Health Insurance Blog

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.

Health exchanges are included in Congress’s recent health care reform bill.  The article “Health Exchanges: What are They” on healthcentral.com defines a health exchange as a government sponsored market for buying health insurance.  It would be available to people not working for large companies and not on Medicaid, Medicare or any other public program.  Health care reform would result in approximately 30 million Americans using health exchanges to receive their health insurance.

This type of program has pros and cons.  It’s based on the philosophy of managed competition.  Only pre-approved health plans which meet government standards may compete in the health exchanges.  There is much debate over who would control these exchanges.  It can be controlled at state level or national level or a mixture of both.  There would need to be a consistent and fair way to get consumers affordable health insurance quotes.

The article “Collaborate on Health Exchanges” by Gary Lauer on USA Today’s site points out that America is so diverse, and no single approach is going to meet every consumer need.  In order for such a system to work, it will require a collaborative effort to get eligible Americans enrolled into exchanges quickly and smoothly and have significantly more people insured, which is Congress’ ultimate goal.

The Senate voted for health care reform last week and changes are just around the corner.  According to the article “Senate Approves Health Care Bill” by Robert Pear on nytimes.com, the passing of the bill will guarantee individual health insurance to millions of Americans and also keep health care costs down.

The new bill has many parts to it but one of the main points is that it would require most Americans to carry health insurance and it would add 15 million people to Medicaid to subsidize private coverage for low and middle income residents.  The budget office believes the bill would offer coverage to about 31 million uninsured Americans but still leave an unsettling 23 million uninsured by 2019.

If this bill does end up becoming a law it will be a major milestone in US history.  This initiative does not carry full support from both sides of Congress which makes it even more complicated.  Only one Republican voted for the House bill last month and in regards to the Senate version, no Republicans voted for that.  This my end up being counterproductive as government tries to improve our health care system.

Clark County Nevada commissioners are discussing making the only public hospital in Las Vegas private according to the article “County Talks of Privatizing Vegas Public Hospital” by The Associated Press on Mercury News’s website.

Commissioners say that the University Medical Center (UMC) is southern Nevada’s safety net hospital and treats many with no Las Vegas health insurance.  They are considering making this hospital private to save money, and if they do they may still treat those uninsured.  An audit that was performed recently shows that UMC lost $83 million last year.  Commissioners believe the county system needs to be overhauled to save money.

County manager Virginia Valentine says they are trying to figure out if they can make the switch to a private hospital and continue to be known as the top trauma and burn center.  Treating the uninsured is another valuable part of the hospital.  Even those uninsured who think they cannot afford Las Vegas health insurance should get health insurance quotes to see if there is anything affordable and help keep more hospitals in business.

There are about 6 million uninsured Texas residents according to the article “Jason Roberson nominates uninsured Texans, whose staggering health care costs affect us all” by Jason Roberson on The Dallas Morning News.

Texas continues to lead the nation in the percent of uninsured residents, with about one out of every 4 Texans walking around uninsured.  For Dallas health insurance, about 36% of residents under 65 will be uninsured in 2010 according to the state demographer.  The uninsured cost a lot of money as well.  Care for the uninsured in 2005 was about $4.6 billion and for 2010 it’s projected to cost about $6.5 billion according to the Texas Association of Health Plans in Austin.

This cost is paid in part by the insured residents.  For 2010, Texans and Texas employers pay $1800 pre family and $630 per individual in higher health insurance premiums to help cover the uninsured according to The Center for American Progress.  Higher hospital costs which are generated by expensive ER visits by the uninsured drive up health insurance costs for employers which in turn causes them to drop health insurance benefits for their employees.  This just adds to the number of uninsured as the vicious cycle continues.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) has asked the Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner to approve a 10.2% rate increase for its direct-pay plans (available to individuals and families who are not eligible for group health insurance plans or government sponsored programs).

Direct Pay is the only health insurance plan in Rhode Island that is guaranteed issue for those not eligible for group plans or Medicare or Medicaid.

BSBCRI offers several programs that make individual health insurance more affordable including AccessBlue Subsidy plan, The Wellness Reward Plan and the Preferred Rate System.

More information about Rhode Island health insurance

Effective January 1, Blue Shield of California will be removed from the Major Risk Medical Insurance Program (MRMIP) because their premiums were substantially higher than the rates offered by the other two insurers that make up the Program.

The MRMIP currently covers almost 7,000 California residents who are unable to purchase private health insurance due to pre-existing conditions.

Health insurance companies that participate in the MRMIP Program are allowed to charge 25% higher premium than the market rate for a given health insurance policy, and if the insurer loses money they will be reimbursed by the state.  Despite the state subsidization, Blue Shield’s health insurance rates were much higher than both Kaiser Permananete’s or Anthem Blue Cross of California.

Current enrollees in the MRMIP Program via Blue Shield will be able to keep their existing coverage until January 1, and then must enroll with one of the other health plans that participate in the Program.

More information about California health insurance.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSFL) offers a Medical Discount Card called FamilyBlue that provides discounts on health care.  FamilyBlue is not health insurance, but it does provide discounts on heath care services which is negotiated with providers.

As mentioned above, FamilyBlue is not health insurance, and should be viewed as a last resort only if health insurance cannot be obtained.  If you shop around and compare rates for individual health insurance plans in Florida you will find that there are many affordable health plans available.  A true health insurance plan will offer superior benefits and protect you more comprehensively should you have an accident or become ill.

There are two different FamilyBlue Plans.

• $14.95/mo.per family - discounts on doctor visits, medical services, and Rx drugs.
• $19.95/mo. per family - discounts on doctor visits, medical services, Rx drugs, as well as dental, vision, diabetic supplies, hearing, vitamins and more

More information about Florida health insurance.

Many people are confused by the difference between PPO health insurance and HMO health insurance.  A helpful article on insurance.com entitled “HMO vs PPO” in their FAQ section does a great job of explaining the differences.

With an HMO, which stands for health maintenance organization, members must choose a primary care doctor from a list of member doctors.  This doctor will foresee all of your general medical care and must refer you to specialists.  With PPO health insurance, which stands for preferred provider organization you can either choose a general practitioner or a specialist, without a referral which can save a lot of time.

HMO’s usually require you to see in-network doctors, whereas PPO’s do not.  But with PPO’s there often is incentive to stick with in-network doctors.  The main benefit of HMO’s compared to PPO’s is that there usually isn’t a deductible to meet and the co-payments are generally lower.  The best choice totally depends on your personal situation and your particular needs.  It’s important to take the time to evaluate each health insurance option before making a decision.

As unemployment rises so does the number of people who need help finding health insurance.  A lost job usually means a loss in employer based health insurance as well.  According to the article on WISN.com, millions of Americans are an illness away from financial ruin because they are not protected by health insurance. 

Finding health insurance does not have to be difficult.  Consumer Reports supports checking to see if you qualify for Medicaid.  If you do not, another option is checking to see if your kids qualify for the Children’s Health insurance program (CHIPS). 

By visiting govbenefits.org you can see if there are any other government insurance programs you may be eligible for.  It’s important to shop around and educate yourself on the different types of health insurance options out there.