Downstate New York individual health insurance customers, who are seeking licensed professional assistance, have been given a life line for one more year…

Fidelis has announced that they once again partner with health insurance broker professionals beginning on January 1st, 2019. This comes after they decided to stop working with brokers a year ago, and where every other carrier (which now includes Oscar) stopped working with brokers previously. As such, Fidelis will be the lone health insurance carrier in the downstate NY individual health insurance market that will partner with insurance brokers in 2019, which is essential for individual consumers who are looking to secure health insurance advice from licensed professionals.

Conversely, starting with this year’s open enrollment season in NY (which commences on 11/1/18), customers seeking information for individual health insurance products with any other downstate NY carrier will have to reach out to each carrier directly for that information. Those carriers are:

-United Healthcare (no longer working with brokers)
-Empire (no longer working with brokers)
-Emblem (no longer working with brokers)
-Oscar (terminating broker contracts effective 1/1/19)
-Healthfirst (never worked with brokers in the individual market)
-MetroPlus (never worked with brokers in the individual market)

The good news is, in 2019, Fidelis will have the lowest individual market premiums across all medal levels (platinum, gold, silver, and bronze) for Long Island residents. The same goes for Westchester residents, where only their silver plan will be the 2nd to lowest priced plan in that territory ($7 monthly premium difference). And for NYC residents, the Fidelis bronze plan will be the most inexpensive plan in the city, with their silver, gold, and platinum plans being priced about $15-$20 per month higher than the lowest priced plan in that rating territory. This will make customer purchasing decisions much easier this open enrollment season, as premium cost is the primary driver when it comes to health plan selection.

For their catastrophic coverage form (available to adults under the age of 30), Fidelis will be the 2nd to lowest in price across the entire downstate NY territory.

For more information regarding Fidelis individual health insurance plans in the downstate NY area, or to enroll in coverage for 1/1/19, contact us today.