Health Insurance Blog

According to a recent research report written by Debra A. Donahue of Mark Farrah and Associates, the individual health insurance marketplace is growing.  As of the end of Q2 2009, national individual health insurance enrollment totaled about 9.7 Million, up from about 9.6 Million from the previous year.  This enrollment does not include those individuals enrolled in Medicare Health Plans, or other state sponsored Programs.  Part of this growth is being fueled by high unemployment rates and less people having access to group sponsored plans.

The report makes it crystal clear that Wellpoint is the largest and most dominant player in the individual health insurance marketplace, albeit partly due to their large geographic footprint, covering 15 states.

The top 5 health plans ranked by enrollment in individual health plans include:

1. Wellpoint - with enrollment of over 2.25 Million (23% market share)
2. HCSC (Health Care Services Corporation) - 670,000 (7%)
3. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida - 370,000 (4%)
4. Kaiser Foundation Health Plans - 344,000 (4%), down 12% from previous year
5. Humana - 336,000 (4%), up 28% from previous year

Humana increased the number of states it offered it HumanaOne individual health insurance plan from 15 states to 24 states in March 2008, which accounted for their large increase in enrollment.

Wellpoint and HCSC are both health insurance companies that offer Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Plans in multiple states.  Wellpoint includes 15 BCBS licensees, and HCSC 4.

According to their website, Humana has 9 million members across the country, 4 million of which are Medicare members.  Many choose Humana as their number one choice for their Medigap supplemental insurance because they have affordable options as well as valuable experience.

Humana is a Fortune 100 company with 50 years of experience in the health insurance field.  They also have many benefits at no extra cost which many members find invaluable.  MyHumana is a personal, secure page on their site with health tips, your personal health record and medication history.  SmartSummary and Smart Summary Rx is a monthly record detailing your benefits and tips to lower monthly spending.  They also have special clinical programs to help manage various chronic health conditions.

Those shopping for Medicare supplements can choose from Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Prescription Drug plans, and Medicare Supplement Plans to meet your needs.  It’s worth getting Humana insurance quotes to save yourself time and money.

According to Medigapadvisors.com, Humana One is a Fortune 100 company with 50 years experience in health care and is committed to offering great benefits, wellness programs, and excellent customer service.  Humana is generally known for offering Part D prescription coverage but they also offer Medicare supplement insurance plans in many states. 

Humana One, which is a division of Humana, Inc, is one of the largest publicly traded health insurance companies.  With them offering medicare supplement insurance it broadens their customer base.  You can find the plan that suits you best by reviewing many of the benefits which include basic benefits, skilled nursing coinsurance, foreign travel insurance, at-home recovery and preventative care. 

Not all plans are available in all states, but you can order a brochure to compare benefits and costs.  It’s important to understand what benefits will bring you value when looking at the differing costs of each plan.  Medicare supplement insurance can be overwhelming, but very helpful in times of need.

According to the article “Humana Profit Rises 65% Despite Commercial Falloff” by The Associated Press on the NYTimes.com, Humana One posted a significant profit because of an increase in membership and premiums from Medicare Advantage. 

Humana’s quarterly revenue increased by 8% as enrollment rose 11% from last year in its Medicare Advantage.  Enrollment in its plans sold to employers dropped by 7.6% from a year ago.  This contributed to a pretax loss in their commercial segment.  Many health insurance companies are suffering as employer-sponsored health coverage plans drop because of layoffs and companies going out of business.  In October, the 3 largest publicly traded health insurers, incliding United Health Group, WellPoint and Aetna, reported 3rd quarter results which were below expectations.

Humana says it spent approximately $5 million on swine flu related costs in the 3rd quarter.  The chief financial officer said the company expected a heavier swine flu season for the 4th quarter.  Now more than ever it’s crucial to ensure you have proper health insurance coverage.  You can get Humana insurance quotes online to see if you can save some money and get insured.

According to Humana’s website, Humana health insurance is providing the highly anticipated H1N1 flu vaccine for its members. 

They announced that they will be covering the administration costs for all fully insured members, including those who have plans which exclude immunizations.  All co-pays and deductibles will be waived when the vaccine is received regardless of the preventative services benefit which is offered in these members’ plans. 

Lisa Weaver, MD, Humana segment vice president of clinical strategies stated that the safety and well being of members and the country is of the utmost concern for Humana health insurance.  Their initial focus is to encourage the CDC-identified priority groups to receive the H1N1 vaccine as quickly as possible. 

Humana is working hard to get members the ability to receive the vaccination.  They are monitoring and responding to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who are closely tracking the spread of the virus.  For the most current H1N1 information visit the CDC’s website.  To become a Humana member and receive a Humana quote visit www.healthinsurancesort.com.

According to the article “Medicare Advantage Premiums Expected to Rise 25% Next Year” by Jane Zhang for The Wall Street Journal online, premiums that seniors pay for Medicare Advantage are increasing.  This is mostly because insurance companies are cancelling many plans that carry no premiums in response to new federal guidelines. 

Humana Health Insurance Inc is setting up networks for its Private Fee for Service insurance plans and consolidating them next year.  Humana will have 149 Private Fee for Service Plans, which is down from 173 in 2009.  Humana made other changes such as the special needs plans which targets sicker people enrolled. 

The number of Medicare Advantage plans will drop by approximately 40% in total.  This is according to an Avalere analysis of Medicare data.  Some consumers will see their plans change dramatically and others will see their plans simply go away.  It’s important they are prepared for what changes may impact them directly.

In September, Humana Inc. released 7 new videos in their well known series “Stay Smart, Stay Healthy”, according to the Humana website. 

This series is designed to help those looking for Humana quotes and health care, better understand how health insurance works.  It also covers factors that go into the costs of health insurance.  The options for health insurance in America have become much more diverse over the years and so has Humana’s products.  Humana’s short and informative videos can be viewed by consumers to answer common questions. 

Continuous interest in these videos encouraged Humana to make more health care videos.  They now offer Spanish translations and they can easily be shared through email, bookmarking sites and social sites.  Videos are available at staysmartstayhealthy.com and You Tube where they have been ranked highly among educational content because of the fun and easy-to-understand format.  Humana continues to be dedicated to educating the public on their health care options.

During Nationwide Tour’s Utah Championship September 11-13, Humana Health Insurance, the official health benefits company of the PGA Tour, provided pedometers to all spectators to encourage healthy exercise.  This is according to an article on Humana’s website in their Newsroom. 

The promotion, called Walk it Tee to Green, advised spectators to chart how many steps they took throughout the Championship walking throughout the Willow Creek Country Club.  Everyone who reached 7,000 steps were entered into a drawing to win an iPod, and anyone who walked 10,000 steps were entered into a drawing for a iPod Touch.

Humana Health Insurance has brought the Walk it Tee to Green promotion to three other PGA Tours, including The Valero Texas Open, the HP Byron Nelson Championship, and the Stanford St. Jude Championship this year.  The total number of steps taken at these events was 9 million steps which is about 4,621 miles.  This amount of walking burned off about 406,732 calories.  Walking is one of the best exercises to keep Americans healthy and Humana Health Insurance is supporting this initiative to promote healthier living.

Humana Health Insurance’s website has useful health and wellness articles including one in particular entitled “Couch Potatoes - Here’s Food for Thought”.  This article is encouraging members to exercise for many different reasons. 

The article points out that being a “couch potato” can be deadly.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the underlying causes of deadly diseases can often be prevented by lifestyle changes.  The American Diabetes Association states that 300,000 deaths a year are because of obesity related illnesses.  Small changes in your lifestyle may extend your life.

In the article it discusses the high cost of living an unhealthy life with no exercise.  High blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes are expensive to treat.  There are high costs associated with pills, tests, medical procedures and other high-tech services.  In many cases, the healthier you are, the lower your Humana quotes will be.  It’s encouraging to know that our health is mostly in our hands, but it takes dedication and consistency over time to see significant changes.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Plans to sell individual health insurance plans via storefront on a larger scale in the future. BCBSFL who has had an operational health insurance storefront in Pembroke Pines for more than a year plans to expand to five to eight stores across the state.

Individual health insurance have become much more popular health insurance alternatives as the recession has cost thousands their employer sponsored health coverage.

• Aetna reports that their individual health insurance sales in Florida are up 22% over the past 6 months.
• BCBS Florida’s individual health insurance “requests” are up 15% over the past 8 months.

While some say that individual health plans are the least cost effective for the customer because of high administrative costs, they can be quite effective and inexpensive for the young and healthy in particular.

Other similar health insurance storefronts in Florida include an AvMed store in Hollywood aimed at Medicare Seniors, and about a dozen Humana stores across the state.

More about Florida health insurance.