Friday, August 03, 2018

O frabjous day!

Well, it's that time of year again, when agents must decide whether or not to participate in ObamaCare Open Enrollment (this year: v6.0). For most folks, this year's festivities run from November 1 through December 15 for a January 1, 2019 effective date.

I say "most folks" because DC and Golden State citizens have their own, quirky schedules:

"California has enacted legislation that permanently establishes different enrollment dates within the state, both on and off-exchange. From now on, open enrollment in California will begin on October 15, and end on January 15. So for 2019 coverage, California residents will be able to enroll starting on October 15, 2018, and will have until January 15, 2019 to enroll."

Californians who sign up after December 15 will have February '19 effective dates.

"[O]open enrollment in DC will begin November 1, 2018, and will continue until January 31, 2019. DC residents who enroll between December 16 and January 15 will have coverage effective February 1, while those who enroll in the second half of January will have coverage effective March 1."

Everyone got that?

Good!

Adding a little fuel to the fire is the fact that folks in DC will get their own insurance mandate:

"[T]he District of Columbia City Council approved a requirement for all DC residents to purchase health insurance ... The D.C. mandate contains three elements that make it just as bad as, if not worse than, the federal mandate it is intended to replace."

Sweet!

(Click on through for the details)

As for my part? Well, regular readers know that I've long since bailed from actively engaging in the Open Enrollment circus process, but that I continue to do the online training necessary should I change my mind (or, as in recent years, be available to help folks out from the sidelines). This week, I got email from CMS announcing that:

"Marketplace agent and broker registration and training for plan year 2019 is now live!"

I can choose the free (no Continuing Education credit) version from CMS itself, or pay for the training (which includes CE for most folks) from their preferred vendor, AHIP.

Not an AHIP fan, and don't need the CE. So: hard pass.
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