[…] But in terms of being a comparison-shopping website for health insurance, I’m struck by how much that sounds like the service we’ve been offering our clients for years. The exchanges will function mostly online, which was a transition we made back in 2003 when we established our website and started working with carriers to get online applications for our clients. We realized soon after getting into the health insurance industry that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to health insurance, and that it didn’t make sense to only represent one or two carriers. […]
Archives for July 2011
A Good Summary Of The HHS Proposed Regulations For Exchanges
[…] The proposed regulations from HHS for the exchanges come to 244 pages, but Timothy notes that they are “practical, sensible, and functional” and that HHS tried to simplify things wherever possible, rather than complicate them. For anyone who wants to get the gist of the proposed regulations without reading the 244 pages that HHS released this month, I highly recommend that you check out Timothy’s article. […]
Employer Funding of Individual Health Insurance – The Rules Are Changing
[…] Because of the new law, employers can now use wage adjustments to reimburse employees for individual policies (as long as they haven’t had a group policy in the past twelve months), which wasn’t allowed at all in the past. But the use of HRAs to fund individual policies can now only be done if the employer hasn’t had a group policy in the past twelve months, and that restriction wasn’t found in the DOI final agency order regarding HRAs. […]
One Size Does Not Fit All
[…] A person with a set amount of money that can be devoted to life insurance premiums will be able to purchase significantly more face value if she goes with term coverage. But the insurance will be in place for the rest of her life if she goes with permanent coverage (assuming she doesn’t cancel it). There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether term or permanent life insurance is a better option, and it depends largely on the person’s budget, face value needs, and long term planning. […]
Grand Rounds – It’s All About Personal Responsibility
[…] Even when people really need a major wake-up call (their life literally depends on it), doctors feel like they have to tread very softly in order to avoid hurting feelings. And there’s also the problem of time: most providers have so many patients to see in a day that they don’t have time to have in-depth conversations about lifestyle choices. The growing shortage of primary care docs (especially after 2014 when millions of previously uninsured Americans will have health insurance and will be looking for a doctor) isn’t likely to help that problem.
Health Insurance Does Not Always Prevent Medical Debt
[…] Chances are, if you have a claim on your home or auto policy, it will be because of a one-time incident like a fire or a car accident. That can be the case with a health claim too, of course, but many times a large claim on a health insurance policy can be the result of a chronic condition or one that will need extensive long-term treatment. A person might have health insurance at the start of the ordeal, but may lose coverage as time goes on […]
Is High Risk Pool Eligibility Guideline Hampering Enrollment?
[…] In terms of underwriting actions for less serious conditions (those that don’t result in a decline), GettingUsCovered only takes people who have been offered a policy with an exclusion rider… which most carriers don’t do anymore. Perhaps this is resulting in GettingUsCovered being comprised mostly of members who have a condition that would result in a decline in the individual market, while CoverColorado has those members as well as members who have less serious conditions that simply result in a higher-priced policy in the individual market.