Navigating the New Health Insurance Exchange

The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange is now an active website at nevadahealthlink.com. The website was created by the State of Nevada to help individuals and small businesses shop for, compare and buy health insurance. The site has had a few problems with enrollment attempts, generating some errors and asking the customer to try again, but the exchange promises to make corrections and updates.

For Nevada residents, the exchange collects information required to complete their mission of providing affordable health insurance. In order to facilitate enrollment, the applicant must provide information to verify identity, citizenship, residency, income and incarceration status.

This data includes:

• Demographics: Name, address, phone number, email, age
• Income Data: Tax filing status, marriage status, tax dependents, employer, annual or monthly income
• Citizenship Data: Social security number, resident alien number, Native American tribe ID number, incarceration status
• Payment Information: Credit card numbers, checking account numbers
• Health Insurance Coverage Information: Past and current health insurance coverage, tobacco use, consumer plan selections, and other information necessary to facilitate enrollment
• Current Medical Coverage: Medicaid, children state coverage

The carriers participating in Eastern Nevada are Anthem and the Nevada Co-op.

The Nevada Co-op is using the First Health Network at Firsthealth.com. An Anthem network provider can be found on anthem.com.

Application to the Silver State Exchange will provide choices and rates for ?metal plans? which were created by the Affordable Care Act. Individuals under 30 have access to a low-cost plan called Catastrophic. The next tier is the Bronze plan which provides 60 percent of the plan cost by the carrier and 40 percent by the insured. Following that tier is the Silver Plan, with a 70/30 ratio. Still better coverage, with higher premiums attached, is the Gold Plan, which provides 80/20 coverage.

Some individuals may qualify for an Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC), which decreases out-of-pocket-costs.

Helen Furr is with Leavitt Group Benefits in Cedar City, Utah. Leavitt Group has partnerned with Michele Wadsworth at Dolan & Edwards in Caliente to help Lincoln County Residents with health insurance. Michele can be reached at (775) 726-3196. You can reach Helen at (877) 828-9111.

This article was originally published in?Lincoln County Magazine. Visit a local store to pick up your copy.