Archive for the ‘Health Insurance’ Category
What does Health Care Reform Mean For You?
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under Health Insurance
Now that Obama has signed the Health Care Bill into law, what does that mean for us? When does it go into effect?
Please call to discuss any issues you may have since there’s a lot of confusion around this new bill and I’m sure many of you have questions. Below are the fundamentals of what we know, but how all these changes ultimately unfold and when, only time will tell:
- Children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage, and adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.
- Health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents’ insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.
- Insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. (more…)
Simple Guide to Senate Health Care Bill Provisions
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under FAQ, Health Insurance
Here are a few provisions of the Senate bill that would impact consumers the most, with a summary of how the House bill compares:
Required coverage (the “individual mandate”): American citizens and legal residents would be required to have health insurance, or pay a fine. For an individual, the fine would be $750 per year or 2 percent of household income, whichever is greater; for a family, the maximum fine would be $2,250 per year or 2 percent of household income. The fines would go into effect gradually, starting in 2014. The House bill is similar, with exemptions for certain low-income people. (more…)
Aetna to Leave 600,000 In the Cold
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under Health Insurance
Aetna’s home page encourages individuals and families to “choose and use your plan.” As the new year approaches, that slogan may change to “use and lose your plan.”
In 2010 Aetna, the third largest private health insurance company, intends to force more than 600,000 of its current customers to lose their health coverage by making plans cost prohibitive. Why? To raise the company’s profit margin. (more…)
5th and Latest Health Care Reforms
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under Health Insurance
The fifth, and latest, health care reform proposal was approved by the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, October 13th.
The bill gives tax credits to low- and middle-class individuals and families to help offset the expense of purchasing health insurance. It also expands Medicaid. Its greatest strength, however, lies in its design to restructure the privatized insurance system, which currently allows for insurance companies to deny coverage for, or based on, pre-existing conditions, raise rates arbitrarily, and cancel policies altogether when injury or disease prove to be costly to treat. (more…)
Are Doctors Responsible for Rising Health Care Costs?
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under Health Insurance
Health care costs are high and solving the problem is complex, but one person who controls a lot of what’s spent is your doctor. Doctors get paid per tests, operations and procedures. There’s a built-in incentive to do more of those and not necessarily always provide better health care service to you.
Imagine if your auto mechanic worked in the same fashion? You’d go in for a simple repair, and they’d want to run a few tests “just in case.” This leads to a simple, “Whatever you say, doc” mentality when your doctors order additional services.” If doctors followed their mechanics’ lead and handed out estimates, people might respond differently to requests to perform additional services. (more…)
