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How to Navigate Adoption and Obamacare

Happy Interracial Family Is Enjoying A Day In The Park With AdopOne of our readers recently had a problem with her adopted son’s insurance coverage. Although her son, Mark, was adopted as a baby and is now 19 years old, the insurance problem is recent.

Mark had insurance coverage through the health exchange on healthcare.gov. He had a full year of coverage before the problems began.

In January 2015, Mark received a form letter from healthcare.gov requesting copies of his citizen documents. Despite having sent them previously when he initially enrolled, Mark again sent copies of his passport and citizenship documents to the office in Virginia by mail.

He heard nothing in response until April when he received a letter from healthcare.gov indicated that his coverage was cancelled for failure to submit the necessary citizenship documents.

Mark’s mother called the healthcare.gov number (1-800-318-2596) and spoke with a representative.

The marketplace representative told her that she could see the citizenship documents on her end and that everything was taken care of, not to worry.

However, when Mark tried to fill a prescription, he was informed that he did not have coverage. He again sent in all of his citizenship documents by mail.

Mark’s mother again called healthcare.gov and again spoke with a marketplace representative. She made multiple calls and each time she was told that Mark’s documents were in order and he should have coverage. But he didn’t.

Frustrated, Mark’s mother called me.

So, what should you do if you or someone you know have this problem with Obamacare?

First, make a call to healthcare.gov and be specific with your questions. Find out what the potential causes are and the potential ways to fix the problem.

The problem could be as simple as a data mismatch, if there was an inconsistency on his application. If that’s the case, it could be as easy as correcting the application.

Another potential problem could be that incorrect citizenship documents were sent. A passport alone should be good enough, otherwise you may need to send in several documents.

Once healthcare.gov has the correct documents, and all errors are corrected, you should receive a letter with a special enrollment period to reenroll and offer retroactive coverage.

In Mark’s case, the problem was that he didn’t know the right questions to ask. His mother was able to call back and ask for the letter offering reenrollment and retroactive coverage.

Once she knew the right questions to ask and received the letter, Mark’s insurance problems were history.

To learn more about Obamacare, get my ebook Easy Healthcare: Obamacare, available through all major ebook retailers. 

Also, right now you can receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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Obamacare Insurance: Are you sure you’re covered?

Closeup of a female medical professional holding a tablet computWith Obamacare, there are still a lot of unknowns. One of our readers, John, recently contacted us with a serious question involving his health coverage…

John has had coverage through healthcare.gov for over a year, yet recently, he went to a doctor’s appointment and discovered that he was no longer covered.

So what happened?

John’s health insurance company is Blue Cross Blue Shield. Blue Cross sent him a new insurance card in December for 2015 and told him that his coverage was extended for the next year.

But then he received an email notice requesting action by healthcare.gov. Thinking he was covered, he failed to respond to the email.

John didn’t think anything of the email, because he received no further requests or notices from healthcare.gov. But in June when he went to see the doctor, his coverage was denied.

What did he do, and what should you do if you have problems with your healthcare.gov coverage?

First, make a call. It’s much easier to talk to a live person who can talk you through what you need to do to fix your problem.

John called the number on the healthcare.gov website (1-800-318-2596). After a few machine prompts he was connected with a marketplace representative.

She was able to help John remedy the problem and get retroactive coverage.

Had John been involved in an accident involving his healthcare, this could have been a lot bigger of a problem. Luckily, he discovered his lapse in coverage at a routine doctor’s appointment.

If you get your healthcare insurance through Obamacare, it is essential that you follow up with the providing company and healthcare.gov. Make sure to watch your email and mailbox for any notifications.

It’s always a good idea to double check your coverage. A quick call to a marketplace representative can confirm your coverage and help you to avoid potential insurance problems.   

To learn more about Obamacare, get my ebook Easy Healthcare: Obamacare, available through all major ebook retailers. 

Also, right now you can receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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My Dad and his Health Privacy

Lori-Ann and her father

Lori-Ann and her father

As my dad was aging, we went to a lot of doctors. It was often difficult to make sure that my dad and my family understood what was happening with his health. Because my dad had been a Methodist minister for over 65 years, many people knew him and were concerned about his health. My dad was a very proud man and didn’t want everyone knowing what he was going through. It was often hard to balance getting all the important information to the people who needed to know but keeping my dad’s private information private.

As a patient or caregiver, health privacy is important for keeping the right people in the know.

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If you are trying to manage this for your family, you need to know some basics about health privacy. First, healthcare providers have specific rules to keep your health information private. It helps to know these rules in order to get the information you need:

  1. Only the patient can give authorization to release their health information to family and friends.
  2. The patient doesn’t need to sign an authorization if the family member is with them at the time of the doctor visit.
  3. Your doctor can give your health information to other healthcare providers who are treating you or your insurance company without your authorizaiton.
  4. You are entitled to your health records. If you ask for them, the doctor must give them to you.
  5. Your healthcare provider must protect your health information whether it’s on paper or in an electronic format.
  6. If you need any specific information, make sure you ask for it.
  7. If you only want certain individuals in your family to get health information about your loved one, make sure you are very specific with your healthcare provider.

Knowing these rules helped me manage my dad’s healthcare and keep his information private when necessary.

Have you had any problems with your or your family’s health privacy? I’d love to hear from you!

If you or your loved one is going to be in the hospital, download my FREE ebook, Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay.

With MyHealthSpin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!