Anthem's Secret CA Extensions?

If you are one of the lucky or not-so-lucky people who did not receive a plan migration notice from Anthem Blue Cross (CA), you might be extended to April 1 without you're knowing you have been extended to April 1 on your old plan.  It's kind of a super secret or something, I guess.

Anthem apparently failed to properly notify a whole bunch of non-grandfathered HIPAA plan members and also some non-HIPAA non-grandfathered members in sufficient time not to get spanked down by the regulatory powers that be in the Golden State.  Whether directed by those powers or in an effort to avoid bad PR for this foul up, Anthem has secretly extended those members to April 1 and actually scrubbed their plan migrations for January 1 to ObamaCare compliant coverage.

I got a call from someone there today about another migration that didn't happen and during the "conversation" I asked what the deal was.  I was told that since those members did not actually receive any migration notice anyway, no harm no foul.

Except, and I pointed this out not too kindly, agents were sent excel spreadsheets with the plan migrations listed and most likely informed those affected clients of the impending plan change and what plan they were being changed to.  Needless to say, Anthem was not interested in making an apologies for putting agents reputations on the line by doing this behind our backs and not telling us.  Par for the course anymore. 

So, if you are one of the chosen people, you are stuck on your old plan ("inferior" per Obama) until either April 1 or until you actually figure out that you got extended without having to agree to any of it.  Notifications on this have not gone out to members nor to agents who are left holding the bag trying to explain why plans are being billed for January that are not new plans nor compliant ACA plans.  Apparently you can call in to Anthem and one of their vaunted "Health Plan Advisors" will be happy to assist you.  At no point will they likely mention contacting your agent.

If your HIPAA plan is non-grandfathered and Anthem is billing it for January, that means you are one of the "lucky" ones who gets to keep their "lesser" plan for 3 more months or until you realize it and initiate a change of coverage (if you want to do that).

But shhhhh, don't tell anyone, it's a secret. 

Dave
www.davefluker.com