurance and Financial’s Benefits Division will help answer questions, including:

  • What does Medicare cover?
  • What does Medicare NOT cover?
  • When can I enroll in Medicare?
  • What is a Medicare Advantage Plan?
  • What is a Medicare Supplement Plan?
  • What plan is best for me?

Anna Moorman and Jo-Ann Neal specialize in Medicare and will be available for a question and answer session following the presentation.  Meet Anna and Jo-Ann in this YouTube video.

 

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Anna Moorman Now Licensed as an Insurance Consultant in Maine

Anna Moorman

Anna Moorman, a member of the benefits team at Allen Insurance and Financial specializing in individual health insurance and Medicare,  is now a licensed life & health insurance consultant in Maine.

“Anna’s efforts demonstrate her deep commitment to continuing professional development,” said Mike Pierce, company president. “This commitment is important to all of our insurance divisions but it is especially so in the always-changing field of employee benefits.”

Moorman has been with Allen Insurance and Financial since 2012. She lives in Thomaston with her family.

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The Value of Disability Insurance to Employers and their Employees

By Sherree Craig, CEBS

Sherree L. Craig, CEBS

Sherree L. Craig, CEBS

Companies in Maine and across the country face the challenge of rewarding employees and this struggle rose to the surface significantly during the pandemic. Striking the balance between a workable company budget and the satisfaction of the company’s human capital is critical.

One of the most affordable and valuable forms of financial protection for employees is disability insurance. Offering a disability plan emphasizes a company’s commitment to the health and financial well-being of its workforce, providing employees with an income when recovering from an accident or an illness. An employee can recover peacefully without the burden of worrying where the next paycheck might be and allows them to place their focus on immediate medical needs.

In addition to being a deductible business expense, this offer could have an impact on the company’s workers’ compensation status. Once an employer sponsored disability plan is purchased, conversations with business insurance and accounting partners should take place.

Disability insurance is designed as short-term and/or long-term policies.

The short-term disability benefit is paid weekly. Pricing for the group plan is determined by the design of the contract and the group demographics (age, wages, industry). The following are some plan design considerations:

  • How many days will the employee be disabled before the payments begin? One frequent plan design option is the first day following an accident and the eighth day following an illness. We see these go as high as two weeks, which would keep the costs exceptionally low, but could come at the expense of the employee’s satisfaction.
  • How long will the payments last? Options typically are 13 weeks or 26 weeks.
  • What percentage of earnings will be replaced? Disability insurance does not normally cover full replacement. Insurance theory dictates that full replacement might encourage malingering – an incentive to remain disabled and not return to active capacity as soon as they are able.

Like the short-term disability, long-term disability policies are priced on the demographics of the company and design of the plan. The long-term disability benefit is paid monthly rather than weekly, and the elimination period (the length of time from the start of the disability until payment begins) can be dovetailed to start at the end of the short-term disability benefit. The benefit period may depend on the company size but should be designed to last a minimum of five years or all the way to the normal social security retirement age.

A group disability package has the added advantages of group pricing and are free from medical underwriting, making the plan simple to establish and administer.

Curious to see how your benefits stack up against other employers in your industry and community? Principal insurance has a great benchmarking tool. https://www.principal.com/businesses/compare-benefits

Principal Benefit Design Tool | Principal

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President Biden Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Federal Employees and Large Employers

On Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed executive orders requiring federal workers and contractors to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Biden also directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to draft a new emergency rule requiring all businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure all of their workers are either tested for COVID-19 once a week or fully vaccinated. This News Brief explains further.

President Biden Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Federal Employees and Large Employers_001
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Individual Health Insurance Newsletter – June 2021

IRS Suspends Requirement to Repay Tax Credits

A premium tax credit or subsidy helps pay for health insurance coverage purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace (www.healthcare.gov). Eligible people can choose to have all, some, or none of the estimated tax credit (subsidy) paid in advance directly to their insurance company on their behalf.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 suspends the requirement that taxpayers repay their excess advance payments of the premium tax credit for tax year 2020. Excess APTC is the amount by which the taxpayer’s advance payments of the tax credit exceed the premium tax credit they are in fact eligible for.

If you have questions on how this may impact you, we recommend you reach out to an accountant who understands the tax code and how the American Rescue Plan affects your tax filing

Health Care Sharing Ministries in the News Again

The Boston Globe reported on a woman who now carries $75,000 in medical debt because her “health care sharing ministry,” OneShare, declined to pay for her double hip replacement. She decided to participate because of the cost of her health insurance premiums increased. What she didn’t realize is that the decreased costs meant decreased consumer protections.

Health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) are not health insurance.  They do not qualify as minimum essential coverage under the ACA, which means pre-existing conditions can be excluded. What’s more, the companies do not have the same legal obligations to its members. Members, who typically share a religious affiliation, do pay a monthly fee, but the fee is not a premium. It is a contribution to a shared fund to pay medical expenses of the members. Some people, have good experiences, while others do not.

In Maine, HCSMs are expressly exempt from the insurance code. Consequently, members have little or no recourse if things with the HCSM go sour. The burden is on consumers to understand precisely what they are “buying” when they participate.

Midcoast Senior Expo

We’re excited to announce that we will have a table at the Midcoast Successful Aging Expo, scheduled for June 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rockland Elk’s Club. This is our first in person event in more than a year and we’re looking forward to connecting with our clients and community. This event is free and open to the public.

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