The 2018 Health Insurance Open Enrollment period is less than a month away, and TMA Insurance Trust is looking out for Texas physicians by providing them with this important information. As in previous years, Open Enrollment begins on November 1. However, this year the enrollment period has been cut in half. Instead of having three months to shop, compare plans, and enroll, individuals have only 45 days to do so. To have health insurance coverage in place by January 1, you must act quickly. Because of the urgency this year, please be aware of the following special announcements:

Not all medical practices chose a new health insurance plan by January 1. Perhaps your practice has a group policy that renews at some other point during the year. When you receive renewal paperwork, you may find alarming premium increases and other plan changes.

Here is some good news: with ACA health insurance, you can’t be rejected or charged a higher premium if you have a pre-existing condition. However, ACA health coverage must be purchased during a limited timeframe. That period is ending very soon. You should know that if you miss open enrollment, the remaining health insurance options may leave you ill!

The window of opportunity for taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act’s annual open enrollment period is about to close. In order to obtain health insurance coverage effective March 1, 2017, you must sign up starting January 16th and no later than the January 31st deadline.

Why did you join the TMA? Many physicians become members because the Texas Medical Association represents the interests of physicians in state and federal legislation. Some physicians join to take advantage of the professional networking opportunities. Still others see the value in joining for the exceptional medical liability insurance through the Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT). We agree that these are all excellent reasons to join the TMA.

The season of open enrollment brings a great deal of stress for some. Though most physicians have secured coverage for the coming year and will be experiencing no lapse in coverage, there are some who did not obtain health insurance by the December 15 deadline. This means that beginning January 1, they will have an interruption in health coverage. However, open enrollment does not end until January 31, and there is still time to obtain coverage, whether it is for the physician, their family, or their practice staff.

Providing your medical staff with health insurance benefits is becoming increasingly expensive. Because of this cost, some business owners have made the uncomfortable choice to not offer health benefits to their employees. In a medical practice, however, the choice to not offer health coverage comes with hidden costs.

Limited choices and skyrocketing health-care premiums have left you few options for providing quality health coverage for the people you care about. Fewer carriers are offering HMOs in the Texas marketplace, and the plans offered may be as much as 40% more costly for individuals and families, while PPO plans preferred by physicians have almost disappeared from the marketplace.