Where do we go to find plans, prices, benefits, inclusions, exclusions? You can always visit our NY site www.healthinsurancegeeks.com to begin the process. The great think about Health Insurance Geeks is we are non-invasive like other intrusive brokers. All prices are fixed by law, so when you visit us you will always see the lowest price by law. In addition, if you like to protect your information, use our LIVE chat, you can stay anonymous and start to build trust with our team. You can also call the toll free 1-866-976-3977, request a call, send an email, request an email, we are expert underwriters (GEEKS!) and love showing our clients way to beat up on their insurance carrier.

Are pre-existing conditions covered? Do we need to wait for coverage?

If you have had 12 months of previous uninterrupted coverage there is no need to be concerned with pre-existing conditions. Your current insurance carrier will give you a continutation of coverage document to prove this. If you have had a 63 day or greater period of no coverage the your new insurance carrier can assess a waiting period for certain pre-existing conditions. Under HIPAA, a prexisting conditions is defined as a medical condition for which you have sought medical advice, diagnosis or care, including pharmacy benefits (prescription drugs) and treatment was recommended during the six months immediately preceeding the enrollment date in a new group plan.

Is coverage guaranteed? Yes, if you are a qualified small group plan of 2 or more W2 employees and that can be proven with appropriate tax documentation, coverage in New York State is guaranteed issue.

Do we as an employer need to contibute to the entire premium, or can we just pay a portion of the employee's premium? Most insurance carriers require an employer to fund AT LEAST 50% of the employee's premium in order to fulfill their underwriting criteria. This is 50% of the single employee rate, the other employee rate classifications such as +child, or + full family do not necessarily need to be funded the same way.

Does HealthInsuranceGeeks.com work with every carrier in it's particular market or just "some?" HealthInsuranceGeeks.com will only work with top-rated carriers in its particular marketplace, which are always household names: Anthem-Wellpoint Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Aetna, Oxford Health Plans, Emblem Health, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, Amerihealth, Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Humana, to name a few.

Do my employees need to be W2 employees or can we cover 1099s? Yes, most carriers demand W2 status of employees and confirmation of that via an NYS45 for New York Businesses, WR30s for New Jersey Businesses and UC-2s for Pennsylvania businesses.

How many hours do our employees need to work to be eligible for health insurance? Normally insurance carriers will require 20 hours or more per week to qualify for health insurance benefits. Often times insurance carriers will not cover part-time workers if they do not meet the 20 hour work week.

If my husband and I own a business and are partners, can we qualify for a group plan? Yes, as long as you are partners and can qualify that with your previous year's K-1, or NYS45 (New York Businesses) if you draw a W2 paycheck. Some carriers actually have a form that will also need to be filled out proving an employee-spouse both owning and running a business.

Can I cover my children on a plan if they are in college and over the normal age of 23? Yes, in NY the age for student dependents is now 26, and the new Health Reform Law of 2010 is demanding all states to cover dependents regardless of student status to age 26. In addition, Governor Paterson in NY signed in to law the dependent to age 29 law, which allows children of eligible employees to be covered through age 29.

How long is COBRA in New York State? Also Governor Paterson signed in to law an extension of benefits that extends to 36 months rather than the former 18 months. In addition, NY State "mini-COBRA" which is designed to mimic the COBRA mandate for businesses of 20 employees or fewer (not subject to COBRA)  also extends to 36 months.

How fast can we get group coverage? Well that depends on the cleanliness of the paperwork submission to HealthInsuranceGeeks.com, but in normal circumstances we like to have 2 weeks ahead of your effective date. Otherwise I.D. cards and confirmation of coverage can go beyond the actual effective date. Some carriers for example Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield actually require paperwork "in-hand" at least 15 business days prior to coverage commencement.

Why should we consider HealthInsuranceGeeks.com over our current health insurance brokerage? Many, many reasons.....expertise, leverage in the market, team atmosphere, excellent references from hundreds of happy clients, great technology (Live Chat, Skype, Go-to Meetings, customer service 7 days a week, efficient flow of information) and a leadership team that has been doing this for over 40 years and is dedicated to the community rated market as well as the manual, experience, and self-funded market normally consisting of clients with 200-1000 employees.