MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.,
Oct. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health
insurance marketplace opens tomorrow. In the last year, lawmakers
have made several changes to the laws and regulations affecting
health insurance. From changes to the tax penalty to greater access
to different types of major medical insurance, 2019 is
shaping up to be the year of choice for health insurance
consumers.
For the first time since the launch of ACA plans in 2014, in
2019 consumers will not have to worry about paying a tax if they
don't have an ACA compliant health plan. They will also have
options for longer duration short term health insurance plans that
were not available last year.
Gavin Southwell, the CEO of
AgileHealthInsurance.com's parent company, HIIQ, commented, "For
consumers in need of health insurance, the elimination of the tax
penalty and broadening of the maximum duration of short term health
insurance is a double win. Consumers now have the freedom to shop
outside of the ACA for health insurance they can afford without
fear of a tax fine."
In adopting the federal regulation extending short term health
insurance to terms of up to 364 days, renewable up to 36 months,
states have taken innovative turns to benefit their citizens.
Ohio has mandated short term
health insurance cover mammography screenings and autism spectrum
disorder services. Iowa requires
longer duration short term plans to cover pre-existing conditions.
In South Dakota, policies of
longer than six-months are guaranteed renewable.
"These specific mandates reflect a movement to shape health
insurance reform in a way that meets each state's unique set of
needs," commented Mr. Southwell. "And it's something we should
expect to see more of."
Last week, the Trump administration introduced a proposed rule
which, if adopted, would grant states greater flexibility in
pursuing health care strategies. While the ACA provides states the
opportunity to seek a waiver under Section 1332, sometimes called
the State Relief and Empowerment Waiver, they have been difficult
to obtain. The proposed federal regulation would reduce the legal
parameters needed to qualify for a waiver, enabling states to
redefine, broaden, and revamp health insurance for their
citizenry.
When asked about how the 1322 waivers will play out, Mr.
Southwell said, "At least 40 states have already extended short
term health insurance durations to between six to 12 months,
demonstrating a commitment to finding affordable insurance
solutions for their citizens so we should expect even more creative
solutions from the various states using 1322 waivers."
AgileHealthInsurance.com was launched in 2015 to
educate consumers on the availability of private market health
insurance products that are alternatives to Affordable Care Act
(Obamacare) plans. Today AgileHealthInsurance is the largest
distributor of short term health insurance, providing
a fast, online process for purchasing these plans. Short-term
health insurance is a flexible and low-cost major medical insurance
for individuals without expensive pre-existing health conditions.
It is not Obamacare. Short-term health plans offer consumers the
flexibility to choose health plans with the benefits that matter
most to them and combine these benefits with broad provider
networks. Additional information about AgileHealthInsurance can be
found at www.AgileHealthInsurance.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
AgileHealthInsurance.com is a Silicon Valley-based technology
company and independently managed division of Health Insurance
Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIIQ). This press release contains
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements are statements other than historical fact, and may
include statements relating to goals, plans and projections
regarding new markets, products, services, growth strategies,
anticipated trends in our business and anticipated changes and
developments in the United States
health insurance system and laws. Forward-looking statements are
based on our current assumptions, expectations and beliefs are
generally identifiable by use of words "may," "might," "will,"
"should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes,"
"estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue," or similar
expressions and involve significant risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to
differ materially from those contemplated by these statements.
These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, our
ability to maintain relationships and develop new relationships
with health insurance carriers and distributors, our ability to
retain our members, the demand for our products, the amount of
commissions paid to us or changes in health insurance plan pricing
practices, our ability to integrate our acquisitions, competition,
changes and developments in the United
States health insurance system and laws, and our ability to
adapt to them, the ability to maintain and enhance our name
recognition, difficulties arising from acquisitions or other
strategic transactions, and our ability to build the necessary
infrastructure and processes to maintain effective controls over
financial reporting. These and other risk factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied
in our forward-looking statements are discussed in HIIQ's most
recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other documents that may be
filed by HIIQ from time to time with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking
statement made by us in this press release is based only on
information currently available to us and speaks only as of the
date on which it is made. You should not rely on any
forward-looking statement as representing our views in the future.
We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking
statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to
time, whether as a result of new information, future developments
or otherwise.
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/choice-of-health-insurance-plans-offers-customers-financial-relief-flexibility-300741329.html
SOURCE AgileHealthInsurance.com