This is the time of year when people are applying for HSA eligible health plans with the most advantageous effective dates of January 1. One of the things that is important to understand when applying for an HSA, is what medical expenses are considered to be qualified medical expenses and thus will go against your [...]
Archive for November, 2011
Smoking Driving Up Health Insurance Costs
The American Cancer Society marks the 36th Great American Smokeout today by encouraging smokers to make a plan to quit smoking. This gives many smokers the motivation to start their path towards a healthier life. Not only will quitting decrease their cancer risk, but it can end up saving them money on life and health [...]
TexanPlus HMO
There is less than three weeks left in Medicare open enrollment period. The next Medicare health plan to be profiled is one that is available exclusively to Medicare beneficiaries in Texas. The plan is called TexanPlus HMO. TexanPlus is Medicare Advantage plan offered by Universal American Insurance Company. There are three TexanPlus plan options; 1) [...]
Regence MedAdvantage by Regence Blue Shield
We are in the midst of Medicare open enrollment — which runs through December 7th this year — so we thought we would profile a number of Medicare Advantage plans for our readers. The first of these such plans is Regence Medadvantage, a Medicare Advantage PPO offered by Regence Blue Shield of Washington. There are [...]
Fit2Fat2Fit Challenge From Drew Manning
You may have heard about the personal trainer Drew Manning and his Fit2Fat2Fit Challenge. This is an incredibly interesting story about a trainer who wants to connect with his clients on a deeper level and has put his health at risk to prove he is committed to helping America get healthier. He’s been on Good [...]
When To Pass On Your Employer’s Health Plan
Many Americans consider themselves lucky to have an employer that offers a health insurance plan, but Linda Stern urges employees to take a closer look at their employer’s benefits before automatically going with their insurance. In her article “When To Skip Your Employer’s Health Plan” on Reuters.com, Stern talks about how she has skipped her [...]
Compass by HealthPartners
Compass is a new individual health insurance plan offered by HealthPartners. Compass is unique because it offers a support program called Member Assistance Program – or MAP – which provides coverage for counseling for life’s difficult non-medical situations such as job stress, divorce, substance abuse for example. Stress and anxiety can worsen and potentially lead [...]
What Kind of Health Insurance Do the Duggars Have?
The Duggar family of Arkansas announced this week that they are expecting their twentieth child. This comes with a swarm of controversy since their 19th child was born very prematurely and both lives were at risk. With this said, doctors are saying Michelle Duggar is healthy at 45 years of age and will likely have [...]
Ohio Health Insurance Fighting Reform
Health care reform continues to be a hot topic throughout the nation, and Ohio health insurance is taking a stand. The article “Ohio’s Battle for Health Care Freedom” by Ed Meese and Jack Painter on Politico.com talks about what is driving Ohioans to fight against Obama’s health care reform bill. A recent poll shows that [...]
Health Premium Tax May Increase Coverage Rates
Everyone is expecting to see health insurance rates increase somewhat, but individuals who purchase health insurance through small-employer markets may see an increase as high as 3.7% over the next decade simply due to a new tax that takes effect in 2014. This information is based on a study completed by US insurance companies according [...]
