Affordable Care Act Protects Consumers, Maintains Insurance Options, Helps Transition To New Marketplace In 2014
June 21st, 2011
Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance to allow limited benefit, or “mini-med” plans, to apply for or renew a temporary waiver from annual limit restrictions through 2013. In 2014, annual limits for new health plans will be banned as high-quality, affordable, and comprehensive health insurance plans are made available through Health Insurance Exchanges. Until then, annual limits are phased out in order to preserve access to needed benefits and the affordability of coverage. CMS has granted temporary waivers from the annual limits provision of the law for plans that demonstrate that compliance with the phase-out of limits would result in a significant decrease in access to benefits or a significant increase in premiums. Read full post…
Tags: New, New Marketplace
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Insurance marketing: Referrals from colleagues
June 21st, 2011
Depending on what kind of agency you run—whether it’s for the general public or more aimed toward business customers—insurance leads from known professionals could be far more important than those from everyday people.
But even if you run an agency that isn’t focused on businesses, it could still be very helpful for you to gain a good word from others within your industry and even outside of it.
Here’s why:
Customers listen to businesspeople they trust. Say, for instance, someone has a mechanic he or she really trusts and whom the customer takes his or her car to on a regular basis. That cust
Tags: Insurance, Insurance Marketing
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Insurance marketing: Social networking and blogging
June 13th, 2011
One of the biggest buzz topics in insurance marketing right now is social networking, the practice of users sharing links, talking to one another and catching up via web-based tools available through personal computers, mobile phones and now tablet PCs like the iPad.
People can’t stop talking about it and its effect on how business is done. Some are saying it’s the new fact of insurance marketing and is here to stay; others dismiss it as a fad.
As much as it may seem to be the realm of teenagers, and despite how quickly social networking has exploded, the honest truth is that it is most certainly not going away. Tags: Insurance Marketing, Networking, Social Networking June 13th, 2011
Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) want to make Medicare off-limits in negotiations over raising the federal governments debt limit. They argue that Medicare is too “complicated” (read: politically dangerous leading up to an election) to address when the heat is on concerning the debt. The upset victory of Kathy Hochul in upstate New York sends a clear message to politicians about the risks of leveling with the public about Medicares fiscal problems. Harkin and Reeds statements confirm Bill Clintons fears that Democrats will take this as an excuse to sit idly by while Medicare continues to drive up the federal debt. B Tags: Limit, No Limit June 13th, 2011 More women than men are unnecessarily referred for nuclear stress tests New research from cardiologists at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals suggests a possible gender disparity in how patients are referred for nuclear stress tests, an imaging technique that measures blood flow to the heart muscle both at rest and during periods of stress, such as exercise. Tags: Nuclear Stress, Nuclear Stress Test, Stress Test, Test June 2nd, 2011 If you have a bill in collections, track down your original creditor to pay your bill and work on improving your credit. When a debt isn’t repaid, it can move from one collection agency to another while employees attempt to collect a portion of the debt. If you need to speak to the original creditor, find out their contact information and make the call. Original creditors may not be able to get the debt back from the collection agency it was sold to, but you can find out how legitimate the debt is by speaking with them. Difficulty: Moderately Easy Tags: Contact, Contact Original May 29th, 2011 Everyone remembers the dreaded doctors visits of our youth. No one was excited about having a strange person shine a light in our eyes or press some tasteless Popsicle stick on our tongues. But nowadays, with the shortage of health insurance coverage becoming a major issue, adults have financial reasons to dread visiting the doctor. People may joke about the fact that they cant afford to get sick due to the high cost of medical bills. But in some instances, because health care is so astronomically expensive without insurance, people honestly cannot afford to get sick. Posted in Business Insurance | No Comments » May 28th, 2011 Young adults ages 19-29 are struggling to get the health care they need more than almost any other age group, demonstrating the need for Affordable Care Act provisions, some already in place, that will expand health insurance and make it more affordable, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The report found that in 2010, 45 percent of young adults couldn’t afford the care they needed, meaning they didn’t fill a prescription, didn’t go to the doctor when they were sick, or skipped a test, treatment, or follow-up visit, up from 32 percent who went without needed care because of cost in 2001. The Affordable Care Act is already making a difference for young adults. Read full post… Tags: Percent Struggling, Struggling
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New Report: Health Reform Essential To Young Adults-Nearly Half Can’t Afford Needed Care, Forty Percent Struggling With Medical Debt
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