Health Insurance Blog

President Obama called for a rare meeting with lawmakers as part of a last effort to revive his health care priority.  The debate lasted all day and there wasn’t a resolution but voices were heard.  Obama gave his personal experiences with individual health insurance, including his mother’s battle with cancer.  He appealed to the fact that the health care system is not getting better, but only worse.

The Republicans main argument was that the existing reform bills didn’t do anything to lower costs.  The bills are estimated to cost 1 trillion dollars over the next decade.  The Democrats pointed out that it is going to be costly initially to extend coverage to nearly 30 million uninsured Americans.  Republicans fear a government system taking over a mostly private sector.

There was agreement that there are fundamental differences between the two parties that are causing the major rift.  The Democrats are still hoping to revive the comprehensive bills that have passed the House and Senate but Republicans are clear that they do not do comprehensive very well.  The debate continues even longer.  This information was obtained from the article “Obama and Republicans Haggle in Last-Gasp Health Summit” found on earthtimes.org.

Health savings accounts are a useful tool many consumers can use to save wisely.  A health savings account (HSA) is an alternative to a traditional health insurance policy.  It can be used along with your health insurance as well.  It’s a savings account that allows you to pay for health care items out of this account specifically.

HSAs make it possible for you to pay current health care expenses and save for future expenses on a tax-free basis.  Many employers and insurance companies such as State Farm Health Insurance offer HSAs.  In order to take advantage of this type of plan you must have a High Deductible Health Plan which generally costs less than traditional health insurance.  They money that you save on monthly premiums can be placed into your savings account.

There are many benefits to taking advantage of an HSA.  You own and control what goes into your HSA.  You make decisions on how to spend the money on the HSA, as long as it is an approved medical expense.  You can also control the type of investments you put your money into.  Look into getting a HSA if you think it will work for you.

Anthem Blue Cross which is a subsidiary of WellPoint, INC has notified some policyholders in California, Maine, Oregon and other states that individual health insurance rates are going to increase.  This is according to the article “Individual Insurance Rates Soar in 4 States” by The Associated Press on msnbc.com.

In California the rates are to increase up to 39% by March 1.  This is going to be devastating to many individuals who are already struggling to pay bills.  In Maine they are asking for increases up to 23% this year.  Last year alone they increased rates in Maine by 32%.  In Oregon many health insurance companies were granted rate increases of 15% or more this year after about 25% increases from last year.

Health insurance quotes are much more volatile for individual policies when compared to policies under employers and other large groups.  Those types of groups often have bargaining tools and a large pool of people to spread out the risk.  This makes it tough for those who aren’t part of groups and must get individual health insurance.  These rates increases are going to hurt a lot of people financially.

Geisinger Health Plan has an extremely useful website which offers tools for their members to better their health.  Their main goal is that their members have positive and comfortable encounters as they navigate the website and use the various services available.

Some of the tools offered on the website include health librarians available to answer questions, CareCost estimator to assist with health care finances, viewing and paying bills online, patient rights and responsibilities and help for teens and young adults.

The Teen Help option is a proactive approach to keeping teens safe.  They offer hotlines for AIDS, runaways, STD’s, suicide prevention, pregnancy care, and domestic violence.  It is sponsored by the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Task Force and supported by Geisinger Health Insurance.  You can sign up online to receive additional information on Geisinger Health Plans and their various tools and services.

Anthem Blue Cross is delaying their proposed rate increase to their California individual health insurance customers after much criticism, and a request by the California Department of Insurance.

The proposed health insurance rate increase would have raised monthly premiums for some members by as much as 39%.  According to Anthem the rate increase represents anticipated medical costs.

Regulators do not believe the sizable rate increase is justified given how profitable parent company Wellpoint was in 2009.

Situations like these, where health insurance companies have been coming off record profits, and then request significant rate increases based on actuarial data are not endearing themselves to the American public, and to politicians looking to solve the country’s health care issues.

According to the article “Married, with Benefits: California Mom Terri Carlson Starts Will Marry For Health Insurance Web Site” by Rosemary Black on nydailynews.com, a woman desperate for good health insurance because of a chronic condition has started a campaign online to get a husband with excellent health insurance.

Finding health insurance has not been easy for Terri Carlson because she hasn’t been in the work force long enough to qualify for social security, but her COBRA is about to expire in May.  She has an autoimmune disease which prevents her body from fighting infections so she needs to take 10-20 different prescriptions everyday.  She knows that finding individual health insurance for herself will not be easy.

The 45 year old divorced mom did realize though, that if she married a man with excellent health benefits she could automatically be placed on their health insurance policy and her problems are solved.  Well, her old problems are solved.  It seems like she may have a new list of problems if she marries a stranger just for health insurance coverage.  This just goes to show how important health care reform really is.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama now offers health and dental coverage for children and young adults from birth to age 24.  According to their website, your child may be eligible if he or she is a resident of Alabama, is not eligible for Medicare, and they meet certain health underwriting guidelines.

This is a fantastic program offered through BCBSAL.  The plan covers doctor’s visits, emergency room visits, prescription drugs, lab tests, outpatient surgery, hospital costs, ambulance services, physical therapy, allergy testing, mental health treatment and many more.

Ages 0-14 can get health insurance quotes as low as $76/mos and ages 15-24 can pay as little as $80/mos.  You can easily add dental coverage as well for as low as $17/mos.  During a time where individual health insurance and family plans can be challenging to find at an affordable price, this is a program that will benefit many.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is offering Blue Care Dental PPO to their existing individual health plan members.  Through January 29, 2010 (approaching rapidly) existing members can add this dental coverage to their policies without having to answer any medical questions.

New BCBSIL applicants who wish to add the dental coverage going forward simply have to check a box on their health insurance application which indicate that they are interested in dental coverage.

More information about Illinois health insurance.

The online AARP Bulletin Today has a plethora of health care reform information for their members to sort through.  Many members are fearful of how their medicare and AARP Medicare supplements will be affected by health care reform if it passes.  The article “Lost in the Rhetoric: New Gains for Medicare Beneficiaries” by Susan Jaffe clears up some of the confusion.

The article points out that proposed legislation could offer additional benefits and more flexibility for improved Medicare.  Both the House and Senate health care bills would reduce overpayments to private insurance companies offering Medicare Advantage plans.  In the Senate bill there is a provision that guarantees that no basic Medicare benefits would be removed and that the savings are to be used to improve health care.

There are also some additional benefits being added to Medicare for free.  These include mammograms and colonoscopies, two of the most important tests for seniors.  There will also be annual medical checkups for Medicare beneficiaries free of charge.  Overall the proposed bills are trying to make Medicare and individual health insurance simpler and more affordable for Americans.  It’s still in a wait and see stage.

According to the article “Covering the Bases: Possible Options If You Miss Open Enrollment” by Amy Rubino on hometownglenburnie.com, there is no annual open enrollment period for Medicare Supplement Insurance medigap plans, similar to purchasing individual health insurance.

Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Plans have certain times you can enroll but it’s a little different for Medigap plans, which are designed to fill in the missing pieces of Original Medicare.  The article points out that the best time to think about enrolling in a Medigap plan is within the first 6 months that you are both age 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B.

The reason this is the best time is because during this 6 month period the health insurance company that sells you the Medigap policy cannot refuse to sell you a plan and cannot charge you more because of pre-existing conditions.  There are also some other specific situations that would grant you guaranteed right to purchase a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan regardless of your health conditions.