OPEN ENROLLMENT from November 1st to December 15th for a January 1st start date.
For those of you on an Individual Health plan through the WA HealthPlanFinder this will be a valuable resource for you. Please give us a call, text or email if you have any questions. You can also schedule a time on our calendar in the links below. You can reach us by giving us a call or text to 425-802-2783, email wahealth@heffins.com or schedule a time on our calendar in the link below.
YouTube Video of Individual Health Insurance changes for 2025 (Click Here to Watch)
SCHEDULE A TIME ON OUR CALENDAR HERE
For the most part there are very few changes for 2025, so would recommend to stay on the same plan unless you have larger life changes. Feel free to reach out anytime if you have any questions.
NOTE: Our company Achieve Alpha Insurance is now part of Heffernan Insurance Brokers. We are still the same amazing people providing great service, just part of a larger company now. Just like when someone gets married they are the same person, yet their last name changes.
Below is a summary of the changes and price increases for the carriers in 2025: The good news is that there are very few changes if any with some carriers, which is great for consistency.
- Average Rate Increase in 2025 = 10.7%
- AM Better = 9.3%
- Regence = 22.8%
- Premera = 14.9%
- LifeWise = 8.0%
- Kaiser Permanente = 8.6%
- United Healthcare = 23.7%
- Molina Marketplace = 5.7%
Below is a brief commentary on the carriers and the network changes
AM Better: The good news is that they will still be the low cost provider since they are going up slightly less than the average plan. Those getting tax credits should see prices stay about the same. No real changes in the networks for the most part. The good news is that those living in Clark county and Whatcom county are now in-network, so those living in those areas should look into these lower cost plans. Overall AM Better is a great carrier, yet honestly not good if you need a mental health provider, a dermatologist or a lot of independent doctors. They have a moderate network of independent doctors, yet this is why they have a lower cost plan compared with Premera and Regence, like half the cost in many cases.
Regence: The Regence plans are going up quite a bit, yet honestly probably should have a year ago due to the higher level of claims than most. They are still much cheaper than Premera, so if you are on a Regence plan and it is working for specific doctors, mental health providers or hospital systems, it’s probably still the best plan for the price. Good news is that the Regence HSA (Health Savings Account) on the WA Exchange is coming back for 2025 (and LifeWise is eliminating their HSA).
Premera: At this point the Premera plans are so expensive the only reason to stay on this plan is if your expensive medication is covered the best here or you have ongoing medical issues that you need to see specific doctors. Also Regence does not cover Swedish or Providence medical systems (yet they do in Snohomish county). Still a good carrier, yet the only remaining people are those using a significant amount of medical coverage.
LifeWise: The good news with LifeWise is increasing by about 8.0%, so a good option overall. LifeWise is owned by Premera, yet mainly covers only Swedish, Providence and CHI Franciscan systems (yet not old Virginia Mason facilities yet). LifeWise is getting rid of their HSA, so if you want one the best option would be Regence.
United Healthcare: UHC is a bit higher priced for the coverage, yet still cheaper than Premera or Regence. They are best if you mainly want to go to Polyclinic since the only other carrier they take is Premera. Can be a good option in some scenarios.
Kaiser Permanente: Kaiser is an HMO system where you must go to Kaiser facilities unless you need to go to an Emergency Room. Since Kaiser does not have any hospital systems themselves, they allow you to go to any hospitals for emergencies, yet still need to go to their faculties for regular and specialists visits. Overall the Kaiser plans are not cheap, as they are on the higher end of costs for plans. Would mainly keep Kaiser if you also want to go to other Kaiser facilities in-network in California, Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii and Virginia.
Molina Marketplace: Molina is a low cost carrier similar to AM Better yet slightly more expensive. They both have about the same moderate network of independent doctors. The main reason to get a Molina plan is if you want to go to Valley Medical Center in Renton or University of Washington facilities, as AM Better does not cover those hospital systems.
Gary Franke, Tamara Chandler, Brianna Crawford & Melissa Tibbs
Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Individual Health & Medicare Specialists
1100 Bellevue Way NE, Ste 8A-545
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-802-2783 (call or text office line)
wahealth@heffins.com
www.wahealthplan.org
