Ohio Governor Ted Strickland wants to enact a cap on individual health insurance premiums, according to an Associated Press article. In order to cover up to 52,000 uninsured individuals, Ohio health insurance companies will not be allowed to charge more than one and one-half times (150%) the lowest amount they would charge to someone of [...]
Archive for February, 2009
Anthem Blue Cross Forced to Reinstate Health Insurance Policies
Bobby Caina Calvan from the Sacramento Bee reports that the state of California has settled with Anthem Blue Cross regarding its cancellation of individual health insurance policies. The settlement requires that the insurer reinstate coverage for those whose policies were unfairly rescinded between 2004 and 2008, regardless of any medical conditions they may have. Qualified [...]
COBRA Alternatives For Your Individual Health Insurance
While COBRA is helpful as individual health insurance to those who have been laid off, it is temporary and far more expensive than employer-sponsored health insurance, says Enhanced Online News. Even though the economic stimulus package proposes to pay up to half the cost of COBRA premiums for one year, one of several alternatives may [...]
Limited Benefit Plans in Colorado Get Green Light
House Bill 1143, a Bill that would allow HMOs in Colorado to offer limited benefit plans, received bi-partisan support from the house on Tuesday. Although the Bill doesn’t specifically lay out what the limited benefit structure would be but Republican Spenser Swalm as well as other supporters believe benefits would be capped in the $30,000 [...]
Wisconsin To Regulate Individual Health Insurance Policies?
State legislators in Wisconsin want to tighten individual health insurance regulations, reports Guy Bolton in the Milwalkee Journal-Sentinel. Currently, medical coverage can be denied or taken away if a person fails to disclose any pre-existing medical condition. The bill, which is supported by the state’s Insurance Commissioner, is said to be more consumer-friendly. For example, [...]
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida – Cover Florida Program
According to the Palm Beach Post, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSFL) has enrolled a paltry 266 Florida residents in the Cover Florida Program since in inception at the turn of the year. The Cover Florida Program, as previously discussed here, is a program championed by Governor Charlie Christ to help Florida’s 4 million [...]
ICHIP: Last Resort For Illinois Health Insurance
Judith Graham from the Chicago Tribune recently wrote about the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan, and its coverage for those individuals unable to buy Illinois health insurance elsewhere. There is a cap on the number of people that can enroll (currently almost 6,000) in order to ensure that its costs are fully covered by state [...]
Minnesota Health Insurance For Unemployed
In a recent press release, Medica has announced that they are launching a public information program to help Minnesota residents who have lost their jobs find affordable health insurance options. Minnesota’s unemployment rate was 6.9% and growing as of the end of 2008. In a nutshell, the objective of the program is to let Minnesota [...]
Increased New York Health Insurance Taxes
The New York State legislature has approved an increase in health insurance taxes to reduce the budget deficit, according to Alphonso O’Neil-White in the Buffalo News. Approximately $350 million worth of “patient services surcharges” and “covered lives assessments” (among other names for the fees) will be added to the already expensive cost of New York [...]
Health Insurance Coverage for Children in NC
The bill that will provide government sponsored health insurance to millions of low-income children across the country was signed into law by President Obama earlier this week. Currently about 7 million children nationally receive health insurance through state funded programs, but millions still fall through the cracks and remain uninsured. Estimates project that this program [...]
