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Category: Cosby Insurance Group

Kaiser Permanente Extends Payment Deadline to Jan. 15 for Jan. 1 Effective Coverage Date

Kaiser Permanente has extended the deadline to Jan. 15 for receipt of the first month’s premium for a Jan. 1 coverage effective date. In addition, Kaiser Permanente has begun calling new members to inform them about the deadline extension and about the alternative to pay their premium online. The deadline extension is in response to consumer confusion about deadlines related to the Affordable Care Act.

Members who completed an application, but have not yet received an invoice, can still make appointments and receive care. “We want everyone who completed an application by the enrollment deadline to receive our high-quality care and services,” said Ken Hunter, senior vice president, Kaiser Permanente Insurance Exchange Operations.

In the last two weeks of December, the volume of enrollment applications increased substantially. Kaiser Permanente is still processing enrollment files and expects all invoices to be mailed by the end of next week. “Members should not be concerned if they haven’t received an invoice yet,” said Hunter. “As long as payment is postmarked or submitted online by Jan. 15, Kaiser Permanente will honor their membership retroactive to Jan. 1.”

Read the full report here.

Vision Insurance Offers A Look At Bigger Savings

There comes a point in many employees’ lives where the regular, life-long routine of eye examinations may not seem all that important anymore – perhaps they’ve had corrective lasik surgery, or they feel perfectly content with a reasonably good prescription for glasses or contact lenses.

It’s those exact folks that researchers say could probably benefit the most from more regular eye checkups, not only for their visual acuity, but also because regular eye exams also offer a quick overview of symptoms of a wide range of physical disorders, including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

A new study conducted by human capital risk management firm HCMS Group suggests that employers who offer vision benefits to their employees might be able to save as much as $5.8 billion in cost savings over a four year period, partly due to the preventative screening opportunities afforded by low-cost eye check-ups.

Read the full report here.

Second Wave Of Health-Insurance Disruption Affects Small Businesses

When millions of health-insurance plans were canceled last fall, the Obama administration tried to be reassuring, saying the terminations affected only the small minority of Americans who bought individual policies.

But according to industry analysts, insurers and state regulators, the disruption will be far greater, potentially affecting millions of people who receive insurance through small employers by the end of 2014.

Read the full report here.

Obamacare Backers Boost Staff To Encourage Uninsured To Sign Up

Most uninsured people in the U.S. have yet to try to sign up for health coverage under Obamacare, and a key advocacy group said it will hire more workers to reach those unfamiliar with the law.

About 68 percent of uninsured Americans haven’t yet used online marketplaces run by the federal government or states to sign up for a health plan, according to a survey released today by Enroll America, a nonprofit group with ties to the White House that is promoting the law in 11 states. Many people without insurance think they can’t afford coverage and don’t know federal subsidies under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act can help pay their premiums, the group said.

Enroll America said it would increase its field staff by 30 percent, or 58 people, to educate uninsured people about the financial assistance available under the law.

Read the full report here.