INSIDECOSTCO
BY SHANA MCNALLY
FOR A SMALL-business owner who is
thinking about offering employees health
insurance, or for an individual looking
for personal or family health insurance,
the Costco Health Insurance Marketplace
is a good place to start.
Costco created its Health Insurance
Marketplace to be a shopping site for health
insurance, with multiple carriers and
health plans. The plans are separated by
price and offer four qualified levels:
Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
“As a business owner, you can shop
year-round for available health insurance
plans in your area that meet the needs of
your employees,” says Lisa Castaneda, who
oversees this Costco service. “Additionally,
you can get information pertaining to the
Affordable Care Act and its impact, deter-
mine if your business is eligible for a fed-
eral premium subsidy, and then set up and
manage your account should you choose to
purchase health insurance.”
The process is straightforward, using
the Health Insurance Marketplace self-
service portal
CostcoQuote.com. There, you
can obtain a quote for a variety of benefits
and/or plans.
You can also create a comparison proposal, prepare a customized quote based
on employee census information you’ve
entered or uploaded, and customize the
experience by selecting employer contribution levels for both employee and dependent premiums.
The marketplace prices are competitive, and the shopping cart experience
allows you to bundle additional lines of
coverage with the medical plan you select.
Individual and family plans
“To provide more value, the Health
Insurance Marketplace includes individual and family plans and offers add-on
products such as custom vision and dental
plans, critical illness coverage and disability insurance,” says Castaneda.
You have the option to purchase
health insurance for your family during
the open enrollment period (November 1,
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To market, to market
Costco’s Health Insurance Marketplace
for you, your family or your employees
CONNECTING
If you’re considering health plans, think
Costco first. Visit
CostcoQuote.com or call
1-888-242-0989.
2016, through January 31, 2017). Licensed
agents are available Monday through
Saturday, and some Sundays as well. You
can evaluate the overall plans based on the
monthly premium cost and the most
appropriate coverage tier level determined
by office visit co-pays, deductibles and
maximum out-of-pocket costs. You can
also sort quotes by carrier, monthly cost,
deductible or tier level.
An additional benefit of the Costco
program is service. “Members aren’t just
buying a plan; they are also receiving dedicated year-round support and an issue
triage team of licensed representatives
who serve as a member’s health ambassador,” says Castaneda.
Your quote is assigned to a licensed
agent, who becomes your health ambassador. The health ambassador will send you
an acknowledgment email and direct contact information, including chat, email
and phone. The ambassador will walk you
through the quote process and answer any
questions about claims and billing issues,
eligibility, finding a physician and obtaining a new ID card or any necessary pre-authorization for services or procedures.
Costco member Stuart Tolander is
pleased with the service he received from
his ambassador, Tawnia. “[She] really
helped me through the maze of signing up
for health insurance,” he says. “She is very
knowledgeable and walked me through
the process. I would recommend [that] all
Costco members use the Costco Health
Insurance Marketplace.”
Individual and family premiums are
affected by geographical location, age and
tobacco usage. Once you view the carriers
and plans available in your area, you enter
your family household size and annual
income. You can determine if you qualify
for a subsidy and find information for
questions related to health insurance.
Health Advocate
Lastly, as a Costco member, you have
year-round access to Health Advocate.
Health Advocate is staffed by benefit
experts who can assist with navigating
health care issues and in-plan benefits
questions, obtaining specialist appointments, clinical support and claims and/or
Employee Assistance Program issues.
Health care can be quite a maze. The
Costco Health Insurance Marketplace can
help you navigate your way. C
