Recent Articles
2023 Marketplace Elite Circle of Champions!
Illinois Health Agents Inc. has been recognized by the Health Insurance Marketplace® as a member of the 2023 Marketplace Elite Circle of Champions for helping consumers gain qualified health coverage for an 8th consecutive year. This Centers for Medicare &...
No Surprises Act Saves Consumers From Unexpected Medical Bills
The No Surprises Act will took effect on January 1, 2022. This act protects consumers from surprise medical bills, whether they receive coverage through their employer (including a federal, state, or local government), through the Health Insurance Marketplace, or...
New for 2022: an ongoing Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for eligible individuals whose income falls at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Key Points: If a person's income does not exceed 150% of the federal poverty level, they might be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period. This special enrollment period does not have limitations on how often it can be used, or the type of health plan that can be...
Low-income Americans now can sign up for Obamacare plans with $0 premiums on federal exchange
Low-income Americans who missed signing up for 2022 Affordable Care Act coverage can now enroll in plans with $0 premiums through the federal exchange's website. Those with incomes less than 150% of the federal poverty level -- $19,320 for an individual and $39,750...
Government announces surprising hike in Medicare Part B premiums
Yikes. As I was extolling the virtues of Social Security’s 5.9% COLA, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they were increasing the premium for Medicare Part B by 14.5%. As a reminder, Medicare is composed of two...
American Rescue Plan Lowers Obamacare Costs Immediately
For this year and next, the stimulus bill boosts subsidies for nearly all those buying their own coverage, making insurance free for more people and giving higher-income people discounts for the first time.Under the stimulus bill passed by Congress this week and...
Illinois is the Nation’s First State to Extend Health Coverage to Undocumented Seniors
As a nurse manager for one of Chicago’s busiest safety-net hospitals, Raquel Prendkowski has witnessed COVID-19‘s devastating toll on many of the city’s most vulnerable residents — including people who lack health insurance because of their immigration status....
Stimulus Package Provides New FSA Carryover Options
President Donald Trump signed a new stimulus bill into law on December 27, 2020 which will provide direct payments to eligible individuals and loans to small businesses, among other things. Among those other things are temporary and optional changes that...
Congress Passes No Surprise Billing Act
The Deal to End Surprise Medical Bills Finally Gets Approved Scope Of The Protections Consumers would be protected from surprise medical bills when they receive care in both emergency and nonemergency settings; the protections would extend to out-of-network air...
BCBSIL bosses bag big bucks after unjustified rate increases, staff layoffs….Enough is Enough!
Severance pay drove the outgoing CEO's compensation above $31 million, while the Blue Cross parent also showered cash on her interim successor, the board chairman and other execs. Paula Steiner, who stepped down as CEO in July, received total compensation last year of...