Health Insurance is complicated, but it shouldn't have to be. As a circle of champions member with the CMS, we are passionate about making it easier for you. You can find us under the Find Local Help tab at healthcare.gov, on Help on Demand through CMS and on regular broker chats centered around Pennie, Pennsylvania's new state based exchange.
Why do you do individual health?
January 1st, 2013, founder and principal Joshua Brooker had his eldest son at Womens and Babies Hospital. He was born perfectly healthy, but Josh found out later that the insurers had a problem. They claim the mother was admitted in one year and the baby was born a different year and thus they would be subject to two deductibles, and double out of pocket costs. The hospital and the staff were great, but they were missing an advocate that day to cover the financial aspect. That's what prompted PA Health Advocates(PAHA) and is one of the core tenets of why we will continue to support people in this space for the long haul.
How do you do it?
We are methodical in the methods we use to help you find the best solution that fits your needs. Much like a doctor, we press clients to complete an intake before scheduling a call. This gives us the data we need to find a viable solution. Once scheduled, an initial call will be used to discover details about your income and your health care needs. Income is vital as many programs are income driven. We often work with self employed individuals who have variable income as well as employees of small companies who have fixed income sources. As far as solutions are concerned, we are plan agnostic. We work with On Exchange, Off Exchange, Short Term Medical, Faith Based Plans, Medicaid, and CHIP to find the right fit.
What makes us different?
- We are your advocate: PA Health Advocates is invited by the Department of Human Services to closed door round tables in Washington, DC multiple times per year. We talk about challenges facing the 400,000 people in Pennsylvania impacted by the individual market and innovative methods to help the country at large. We are also on monthly calls as an Alpha Broker with the CMS Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight team voicing challenges and coming up with solutions plaguing the individual exchange.
- Deep Resources: Being members of NAHU, HAFA, SHRM, CPBGH and FPA were not accident. We value trade groups that keep us ahead of potential pitfalls that our clients may face. Because of this, we are often paying it forward to our network of broker partners who rely on us to share major changes that impact the industry. We also frequently work with reporters at Lancaster Newspaper to give insight on trends and changes. In addition to trade groups, we are a Community Based Organization(CBO) with the Department of Health and Human Services serving our low income clients with medicaid and chip applications. Finally, we partner with the local constituent services teams of federal and state senators to resolve complex issues our clients face.
- Competent Advice: The individual market is very much a moving target that gets recalibrated each year. Because of this many brokers stear clear. Failure to stay ahead of regular changes can have dire consequences for individuals. Health Insurance is a balance of Tax, Financial, Health, and Insurance prowess where dipping your toe into the individual market is no longer prudent.