Health Insurance Blog

Finding a full package of Medicare that is right for you can be very challenging, but UnitedHealthcare makes it a little easier for Medicare eligible applicants.  Not only does UnitedHealthcare have their own line of Medicare plans and Medicare Advantage plans through Secure Horizons, but they back plans through AARP.

AARP Medicare Supplements offer all of the basic plans that supplement Medicare to make it a complete health insurance package.  They even have unique optional benefits which make the plans stand out as a great value.  Some of these benefits include dental coverage for preventative care, vision coverage for annual exams, and eye wear, coverage for hearing tests and hearing aids, as well as the fitness rider which provides access to the SilverSneakers Fitness Program.  This includes a fitness club membership, health education, trainers specializing in senior fitness.

There is an outstanding tool on the AARP Medicare website which helps seniors choose the plan that best suits their needs.  This can be invaluable as many are confused by all the medicare supplement options out there.  It can compare benefits, estimate costs as well as contrast the additional benefits so the plan you choose is tailored to your needs.  Definitely worth checking out if you are in the market for a Medicare supplement plan.

According to the article “Workers Absorb More of the Rising Cost of Health Care, Survey Shows” by Joanne Kenen on health.newamerica.net, a new survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that overall health insurance costs went up by about 3% in 2010 and nearly all of the extra costs were passed on to the workers, rather than the employers offering the health insurance policies. 

This is very discouraging news as many workers saw no increase in their wages, and many were laid off.  A PPO insurance quote was higher this year as well.  PPOs remain popular as they enroll about 58% of covered workers.  The average PPO family premium was up to $14,000 for a family policy.  More than 1 in 4 covered workers have high deductibles as well, which are often $1000 or more per policy.  Rates are even high for smaller businesses, up to 46% higher.

Even copays increased this year from $20 to $22 for primary care, and from $28 to $31 for specialty care.  These small increases really add up overtime and are definitely affecting consumers.  There needs to be more comparison shopping available for a PPO or HMO insurance quote to encourage health insurance companies to be more competitive and bring overall costs down, or at least keep them stagnant.  Health insurance costs are going up much quicker than their wages and it will quickly be felt in their paychecks, if it hasn’t already. 

Choosing personalized health insurance to fit your lifestyle should be a priority.  There is no reason to pay for benefits that you will never use.  Mega Health Insurance prides itself on personalizing health and supplemental insurance plans that can be tailored to meet the consumer’s specific needs.

Many health insurance companies are steering in this direction.  Building a specific health insurance package for the individual is a unique way to meet customers’ needs.  They can even consider price to fit any size budget.  That is invaluable in today’s environment where consumer’s are saving as much as they can.

Mega Health Insurance offers programs for almost anyone, including families, individual health insurance, small business plans, and plans for those who are self employed.  There’s also convenient supplemental insurance options to save even more money.  You can add certain benefits to a base plan as you need them so you aren’t paying for benefits you don’t need.  This extra coverage can mean everything if you are hit hard with health care expenses.  With health care costs rising quickly, this is an extremely beneficial feature.

There is great news for Medicare recipients who smoke, but would like to quit.  According to the article “Medicare Adds Tobacco Cessation Counseling Coverage” by Terry Martin on quit.smoking.about.com, Medicare will start paying for tobacco cessation counseling as of January 1, 2011.

This new benefit is part of the Affordable Care Act and also includes other benefits such as colerectal cancer screening and mammograms.  Under this new provision, smokers who receive Medicare will be able to take advantage of four counseling sessions for every quit attempt, up to two quit attempts per year, and eight counseling sessions total.  This counseling sessions have been proven effective and should help many Medicare recipients quit smoking.

There is going to be two levels of counseling available depending on the need of the smoker.  Intermediate counseling will involve face to face contact with a counselor for 3-10 minutes per session, and intensive counseling which will be more than 10 minutes.  They type of counseling received will be left up to the patient and the doctor and the individual’s needs.  Previously, Medicare and a Medicare supplement plan did cover this type of counseling but only after a smoking-related disease was diagnosed.  This preventative measure will hopefully prevent many diseases from ever being diagnosed in the first place.

During this time of economic transition, it can be challenging to know who you can trust.  Health insurance is undergoing a huge overhaul and health insurance companies are working hard to keep up.  This is the time where having a big name health insurer will come in handy.  You know a company such as State Farm Health Insurance will maintain their high standard of care during these tricky times.

State Farm understands how hard it is to shop around for health insurance quotes and they make it easier by offering an extremely user-friendly website.  They know protecting your family is your main priority and they have the products available to make this possible.  They have individual medical coverage, Medicare supplement insurance, Medicare Part D coverage, as well as hospital income coverage, also known as Supplemental Medical.

Benefits may be paid through State Farm for necessary hospitalization, accidental injury, outpatient surgery, extended care, and intensive care.  And of course it’s a name and brand you know you can trust and count on.  If you are in the market for health insurance be sure you do your homework, especially now.  Many insurance companies are nervous for the transition and may be cutting benefits and increasing premiums to the point that you are not getting value.  Continue to shop around for health insurance quotes, even if you already have adequate coverage.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida offers a unique program for the individual under 65 years of age.  Go Blue Florida health insurance offers a health services card which targets the working uninsured in the state of Florida.  Many are finding this inexpensive health coverage extremely valuable as it covers individuals and their families.

According to the Go Blue health insurance article found on echealthinsurance.com, one in four Florida residents under 65 is currently uninsured.  This is based on a recent report released by the Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board.  This statistic is very concerning, but programs such as Go Blue give these uninsured residents options.  Go Blue provides access to a large variety of medical services and is aimed towards the working uninsured and early retirees with household incomes from $25k-$50k per year.

Go Blue also offers complementary coverage for those who only have catastrophic coverage, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida’s Hospital/Surgical product.  Go Blue ranges in cost from $18-$59 per month based on age.  The plans are non-medically underwritten and offer payment towards doctor office services, preventative care and basic deal services and prescriptions.  It’s a very flexible plan for those searching for a fitting health insurance plan and health insurance quotes.

Humana One health insurance is known for having a variety of health plan options to choose from.  In today’s environment, with changing health insurance, this is more important than ever.  They also have many discount programs that apply to a range of consumers.

One of the more popular type of plans is Copay Plans which offers coverage that has features similar to employer sponsored health insurance plans.  This type of plan has copays for illness and injury in-network doctor visits as well as prescription drug coverage.

Another type of plan is the 100% After Deductible Plan which pays for most in-network expenses after the deductible is met.  This group of plans gives the widest choice of options for deductibles.  Other options are Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s) and Short Term Medical Plans which have proven very beneficial for the right consumer.  It’s important to understand your needs before you make any health insurance plan choices.  You can obtain Humana Insurance quotes quickly and easily to see what works best for you.

Florida health insurance is more important than ever as big changes are coming their way.  It’s been shown that individual health insurance is becoming more popular as group health insurance plan costs soar according to Mary Saiz, Director of Individual Sales for Vista Health Plans.  In addition, many employers are eliminating plans altogether to help cut costs and affect their bottom line.

With this information it’s no wonder that individual health insurance plans are growing in Florida.  Vista Health Plans of South Florida is one of the few health insurance HMO carriers that offers these types of plans and has the 2nd largest individual HMO membership in Florida.

Saiz also points out on the Vista website, that individual health insurance policies throughout Florida are medically underwritten.  This is important to the consumer since it allows the insurer to maintain the best possible rates.  Cost continues to be the most important factor in a health insurance policy, especially during these economically tough times.  More and more Florida residents are shopping around to ensure they are getting the best deal they can on health insurance.

The state of Louisiana has a break coming their way in terms of health insurance.  According to the article “White House: Louisiana Awarded $1 Million From Health Care Act” found on BayouBuzz.com, Louisiana health insurance is getting some help.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the $1 million award to Louisiana to help with the recent health insurance premium increases felt across the state.  Louisiana plans on using this funding from The Affordable Care Act to improve the oversight of health insurance rates increasing.  This involves ensuring Louisiana residents receive value for their premiums paid, and can take action against insurance companies looking to implement unreasonable rate increases.

The Affordable Care Act is providing states with $250 million in health insurance premium review grants over the course of five years to assist in creating a more level playing field with health insurance companies.  Applications for the first round of grants were made available this past June and many are looking to take advantage of this government benefit.

According to the article “Telemarketers Gull the Vulnerable, FTC Says” by Adam Klasfeld on Courthouse News Service, 4 telemarketing companies have defrauded consumers by selling fake medical discount plans as health insurance and charging up to $259 per month for it.

The FTC has sued the four companies and the 3 people who own them.  The companies include the Consumer Health Benefits Association, National Benefits Consultants, National Benefits Solutions, and National Association for Americans.  Many of the victims these companies targeted were uninsured because of pre-existing conditions or they lost their job and were drawn to the idea of lower health insurance quotes.

The defendants knew how to lure in their victims and used common health insurance terms such as ppo health insurance, deductibles, co-pays, and network to sound legitimate.  They also claim that they work closely with major health insurance companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield to gain the victim’s trust.  Consumers must watch out for health insurance scams, especially now during these tough times when people are desperate to make a buck and save money.