Insure Your Health
 Image: Mike Licht under CC 3.0 |
It’s open enrollment time! That means that employees must weigh their options among the health insurance plans offered by their jobs. Normally, many people like these policies because the employer pays for some or all of the premium–this allows employees to have more generous coverage than they would otherwise be able to afford.
Unfortunately, an increasing number of companies are passing more of the cost onto employees. In
Firstly, you should shop using quoting websites that provide a wide range of options from various healthcare providers. This is great alternative to consulting an insurance agent, who is likely to give you biased information based on their employer. With quotes, you are presented with the best deals from many providers rather than just one so you can find cheap health insurance.
While using quotes guarantees that you will find affordable insurance coverage, it is also important to customize your insurance plan so that you get the best value for your money. Read more…
High-deductible health plans have become popular for poorer families looking to save money on monthly premiums–the only problem is that the deductibles are so difficult to pay that care is often put off when needed. Based on the findings, which were revealed by a group of U.S. researchers, these types of plans may need to be revamped if they are to be successful in sparing health costs.
The research team from the University of Pennsylvania surveyed people who are enrolled in Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a New England-based health insurance company. B
Memphis Commercial Appeal: Mississippi state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney “said Wednesday that the volume of changes under the federally mandated health care reform are ‘mind boggling’ and partly come from ‘pure socialist-communist ideas. … It is taking money from one class of people and giving it to another. It is a socialist system and it’s not going to work.’ … State Rep. Forrest Hamilton, R-Olive Branch, who attended the meeting, said he was ‘unnerved’ by what he heard” (Lepeska, 11/11).
Health insurers have managed to see a significant increase in profits, leaving lawmakers to call for a rebate to consumers. In 2010, health insurance companies saw profit increases of 41 percent from the year prior, showing that their continuous pleas for premium increases last year were not due to health care cost increases as stated.
The House of Representatives Ways and Means subcommittee that oversees health insurance companies was not please to find that 10 firms had brought in over $9.3 billion in profits so far in 2010 after reviewing their records.
Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for leading health insurance trade lobby, America’s Health Insurance Plans, spoke in defense of the profits. H
United States Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, said last week that he was willing to tweak health care reform which was enacted earlier this year by the Obama administration. This is according to the article “Sen. Reid Says Willing to Tweak Healthcare Law” by Debbie Charles and Karey Wutkowski.
Reid also says he is focusing on extending middle-class tax cuts which were put in place under President Bush. Currently, Republicans are unified against the overhaul of healthcare, and House Republicans are calling for its repeal. They have very different views on how to make health insurance in America work and the battle continues in Congress.
Reid is focused on small businesses and middle class America. He pl
The November 2010 tracking poll was conducted in the days following the mid-term election that resulted in major gains for Republicans, including a shift in control of the House of Representatives. The survey attempts to gauge what role health reform played in voters’ decisions, and to measure the current public mood about the health reform law.The poll finds that voters say health care reform was a factor that influenced their vote, but not a dominant one. The economy/jobs was the factor mentioned by voters most often (29%), followed by party preference (25%) and views of the candidates themselves (21%). Health care ranked fourth at 17 percent. T Read more…
 Image: Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States |
A rare bright spot for the Obama administration this past week: a legal review of the healthcare reform law was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Granted, it wasn’t necessarily a referendum on the merits (or lack thereof) of the changes to the health insurance plan market in America. I