Archive for the ‘Insurance Tips’ Category
Health Insurers Making More Money Than Ever While People Postpone Medical Care
May 14th, 2011
If people continue paying their premiums but use medical services less, health insurers make more money because they have to pay out less. It is an irony that as people struggle and postpone medical care, the insurance companies thrive. It is one of the paradoxes of a recessionary environment
Both UnitedHealth Group and Cigna have noticed a drop in hospital stays and medical use.
So far, the irony is understandable. It is like a year with no natural disasters, insurance companies make more money. Read full post…
Tags: Health Insurers, Medical, Postpone Medical
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AARP Urges Congress To Reject Legislation That Could Leave Hundreds Of Thousands Without Health Coverage
May 9th, 2011
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AARP today voiced its opposition to legislation that would eliminate the Medicaid Maintenance-of-Effort (MOE) requirements included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that is being considered in the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee.
The legislation, H.R.1683, could lead to the loss of vital protections for health care access for older Americans, persons with disabilities, and children, effectively allowing states to cut eligibility for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Read full post…
Tags: Health, Thousands Health
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House Republicans “Ironically” Plan To Strip States Of Resources Needed To Create New Private Health Insurance Marketplaces
May 6th, 2011
This week, House Republicans plan to vote on a bill (H.R. 1213) to take from states the grants they can use to establish “exchanges,” new state-based marketplaces authorized by the Affordable Care Act, that will enable consumers and small businesses to select the private health insurance plans they want. The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of the consumer health organization Families USA, about this development:
“House Republicans rhetorically exalt the private health insurance marketplace. They ironically, however, plan to defund the creation of such state marketplaces that would enable consumers and small businesses to choose the private health plans they want. Read full post…
Tags: House Republicans, New
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Even Families With Insurance Put Off Or Go Without Care Because ‘It Costs Too Much To Be Healthy’
April 29th, 2011
The high cost of health care is deterring parents from taking their children to the doctor or buying prescription medication, regardless of how much money they make or whether they have health insurance, according to a study to be presented Sunday, May 2, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver.
Previous research has shown that families who have difficulty paying their medical bills may delay or forgo needed care. In this study, researchers sought to determine factors that affect families’ decisions to put off or go without care, including the cost of health care relative to a family’s income and having a child with a physical, social, behavioral or cognitive limitation such as asthma, autism or obesity. Read full post…
Tags: Care, Care Costs
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Texas Insurance Veteran Sees Opportunity in Growing Hispanic Market
April 29th, 2011
With 30 years of industry experience under his belt, one Texas-based insurance executive decided it was time to open his own operation to serve the insurance needs of the growing Hispanic population. While Dallas-based Hispanic Affiliates General Agency recently opened its doors, the project has been years in the making, explained Tony Gonzalez.
Having served in executive roles with insurers that utilize the independent agency distribution channel of the property/casualty insurance business, such as Safeco and Republic Group, Gonzalez’s expertise extends from marketing to sales to commercial underwriting and more. No
Tags: Growing Hispanic, Hispanic
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Health Reform To Make Health Insurance Affordable For Nearly All Families
April 24th, 2011
Ninety percent of American families living above the federal poverty level will be able to afford health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report by Jonathan Gruber and Ian Perry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The report finds that new subsidies available through health insurance exchanges established under the law will make premiums affordable for most families. But the authors also warn that high out-of-pocket costs will likely mean some families will still be unable to afford health-related expenses. Read full post…
Tags: Families, Health Insurance
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Study Finds High-Deductible Health Plans Pose No Special Risks To The Medically Vulnerable
April 21st, 2011
People who are medically vulnerable – those with low incomes or chronic health problems – who enroll in high-deductible health plans are at no more risk for cutting back on needed health care than other people who enroll in the plans, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
The findings, from the largest national study to examine the affects of high-deductible health plans, contradicts some of the earlier small studies that found medically vulnerable individuals cut back more than other people enrolled in the health plans.
The project examined the first-year experiences of more than 360,000 families nationwide who enrolled in high-deductible health plans offered by their employers from 2003 to 2007. Read full post…
Tags: Health Plans, Medically Vulnerable, Vulnerable
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Elsevier/MEDai Predictive Analytic Solutions Chosen By Lovelace Health Plan
April 17th, 2011
Elsevier / MEDai, a leading health information company with award-winning solutions for the improvement of care delivery, has announced that Lovelace Health Plan in New Mexico has purchased several products in MEDai’s suite of Risk Navigator products to drive quality outcomes through predictive analytics. Lovelace will use Risk Navigator Clinical®, Risk Navigator Performance® and Risk Navigator Financial®.
Lovelace chose the suite of Risk Navigator products because of its ease of use, reliability and transparency of risk predictions, integration of evidence-based medicine guidelines, and the speed and thoroughness of implementation. Read full post…
Tags: Health Plan, Lovelace Health, Lovelace Health Plan, Plan
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