Welcome to Nevada! Since you might not know, when you move, you will need to find a health insurance plan that is available in that area. But how do you go about purchasing health insurance when moving to Nevada?
Listed below are the steps to follow when you are looking for plans here in Nevada.
What are my options?
The most common question that we as brokers get is “Is Keiser in Nevada?”. The answer is no. Keiser Permanente is a California based healthcare system. They are located in California, Oregon, and Washington but not Nevada. So what are your options you ask?
Health Plan of Nevada
Health Plan of Nevada is owned by United Health Care. They exclusively sell HMO plans in Nevada. When looking at Nevada’s market, Health Plan of Nevada dominates Clark County and Nye County in Southern Nevada. Since United Health Care has a strong presence in the Vegas market, most people in the south enroll in one of these plans. In Northern Nevada, Health Plan of Nevada works with a lot of people who are enrolled in Medicaid/Welfare. Health Plan of Nevada sells most of their plans through Nevada Health Link so people can get government assistance on their plans.
Friday Health Plans
Friday Health Plans is a new insurance company in Nevada as of 2021. They sell insurance in a handful of other States. Just like Sierra Health and Life, Friday Health Plans exclusively sells EPO policies. Friday Health Plans is available in Northern and Southern Nevada. It looks like they will be selling most of their plans through Nevada Health Link so people can get government assistance on their plans.
Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield
Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield is one of the largest insurance companies in the nation. In other markets such as Medicare and Group, Anthem dominates. Unfortunately, Anthem has had a troubled past in the individual market. In 2016, Anthem decided to remove most of their individual and family plans in the Nevada market.
When Anthem re-joined the individual and family market a few years ago, they sold HMO plans only. These HMO plans are still available today, and they use the ‘Pathway-X’ network of doctors. This network is much smaller than the Anthem network lists that people are accustomed to through their employers. The Pathway-X network has been in numerous class action lawsuits throughout the nation since 2014 for ‘deceptive marketing practices’. Here in Nevada, not many doctors accept the Pathway-X network. Anthem sells most of their plans through Nevada Health Link so people can get government assistance on their plans.
Hometown Health
Hometown Health is owned by Renown and is the only not-for-profit health insurance company in Nevada. For the past few years, Hometown Health has dominated the individual and family market. Hometown contract’s with the largest list of doctors while offering the strongest benefit plans in Nevada. Along with PPO and HMO are their HSA compatible plans. They are the only carrier to offer PPO plans in Nevada in 2022.
Where do I Look When I am Purchasing Health Insurance When Moving to Nevada?
When purchasing individual and family plans in Nevada there are two types of plans. The plan is called “on-exchange”. On exchange plans are only sold on Nevadahealthlink.com. This is a state run website. Nevada Health Link offers plans that qualify for government subsidies. The plans offered through Nevada Health Link are often known as “Obamacare” plans.
The other place that you can find coverage is through “off-exchange” plans. Off-exchange plans are not subsidy eligible. These plans are generally offered directly through the insurance company or through a local broker. The plans generally have better plan designs and larger network lists.
When Can you Sign Up?
There are a few times when you can sign up throughout the year. The open enrollment period is the main time to sign up for an individual and family plan. Open enrollment runs from November 1st through December 15th for off exchange. On exchange plans go from November 1st through January 15th.
The other way to enroll in an Individual plan would be by experiencing a qualifying life event.
What is a Qualifying Life Event?
According to Healthcare.gov, a qualifying life event is defined as “a change in your situation that can make you eligible for a special enrollment period.” In this case, moving to Nevada, would be a qualifying life event.
Qualifying life events will be one of the following:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Birth of a Child
- Involuntary loss of coverage
- Moving out of the service area of your previous plan
How Much Time do You Have?
From the time you move, your clock starts. You will have 60 days to provide the insurance company with documentation that proves your move. These documents can vary from company to company but they will be relatively the same.
The required documentation is as follows:
- New lease from Nevada and the lease from your previous residence
- Nevada driver’s license as well as previous state’s driver’s license
- Utility bill from previous as well as new Nevada residence
Where Can I go to Purchase Health Insurance when Moving to Nevada
The best way to make sure you are in the best situation would be to find a local broker. Brokers contract with every company so they are able to shop around and make sure you are in the best situation for you and your family. They are the best resource to find a plan when purchasing health insurance when moving to Nevada. Make sure to give our office a call when you need health insurance as we can help you find a plan.
You can reach our office by calling 775-828-1216. We will meet with you to discuss your needs and make our best recommendation for you and your family.
