Anthem Blue Cross CA July 1 2012 Individual "Tweener" Rate Change

If you are receiving the May 1 2012 rate change, Relax! This rate change does not apply to you.

The July rate change is only for subscribers currently enrolled as "Tweeners". Tweeners are those who fall in the second bucket of Anthem Blue Cross individual health plans in California. A 'tweener' is any subscriber who purchased an Anthem Blue Cross individual & family health plan between 3/23/10 and 9/23/10. Tweener plans are not affected by the May 1 rate change and will see their rate change on 7/1/12. Tweeners are also non-grandfathered.

With the 60-day notice rule in effect, Tweeners should receive rate change notifications around May 1, 2012. Many tweeners will have Serencsa transfer option rights as Serencsa cutoff ended on 9/23/10.

Dave
www.an-insurance.com

One more thing: if you are reading this or any of my blog posts and you are not on an-insurance.blogspot.com main url or you don't see "Dave Fluker's California Health Insurance Blog" as the title, you are reading stolen content that is being duplicated on wordpress blogs illegally. I sometimes make changes or delete blogs and the copycat blogs don't reflect those changes or deletions.

Dave

Anthem Blue Cross CA May 1, 2012 Rate Change Update - Incorrect Rates

Anthem Blue Cross CA announced a rate change on individual & family plans effective May 1, 2012. Affected members received a notice of the rate change and new rate for 5/1.

Some Anthem Blue Cross members (but not all) received an insert indicating that the new May 1 rate quoted was incorrect and and would be lower than the rate quoted in the letter.

In fact, all rate increases sent out to all affected Anthem Blue Cross members show incorrect rates for May 1, 2012 and all rate increases will be lower than the rate increase that was quoted in the letter.

Anthem will be sending out new letters later this month which will indicate the corrected rate change for May 1.

This rate change includes age change which are no longer assessed on the birthday but instead at the annual rate change cycle.

Please be patient as no one including Anthem membership nor your agent currently has the corrected rates and we don't anticipate having correct rates until later in the month of March.

I should also mention that all online quoting services including Quotit and Norvax do NOT have the correct may 1 rates. All online quotes are currently using old rates and won't be updated until the full rate correction is provided.

Dave
www.an-insurance.com

Blue Shield CA To Reduce April Premium On DMHC Settlement

Blue Shield of California has announced to agents that they will be providing a premium reduction (March 1 increase) for those subscribers currently seeing a March 1 rate increase on their DMHC-registered health plans.

Instead of a regular premium increase reduction (say that three times fast) Blue Shield of California has agreed instead to pay the overall reduction at one time. Subscribers currently on DMHC-registered Blue Shield plans will receive a premium credit for the month of April, 2012 on average approximately 62%.

The rate increase goes into effect March 1, 2012 so those on DMHC-registered plans need to make sure and pay the full March premium. Letters regarding the April premium credit have been sent to affected subscriber.

Those on DMHC-registered plans who are currently in their initial six-month rate guarantee period will receive the premium credit the first month after the end of the rate guarantee period.

DHMC-registered plans include:

*Shield Spectrum 5500 PPO
*Access+ HMO
*Access+ Value HMO

This premium credit only applies to underwritten health plans and does not apply to HIPAA plans nor Conversion plans.

Dave
Find Me Here

Anthem Blue Cross Medicare Supplement Rate Change 2012

Anthem Blue Cross of California has a rate change going into effect on March 1, 2012 for Medicare Supplement plans. This rate change does not affect the individual & family under 65 plans which will be addressed for July, 2012.

Dave
www.an-insurance.com

Blue Shield CA Holding Medicare Supplement Rates

Blue Shield of California has a rate change scheduled for March 1, 2012 for Individual & Family health insurance plans. This rate change does not apply to Medicare Supplements.

Blue Shield of California passed on a Medicare Supplement rate change last August and continued to pass on a rate change again for March 1. 2012.

Current Blue Shield of California Medicare Supplement rates are from 2010 and have not been changed nor adjusted. As of today, Blue Shield of California has no plan to make any rate changes to their Medicare Supplement plans.

I would expect this to be addressed again for August, 2012.

Dave
www.an-insurance.com