Need an extension? Check that box now!

Do you need overage through the federal marketplace? Good news ! The Government is giving consumers more time to complete your application! But there is a catch!

HHS and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, aren't officially changing the March 31 deadline for an individual to enroll in a health plan, but they will make a special enrollment period available to consumers who start the application process by March 31 and fail to complete the process by that date.

The catch - You have until mid-April to ask for the application time extension by checking a box on HealthCare.gov.

Buying Health Insurance After Open Enrollment

After the original Marketplace open enrollment, October 1, 2013–March 31, 2014, individuals and families can enroll in Marketplace insurance only if you have certain life events that give you a “special enrollment period.” These are usually referred to as "qualifying life events."

Qualifying life events that create a special enrollment period include:

• Getting married
• Having, adopting, or placement of a child
• Permanently moving to a new area that offers different health plan options. This can be in the same state, just a different area.
• Losing other health coverage due to: 

• job loss 
• divorce 
• loss of eligibility for Medicaid or CHIP 
• expiration of COBRA coverage 
• health plan being decertified 
• For people already enrolled in Marketplace coverage, having a change in income or household status that affects eligibility for tax credits or cost-sharing reductions.

The following are NOT considered qualifying life events:

• Losing coverage that is not "minimum essential coverage"
• Voluntarily quitting other health coverage
• Coverage being terminated for not paying your premiums 

Special enrollment periods

If you have a qualifying life event, you get a special enrollment period. This means you can enroll in or change your health insurance plan outside the open enrollment period.

Most special enrollment periods last for 60 days from the date of the qualifying life event. Though some events only last 30 days.

You can apply for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) any time. If you're qualified you can enroll right away.


So, you missed open enrollment and you need coverage. The next proposed open enrollment period is November 15, 2014 - February 15, 2015. – Yes, you have to wait unless you have a qualifying life event.

Information from www.healthcare.gov as of 3/11/14

Need Help with the Marketplace - Just Ask Us

We know how confusing navigating everything on Healthcare.gov can be! We have been studying the health care reform law, obamacare, since 2010 when the law was passed.  We understand the plans, the subsidies, the rates and possible cost sharing options.  Just give us a call and we can walk you through the process and answer all of your questions.

We are insurance agents, not navigators.  Marketplace Navigators can not discuss costs or give advice on which plan would be best for you because they are not licensed.  We can discuss everything about your
coverage options.  Also, if you are not eligible for a subsidy we can help you find overage off of the marketplace.

Give us a call, we can help!  740.967.0210

Use-it-or-lose-it is Gone! (Sort of)

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS on  issued a notice today modifying the longstanding “use-or-lose” rule for health flexible spending arrangements (FSA). Participants now can carry over up to $500 of their unused balances remaining at the end of a plan year.

The rule will go into effect for the 2014 plan year.

Estimating Your Income

When you apply for lower costs in the Marketplace, you’ll need to estimate your income for 2014.

You can start by adding up the following items for:

• You and your spouse, if you are married and will file a joint tax return 
• Any dependents who make enough money to be required to file a tax return 

For each of the following sources, estimate what your income will be in 2014:

• Wages 
• Salaries 
• Tips 
• Net income from any self-employment or business (generally the amount of money you take in from your business minus your business expenses) 
• Unemployment compensation 
• Social Security payments, including disability payments--but not Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
• Alimony 

Other items to include when estimating your 2014 income are: retirement income, investment income, pension income, rental income, and other taxable income such as prizes, awards, and gambling winnings.

DON’T include the following: 

• Child support 
• Gifts 
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
• Veterans’ disability payments 
• Workers’ compensation 

For more information on reporting your income, see IRS Publication 525.

More information is available on our website at www.CreeekstoneBenefits.com. 

Reporting on Your Household

We have had lots of questions about who to include in the number of people in your household when trying to determine your subsidy amount.   Here is a quick summary:

When filling out your application, DO include: 

• Yourself 
• Your spouse 
• Your children who live with you, even if they make enough money to file a tax return themselves 
• Your unmarried partner who needs health coverage 
• Anyone you include on your tax return as a dependent, even if they don’t live with you 
• Anyone else under 21 who you take care of and lives with you 

DON’T include:

• Your unmarried partner who doesn’t need health coverage and is not your dependent 
• Your unmarried partner’s children, if they are not your dependents 
• Your parents who live with you, but file their own tax return and are not your dependents 
• Other relatives who file their own tax return and are not your dependents 

To learn more about who qualifies as a dependent, refer to IRS Publication 501. (Excellent reading material if you can't sleep!)


More information is available on our website at www.CreeekstoneBenefits.com. 

Applying Online for Health Insurance with a Subsidy

1. What is a subsidy?

A subsidy will pay a portion of your health insurance premiums. 

2. Do you qualify for a subsidy?
Do you have group/employer coverage that is available to you? This can be through your employer or your spouse/partner’s employer. If you do, you are probably NOT eligible for a subsidy. If you have questions, please contact us. 740.967.0210

Your household must make less than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to qualify for a subsidy. FPL is generally based on the combined income of everyone in your household and how many people are living with you. If your household income is over 400% you do NOT qualify for a subsidy. 

3. If you do qualify, you can go to www.Healthcare.gov to apply online for coverage.
You will need to create a user name and password. Once you have done this you will receive an email. You will need to click a link in the email they send you to verify your email. (Usually there are 3 emails. The email verification seems to be the first one you receive)

4. In order for us to be your agent and help you in the future you will need to enter the information below on the “Help applying for coverage” screen:

         First Name:            Last Name:              FFM User ID:                     NPN Number:
           Tiffany                  Geiger                    tiffany740                             3241172



5. You will need to enter some additional information including:
Social Security Numbers for everyone needing coverage
Dates of Birth for everyone needing coverage
Estimated 2014 Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)


6. You will be asked to submit the application – you are NOT applying for coverage at this point.
This step is only to verify how much of a subsidy you will receive.

Once you receive your subsidy amount you will be allowed to view plans and rates. Please contact us for assistance.  740.967.0210

More information is available on our website at www.CreeekstoneBenefits.com.