Although we at A+ Smart Health Insurance Agency can give you an estimate of what you may obtain for a subsidy, the final decision on all actual determinations is through our state Colorado Department of Medicaid also known as “PEAK”. We can give you an estimate of your tax credit and steer you towards their services but if you are attempting to purchase your health insurance with a tax credit, you must know that until a determination has been made, we cannot write your health insurance.
If you are experiencing errors with the PEAK system
Most people are successful with completing their application online through Colorado Medicaid/PEAK but others run into errors with their system, errors with their past information that need correction and more. If you are having difficulty obtaining your subsidy with the online PEAK program, often times it is best to go straight to your local Department of Health and Human Services office.
Visit this link: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdhs/contact-your-county to find the location and phone number of your closest local office.
We have a significant amount of people who are able to iron out those concerns directly with the Department of Medicaid if they can simply get in front of one of their representatives and can clarify what the Department of Medicaid needs to complete the application. We recommend accomplishing this as quickly as possible, directly after Open Enrollment is happening, approximately the first week of November.
We cannot do your application for Medicaid or create a tax credit for you.
There simply is not enough information on our end, and there are too many information factors that we do not and will not have access to: for example, additional items that may have been claimed on your taxes for previous years, dependent statuses for divorced couples, part-time work that may have been claimed long ago that is affecting your ability to get a subsidy now and more. These questions need to be ironed out before your appointment for health insurance unless you plan on skipping claiming a subsidy entirely.
Please understand, health insurance brokers are meant to discuss your possibility of getting a tax credit then directing you towards those services, assisting you with using those tax credits once they are obtained and then discussing your coverage options so you can make a knowledgeable choice with this year’s insurance offerings including your doctor choices, your health needs and your premium costs. We are willing to assist with errors that may occur through ConnectForHealthColorado, too, although that would be after you complete your annual redetermination.
Please recognize that ConnectForHealthColorado is not the same entity as the Colorado Department of Medicaid, they work together but they are not the same service, and though we may work with ConnectForHealthColorado and the online PEAK system, we cannot work with Colorado Medicaid as we simply do not have the information to complete your determination or redetermination.
In the last two years, ConnectForHealthColorado has also been misinforming our clients that the Agent is responsible to complete the PEAK application for the client. That, unfortunately, is not true.
Rescheduling Appointments if Subsidy Not Finalized
Any appointments set up for a client that does not have a finalized subsidy within 72 hours of the appointment will need to be rescheduled for a later time, once the subsidy has been settled. We will review all appointments scheduled 72 hours in advance and, if you are anticipating applying for a subsidy and it is still incomplete, we will send you an email stating that your appointment has been canceled, and we recommend rescheduling for the next open appointment available once your subsidy is ready.
This year we anticipate having four available insurance agents to help you so we will have plenty of available times to work with and can keep a smooth workflow. Feel free to contact our office if you have additional questions about this process. Thank you!
-Barbara Coates, MGA
A+ Smart Health Insurance Agency