December 4, 2024 • 12 mins
Think health coverage is out of reach? Pennie gets you the lowest costs on high quality insurance. Here’s how we do it: https://pennie.com/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
And welcome in. This is the CEO's You Should Know podcast.
I'm your host, Johnny Hartwell, let's say hello to Chachi
Angelo from Penny dot com, Pennsylvania's health insurance marketplace. Good
to see you again. How are you, sir, Johnny?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is becoming one of my favorite holiday traditions, hanging
out with you.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
So good to be back, Good to hang out.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
So tell us everything we need to know about Penny.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
All right, So Penny it's Pennsylvania's official health insurance marketplace.
It's where Pennsylvanians get the lowest costs on high quality
health plans. So Pennies for Pennsylvanians who do not have
access to other forms of health insurance. So you don't
get your health insurance from your job or Medicaid or Medicare,
(00:47):
Penny is for you. So think about the occupations or
the scenarios where you don't get health insurance from your job.
Maybe you work part time. Maybe you're a gig worker
for Uber, or you're delivering for door Dash. You are
a sole proprietor you're a small business owner. You're an
(01:08):
early retiree, so you're too young for medicare. Penny is
for you, and it's for nineteen year olds all the
way up to sixty four. So it is the marketplace
where folks can go and purchase a health insurance plan
that is high quality, that covers a comprehensive amount of situations.
(01:30):
And these are you know, health insurance plans from the
health insurance companies that you know. Only Penny is the
exclusive connection to federal tax credits, so that that will
lower your monthly payment.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
All right, So open enrollment is now. Is there a deadline?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So open enrollment runs November first to January fifteenth, But
if you want your health insurance plan to start on
New Year's Day twenty twenty five, you need to enroll
before December fifteenth. December fifteenth falls on US Sunday this year,
so it's very important to get it done before the
Sunday because you know, you get into the weekend role,
(02:13):
you start doing all of your holiday shopping. You got
to get in before December fifteenth. And that's Penny dot
com p E N N I E dot com.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
All right, So why should we go to Penny dot
com as opposed to maybe healthcare dot gov.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, healthcare dot gov if you go there they're going
to route you right back to Penny dot com. So
back in twenty twenty, Pennsylvania broke away from healthcare dot gov.
We say we can do this better. Obviously they've got
a spokesperson like me. We got, you know, we could
do this better than healthcare dot gov, and we really have.
We have better coordination with our Medicaid office and CHIP.
(02:48):
We are able to offer those same federal tax credits.
But we're able to be on the radio and hang
out with Johnny in Pennsylvania. There's not there's not representatives
from healthcare dot gov that's hanging out in Pittsburgh and
even knows how to speak in Pittsburgh. E's So we've
set up our own marketplace here in Pennsylvania, and so
(03:09):
you can go to healthcare dot gov, but it's going
to route you right back to Pennsylvania because we're the
official health insurance marketplace for Pennsylvania. So again we're connecting
you to the health insurance companies that you know right
there in Western Pa and all over the state. And
then we're also connecting you to those federal tax credits.
So these are health plans that you can purchase outside
(03:32):
of Penny but if you go through Penny, we can
connect you to those on the spot tax credits to
lower your monthly payments and potentially out of pocket costs
like copays, co insurance, deductibles, that sort of thing.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
All right, every Pennsylvania is every Pennsylvania is different. Every
Pennsylvania has different needs. Are there different plans and what
can you tell about those?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, And that's what makes Penny so great is that
they're are options, there's choice, and you can see all
of those health plans in one spot. So if you
just go to Penny dot com p E N N
I e dot com, click on the savings calculator, it's
right on the main page.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And I do want to caution there.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Are you know, low quality plans and scams out there,
So if you just if you just google health insurance PA,
you might not land at the right spot. So it's
important that you go straight to Penny dot com p
E N N I e dot com and then you
click savings calculator and you can get an idea of
what you're going to be looking to pay and what
plans are available in your area, so you can you
(04:38):
can put in quick things like you know your birthday
and your income and where you live, your zip code,
and it's going to spit out some plans that are
available in your area. But if you want to get
more specific, you can put in your doctor, the hospital
that you like to go to. You can put in
your medications, your specific medications, and it's going to spit
(04:58):
out plans that are specific to your needs. And there's
varying levels and different payments, you know, depending on different
levels of what you're looking for and what fits your budget.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
But that's where.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Penny really can cater a health plan to your needs.
And it's an area and it's a website where you
can look at it all in one spot. Think of
it like the I don't know, the Expedia or the
Amazon of health insurance, where you can start to favorite
different health plans and then you can look at them
side by side. It makes it really easy to get
(05:33):
yourself health insurance because I really think, Johnny, when somebody
hears health insurance, they just shut down.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
They're like, I don't want anything to do with that.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Give me I don't want to, but I'm telling you,
Penny dot Com really makes it simple that you can
get the plan that works best for your needs.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Is it mandatory that all Pennsylvanians get health insurance?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
No?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
No, the individual mandate was eliminated I want to say,
maybe four or five years ago. So it's not mandatory
to have health insurance. But let's think about the alternatives.
You know, you are able to get medical care when
and how you need it. You can catch things early
because all health plans through Penny cover preventative care, so
(06:17):
that's checkups, screenings, vaccines, so you can treat health issues
early before they get out of hand.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Or you know, think about the alternative.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
If you don't have health insurance, now you're looking at
medical debt that is going to take you potentially years
to climb out of whenever. If you have that health
insurance plan, you can get all of that taken care
of right off the bat, so you're not digging into
that nest egg that you have built up. Or maybe
you're young and just starting out, maybe you don't have
(06:49):
those savings. You don't want to start even further in
the hole, especially if you have a student loan debt
with an accident or an injury that you know drives
up your medical bills. So having health insurance is not mandatory,
but if you think about the alternatives, it kind of is.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
It's a smart thing to do now. I know we
talk briefly about the deadlines, but I want to stress
how important it is open enrollment is now, but kind
of talk again about some of the deadlines that people
need to know about.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Yeah, okay, so again November or open enrollment runs from
November first to through January fifteenth. So if you enroll
before December fifteenth, your health plan will start New Year's
Day twenty twenty five. If you miss that deadline, you
still have time to enroll. Your health plan will just
start on February first, twenty twenty five. And open enrollment
(07:41):
is really that one time of year where the doors
are open for everybody to come in and enroll in
health insurance through Penny. If you miss the January fifteenth deadline,
now we're looking at a special enrollment period. So that's
the doors will only open if you have what is
called a qualifying life events. So if you lose your
coverage from your job, if you are no longer eligible
(08:06):
for Medicaid, if you move to Pennsylvania, if you get married,
if you at a child to the family. Those are
qualifying life events where you can enroll in health coverage.
But if you're not anticipating having those, you know, circumstances
that happen throughout the year. Open enrollment is really the
only time of year to enroll in health coverage. So
(08:28):
I encourage everybody to get to Penny dot com, p
E N n I E dot com before December fifteenth.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
All right, So we talked a little bit about some
of the changes. Specifically, there are any changes for the
Pittsburgh area Western Pa.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, Western Pa is definitely seeing some changes, and it's
really it just highlights the fact that it's important for
current Penny enrollees to come in at during open enrollment too.
It's not just a stative and forget it. And if
you are currently a Penny and roly come in. Make
(09:05):
sure you're still in the right plan. Update your income,
update your household information. If there's been any changes, maybe
you've had a child that is no longer on your
health plan, you need to update that kind of thing
within your Penny account. And plans and prices change every year,
so you want to make sure that you're getting the
right plan that fits your needs, that fits your budget
(09:28):
and there's also a positive that has happened this year
in Western PA. Certain counties are now offering platinum plans
and this is really great if you use your health
coverage a lot, and it's going to save you the
most in the long run. So there's different metal levels Bronze, silver, gold,
(09:49):
and now platinum in certain counties in Western PA.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
All right, so that, like you know, every Pennsylvanian is different,
So there's different needs and different plans, and it's all
available online at Penny do pe double nie dot com.
I really appreciate your time. It's always great to talk
to you. You're so you know, you speak so well
of what people need to know about Penny. But is
(10:12):
there any anything that we didn't cover that you think
Pennsylvanians need to know about Penny dot com?
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Again, this is all really overwhelming, right when you think
of health insurance and you know, trying to navigate that
entire process. I want you to know we spent twenty
twenty four Johnny like trying to best understand why someone
would want to go uninsured, and what we learned is
there's a huge knowledge gap between what people want in
(10:44):
their health insurance plan versus what they know Penny offers.
So eighty percent of the people that we surveyed want
preventative care covered for free. They want those doctor visits
and the screenings and vaccines to be covered for free.
But only forty percent of Pennsylvanians know that they can
(11:05):
get that health plan through Penny. And another eighty percent
said they want help understanding the process. They want help,
you know, figuring out which plan is best for them,
But only forty percent of you know, those that we
surveyed do that. Penny offers that free enrollment assistance. And
that's in the form of a variety of different ways,
(11:27):
but it can be absolutely in person, in an office,
in a health center, over the phone. There is free
help available. We've gotten an entire infrastructure of helpers out
there in Pennsylvania. I mean, think of mister Rogers. Look
for the helpers. The helpers are everywhere over around Pennsylvania
(11:50):
ready to help you in.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
All you have to do is raise your hand and go.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I know I need coverage and we can take you
from there all the way from infused to covered. And
all you have to do is go to Penny dot com,
p E N N I E dot com and right there,
right on the main page, there's a big blue bubble
that says get help. Click that and you're off to
the races. We can take care of you from there.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Look for the big blue bubble on penny dot com
p E N N I E dot com. Chachi Angelo
from Pennsylvania's health insurance marketplace Penny dot com, always good
to talk to you. Thank you for the info and
thank you for your time, my ma'am.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Thanks Johnny, always a pleasure in Happy holidays to you
and yours.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
This has been the CEOs You Should Know podcast, showcasing
businesses that are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's
commitment to the communities we serve. I'm Johnny Heartwell, thank
you so much for listen.
And welcome in. This is the CEO's You Should Know podcast.
I'm your host, Johnny Hartwell, let's say hello to Chachi
Angelo from Penny dot com, Pennsylvania's health insurance marketplace. Good
to see you again. How are you, sir, Johnny?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is becoming one of my favorite holiday traditions, hanging
out with you.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
So good to be back, Good to hang out.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
So tell us everything we need to know about Penny.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
All right, So Penny it's Pennsylvania's official health insurance marketplace.
It's where Pennsylvanians get the lowest costs on high quality
health plans. So Pennies for Pennsylvanians who do not have
access to other forms of health insurance. So you don't
get your health insurance from your job or Medicaid or Medicare,
(00:47):
Penny is for you. So think about the occupations or
the scenarios where you don't get health insurance from your job.
Maybe you work part time. Maybe you're a gig worker
for Uber, or you're delivering for door Dash. You are
a sole proprietor you're a small business owner. You're an
(01:08):
early retiree, so you're too young for medicare. Penny is
for you, and it's for nineteen year olds all the
way up to sixty four. So it is the marketplace
where folks can go and purchase a health insurance plan
that is high quality, that covers a comprehensive amount of situations.
(01:30):
And these are you know, health insurance plans from the
health insurance companies that you know. Only Penny is the
exclusive connection to federal tax credits, so that that will
lower your monthly payment.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
All right, So open enrollment is now. Is there a deadline?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So open enrollment runs November first to January fifteenth, But
if you want your health insurance plan to start on
New Year's Day twenty twenty five, you need to enroll
before December fifteenth. December fifteenth falls on US Sunday this year,
so it's very important to get it done before the
Sunday because you know, you get into the weekend role,
(02:13):
you start doing all of your holiday shopping. You got
to get in before December fifteenth. And that's Penny dot
com p E N N I E dot com.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
All right, So why should we go to Penny dot
com as opposed to maybe healthcare dot gov.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, healthcare dot gov if you go there they're going
to route you right back to Penny dot com. So
back in twenty twenty, Pennsylvania broke away from healthcare dot gov.
We say we can do this better. Obviously they've got
a spokesperson like me. We got, you know, we could
do this better than healthcare dot gov, and we really have.
We have better coordination with our Medicaid office and CHIP.
(02:48):
We are able to offer those same federal tax credits.
But we're able to be on the radio and hang
out with Johnny in Pennsylvania. There's not there's not representatives
from healthcare dot gov that's hanging out in Pittsburgh and
even knows how to speak in Pittsburgh. E's So we've
set up our own marketplace here in Pennsylvania, and so
(03:09):
you can go to healthcare dot gov, but it's going
to route you right back to Pennsylvania because we're the
official health insurance marketplace for Pennsylvania. So again we're connecting
you to the health insurance companies that you know right
there in Western Pa and all over the state. And
then we're also connecting you to those federal tax credits.
So these are health plans that you can purchase outside
(03:32):
of Penny but if you go through Penny, we can
connect you to those on the spot tax credits to
lower your monthly payments and potentially out of pocket costs
like copays, co insurance, deductibles, that sort of thing.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
All right, every Pennsylvania is every Pennsylvania is different. Every
Pennsylvania has different needs. Are there different plans and what
can you tell about those?
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, And that's what makes Penny so great is that
they're are options, there's choice, and you can see all
of those health plans in one spot. So if you
just go to Penny dot com p E N N
I e dot com, click on the savings calculator, it's
right on the main page.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And I do want to caution there.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Are you know, low quality plans and scams out there,
So if you just if you just google health insurance PA,
you might not land at the right spot. So it's
important that you go straight to Penny dot com p
E N N I e dot com and then you
click savings calculator and you can get an idea of
what you're going to be looking to pay and what
plans are available in your area, so you can you
(04:38):
can put in quick things like you know your birthday
and your income and where you live, your zip code,
and it's going to spit out some plans that are
available in your area. But if you want to get
more specific, you can put in your doctor, the hospital
that you like to go to. You can put in
your medications, your specific medications, and it's going to spit
(04:58):
out plans that are specific to your needs. And there's
varying levels and different payments, you know, depending on different
levels of what you're looking for and what fits your budget.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
But that's where.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Penny really can cater a health plan to your needs.
And it's an area and it's a website where you
can look at it all in one spot. Think of
it like the I don't know, the Expedia or the
Amazon of health insurance, where you can start to favorite
different health plans and then you can look at them
side by side. It makes it really easy to get
(05:33):
yourself health insurance because I really think, Johnny, when somebody
hears health insurance, they just shut down.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
They're like, I don't want anything to do with that.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Give me I don't want to, but I'm telling you,
Penny dot Com really makes it simple that you can
get the plan that works best for your needs.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Is it mandatory that all Pennsylvanians get health insurance?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
No?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
No, the individual mandate was eliminated I want to say,
maybe four or five years ago. So it's not mandatory
to have health insurance. But let's think about the alternatives.
You know, you are able to get medical care when
and how you need it. You can catch things early
because all health plans through Penny cover preventative care, so
(06:17):
that's checkups, screenings, vaccines, so you can treat health issues
early before they get out of hand.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Or you know, think about the alternative.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
If you don't have health insurance, now you're looking at
medical debt that is going to take you potentially years
to climb out of whenever. If you have that health
insurance plan, you can get all of that taken care
of right off the bat, so you're not digging into
that nest egg that you have built up. Or maybe
you're young and just starting out, maybe you don't have
(06:49):
those savings. You don't want to start even further in
the hole, especially if you have a student loan debt
with an accident or an injury that you know drives
up your medical bills. So having health insurance is not mandatory,
but if you think about the alternatives, it kind of is.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
It's a smart thing to do now. I know we
talk briefly about the deadlines, but I want to stress
how important it is open enrollment is now, but kind
of talk again about some of the deadlines that people
need to know about.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Yeah, okay, so again November or open enrollment runs from
November first to through January fifteenth. So if you enroll
before December fifteenth, your health plan will start New Year's
Day twenty twenty five. If you miss that deadline, you
still have time to enroll. Your health plan will just
start on February first, twenty twenty five. And open enrollment
(07:41):
is really that one time of year where the doors
are open for everybody to come in and enroll in
health insurance through Penny. If you miss the January fifteenth deadline,
now we're looking at a special enrollment period. So that's
the doors will only open if you have what is
called a qualifying life events. So if you lose your
coverage from your job, if you are no longer eligible
(08:06):
for Medicaid, if you move to Pennsylvania, if you get married,
if you at a child to the family. Those are
qualifying life events where you can enroll in health coverage.
But if you're not anticipating having those, you know, circumstances
that happen throughout the year. Open enrollment is really the
only time of year to enroll in health coverage. So
(08:28):
I encourage everybody to get to Penny dot com, p
E N n I E dot com before December fifteenth.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
All right, So we talked a little bit about some
of the changes. Specifically, there are any changes for the
Pittsburgh area Western Pa.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, Western Pa is definitely seeing some changes, and it's
really it just highlights the fact that it's important for
current Penny enrollees to come in at during open enrollment too.
It's not just a stative and forget it. And if
you are currently a Penny and roly come in. Make
(09:05):
sure you're still in the right plan. Update your income,
update your household information. If there's been any changes, maybe
you've had a child that is no longer on your
health plan, you need to update that kind of thing
within your Penny account. And plans and prices change every year,
so you want to make sure that you're getting the
right plan that fits your needs, that fits your budget
(09:28):
and there's also a positive that has happened this year
in Western PA. Certain counties are now offering platinum plans
and this is really great if you use your health
coverage a lot, and it's going to save you the
most in the long run. So there's different metal levels Bronze, silver, gold,
(09:49):
and now platinum in certain counties in Western PA.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
All right, so that, like you know, every Pennsylvanian is different,
So there's different needs and different plans, and it's all
available online at Penny do pe double nie dot com.
I really appreciate your time. It's always great to talk
to you. You're so you know, you speak so well
of what people need to know about Penny. But is
(10:12):
there any anything that we didn't cover that you think
Pennsylvanians need to know about Penny dot com?
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Again, this is all really overwhelming, right when you think
of health insurance and you know, trying to navigate that
entire process. I want you to know we spent twenty
twenty four Johnny like trying to best understand why someone
would want to go uninsured, and what we learned is
there's a huge knowledge gap between what people want in
(10:44):
their health insurance plan versus what they know Penny offers.
So eighty percent of the people that we surveyed want
preventative care covered for free. They want those doctor visits
and the screenings and vaccines to be covered for free.
But only forty percent of Pennsylvanians know that they can
(11:05):
get that health plan through Penny. And another eighty percent
said they want help understanding the process. They want help,
you know, figuring out which plan is best for them,
But only forty percent of you know, those that we
surveyed do that. Penny offers that free enrollment assistance. And
that's in the form of a variety of different ways,
(11:27):
but it can be absolutely in person, in an office,
in a health center, over the phone. There is free
help available. We've gotten an entire infrastructure of helpers out
there in Pennsylvania. I mean, think of mister Rogers. Look
for the helpers. The helpers are everywhere over around Pennsylvania
(11:50):
ready to help you in.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
All you have to do is raise your hand and go.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I know I need coverage and we can take you
from there all the way from infused to covered. And
all you have to do is go to Penny dot com,
p E N N I E dot com and right there,
right on the main page, there's a big blue bubble
that says get help. Click that and you're off to
the races. We can take care of you from there.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Look for the big blue bubble on penny dot com
p E N N I E dot com. Chachi Angelo
from Pennsylvania's health insurance marketplace Penny dot com, always good
to talk to you. Thank you for the info and
thank you for your time, my ma'am.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Thanks Johnny, always a pleasure in Happy holidays to you
and yours.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
This has been the CEOs You Should Know podcast, showcasing
businesses that are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's
commitment to the communities we serve. I'm Johnny Heartwell, thank
you so much for listen.
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