Search Results for: health insurance

Obesity and Health Insurance Premiums

Does your employer offer wellness programs? Sometimes, employers determine the cost of a worker’s health insurance premium based on participation in this type of incentive program. In some cases, premium cost is connected to reaching certain health goals. Is this a fair way to treat workers who are obese? It has been said, for many years, that America has an “obesity epidemic”. In 2011, a study found that 32% of American men, and 35% of American women, were obese. If those trends continue, some health experts predict that about half of all the men and women in America will be … Continue reading →

Coupons From My Health Insurance Company?

Has this ever happened to you? I got a large envelope from my health insurance company in the mail today. It wasn’t a bill, and it wasn’t a “letter of doom”. Enclosed were several coupons that I can take to the grocery store. That was unexpected! I, like many others, have a love-hate relationship with my health insurance company. I love that I didn’t have to come up with the entire cost of my Epi-Pen this year out of pocket – I hate that my insurer didn’t help out with much of the cost. I love that being insured means … Continue reading →

Fewer Young Adults Lacked Health Insurance in 2012

Gallup does polls about all kinds of things. They ask people specific questions, and keep track of the answers. According to Gallup, fewer young adults in the United States lacked health insurance coverage in 2012 than that age group did in previous years. In 2010, a specific provision of the Affordable Care Act went into affect. As of September 23, 2010, young adults who were between the ages of 18 and 26 were able to be covered by their parent’s health insurance policies. Previous to this health reform law, insurers were only allowing parents to include coverage for their children … Continue reading →

Health Insurance Coverage and the Flu

We are in the midst of a really nasty flu season. You don’t want to catch this flu, and you won’t want your family members to catch it, either. Your risk of being exposed to the flu relates, in many ways, to health insurance coverage. This includes both your coverage and the coverage of the people you work with. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone who is age 6 months or older get a flu shot. Getting an immunization for influenza is one way to help prevent yourself (or your family member) from catching the … Continue reading →

California Health Insurance Exchange Gains Approval

The Department of Health and Human Services has approved of the state of California’s health insurance exchange. California will have a state-based exchange. This brings the grand total of approved exchanges to 13! The Affordable Care Act requires every state (and the District of Columbia) to have a functioning health insurance exchange. The exchanges are expected to be ready by no later than January 1, 2014. Individuals and small businesses can use the exchanges in order to find affordable health insurance coverage. There were three options that each state could choose from for their health insurance exchange. One option was … Continue reading →

Three More Health Insurance Exchanges Get Approval

One of the requirements of the Affordable Care Act involves the creation of health insurance exchanges. Recently, the Obama Administration gave conditional approval to the state-based health insurance exchanges of six states. Now, two more, and the District of Colombia, have gained approval. This brings the current total to nine. When it comes to health insurance exchanges, there are three options that a state can choose from. They can create a state-based exchange. They can work on a partnership between their state and the federal government. Or, a state can choose to have the federal government create and run their … Continue reading →

Why Do Companies Offer Health Insurance to Employees?

There are plenty of companies that offer (at least some) of their workers an employer sponsored health insurance plan. Many have been doing so for decades. Why? It turns out that there are certain benefits that employers receive as a result of having insured workers. In the news lately, there have been some companies that openly stated that they will not be offering their workers an employer sponsored ealth plan. Right now, the majority of Americans who have health insurance coverage are able to afford it because it comes to them through their employer. It can be somewhat shocking to … Continue reading →

Will Your Health Insurance Cover a Flu Shot?

Now wouldn’t be a good time to catch the flu. All of us are so busy in December, and no one enjoys being sick. The CDC recommends that most people get a flu shot in order to prevent them from catching the current strain of flu. Will your health insurance cover the cost of a flu shot? This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine. They point out that the flu shot is the most important step in protecting against the flu, which can be a very … Continue reading →

Government Resources for Finding Health Insurance

Are you looking into potential options for health insurance coverage? Maybe you have a health plan, but are interested in finding a better one. One way to start your search is with a few government websites. They have reliable information about many kinds of health insurance. HealthCare.gov has an Insurance Finder tool. tool. It will help you find public, private, and community programs that meet your needs. You can get started in two quick steps. First, use the drop down box to select the state that you live in. Second, select the category that best describes you. Choose from: Family/Children, … Continue reading →

More Ways the New Health Insurance Rules Help You

The Department of Health and Human Services recently revealed details about new laws for health insurers. In a previous blog, pointed out how those laws help you and your family. In this blog, I go over more new rules, and how those are going to help your family with health insurance. The new rules make it clear that health insurance plans must cover items and services in a minimum of 10 categories that were defined by the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Each category is defined as “essential health benefits”. Those categories include: ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity … Continue reading →