A proposal to offer health insurance to about 180,000 Colorado children who lack coverage got bipartisan support Wednesday in a Senate committee. Senate Bill 211 would raise the income limits for kids to receive coverage under the Medicaid and Children’s Basic Health Plan programs. It also would fund a team of state workers to find… Read more about Bad Timing
Individual/Family Health
What We Have for Health Insurance
We only use our health insurance on the very rare occasion that I hurt myself snowboarding or riding my MUni. But we would like to have the protection there just in case something big does happen. And in the future, we would like to finance a childbirth or two, dental procedures, and maybe LASIK. And… Read more about What We Have for Health Insurance
Funny Logic
In Colorado, there is underwritten health insurance and there is guaranteed issue health insurance. Underwritten health insurance has a much lower cost structure because they aren’t covering pre-existing conditions at all or without covering the cost with a premium increase, so it costs much less if you can qualify for it. Employers that are paying… Read more about Funny Logic
Colorado Approves Discount Drug Program
Reposted from: http://www.stateaction.org/blog/?p=462 The Colorado House and Senate approved SB 1, a bill which will allow people who cannot afford health insurance to buy discounted drugs through the state. The measure would authorize the state of Colorado to work in consultation with private sector pharmacies in order to negotiate the lowest possible prices for generic… Read more about Colorado Approves Discount Drug Program
Online Application Video Tutorials
We’ve been trying to figure out a convenient way to help people with the online application process for the various health insurance companies in Colorado that they can use at any hour. Our clients can call or email us with questions, but sometimes they just want to see a tutorial that they can just reference… Read more about Online Application Video Tutorials
What Its Like
I just spoke with a woman who got health insurance quotes on our website today. Turns out she was sitting in a Denver emergency waiting room when she got the quotes, and was still in the ER a few hours later when I called her. She and her husband have no health insurance, although their… Read more about What Its Like
Our Flawed Healthcare System
If you live in Colorado and don’t get your health insurance from your employer, finding health insurance can be difficult and confusing. The reason is because it’s not like shopping for any other insurance, financial, or retail product in the marketplace. In Colorado, you have two choices: an underwritten individual/family plan a non-underwritten plan like… Read more about Our Flawed Healthcare System
Tonik Rate Increase for Colorado Effective February 1, 2007
In 2005, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado launched Tonik, three simple, affordable and comprehensive individual PPO plans with a quick online application designed specifically for uninsured 20-somethings. So far, Tonik has done very well – in fact, 60 percent of Tonik applicants were previously uninsured, and 75 percent of Tonik applicants are… Read more about Tonik Rate Increase for Colorado Effective February 1, 2007
Specialty Drugs Boost Health Insurance Premiums in Colorado
Health insurance premiums in Colorado and the rest of the country are expected to increase by at least 10% in 2007, driven mainly by the cost of expensive specialty drugs. An article I just read from the Associated Press (published by the Insurance Journal) said that specialty drugs accounted for 19 %, or about $40 billion worth of pharmaceutical… Read more about Specialty Drugs Boost Health Insurance Premiums in Colorado
How To Save on Health Insurance in Colorado
1. Get quotes from multiple Colorado health insurance companies Premiums for health insurance in Colorado can vary greatly, sometimes as much as 50% for similar plans. When comparing plans, be sure to look at the benefits as well as the monthly premium. Make sure your plan provides adequate catastrophic coverage, preferably at least two million… Read more about How To Save on Health Insurance in Colorado
Wasting Health Care Dollars
My best friend is an emergency room nurse at a large hospital in Denver, Colorado. In the past two months, two of her friends have given birth. One is a fellow nurse, and the other a dentist. Both have a solid knowledge base in medicine, and had thoroughly researched pregnancy and childbirth. Both women wrote… Read more about Wasting Health Care Dollars
A Legal Scam
After David and Darlene Henderson had more than $210,000 in hospital bills, their health insurance company only paid $33,428, leaving more than $180,000 for the Henderson’s to pay by themselves. For $400 a month, the couple said, the Mega agent told them that they could have a catastrophic group health insurance policy that would cover… Read more about A Legal Scam
The Logical Insurance Salesman Has Skinny Kids
I was recently talking to a Colorado client about her husbands health insurance options. She had the option of adding him to her group plan for $415 per month. They had been shopping all over the internet for an individual health insurance plan and had decided that they wanted the most comprehensive plan available and… Read more about The Logical Insurance Salesman Has Skinny Kids
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Now Has Rating Areas
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado used to be the only company with one rate grid for the entire state of Colorado. That’s not the case anymore now that they’ve released their rates for 2007. Anthem’s number crunchers have come up with four sets of rates for Colorado, based on the cost of services,… Read more about Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Now Has Rating Areas
Back To Reality
Sorry about the lack of posts over the last few weeks. Louise and I haven’t been in Colorado since October 23’rd because we were on vacation. We were still able to keep up with all of our health insurance clients by helping get claims paid, solving billing problems, and helping them compare alternate plans. But… Read more about Back To Reality
The Wrong Idea
I was recently going over some health insurance options with a client. We were comparing some high deductible HSA qualified plans with some lower deductible copay plans. She then asked about some of the really cheap plans she saw on our instant quote engine like Right Start from Assurant. I explained that we don’t recommend… Read more about The Wrong Idea
Insurance Mergers and Network Shrinkage Hurts Consumers
I have a good friend who is seven months pregnant with her first child. Her employer-sponsored health insurance is with PacifiCare, which recently merged with United HealthCare. Ever since her first prenatal visit in April, she has been seeing a nurse-midwife and an OB/GYN with whom she feels very comfortable. She had planned to deliver… Read more about Insurance Mergers and Network Shrinkage Hurts Consumers
Can’t Afford Health Insurance? Don’t Eat Out.
I just read a news article about why people choose to eat out several times a week instead of cooking at home. I couldn’t help but notice the $30 tab that the article cited as the amount it would cost to cook a meal at home for TWO people. Is this a special-occasion meal, or do… Read more about Can’t Afford Health Insurance? Don’t Eat Out.
Ask Your Agent if This is a “Push Week”
I was at the gym the other day and I overheard a guy talking to his buddies about a plan he’d come up with. He said “Next week is a Push Week, so I wonder if you could buy a policy from me and we could just cancel it the next week. You’ll get all… Read more about Ask Your Agent if This is a “Push Week”
HSA Usage
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that out of all the people with job related health insurance, only 4 percent are enrolled in an HSA qualified plan. “We don’t know yet whether workers and employers ultimately will embrace consumer-driven health plans in big numbers, but it certainly hasn’t been a tidal wave,” study co-author Gary… Read more about HSA Usage
Small Victory
Yesterday, we commented on the story of Jerry Ansley, who got the $2.5M mosquito bite and was about to lose everything because he had MidWest National as his health insurance company. Well, Jerry got a small victory today because he will get to keep his house. UNC Hospitals said it will give up its claim… Read more about Small Victory
Humana Extends Contract with HCA-HealthONE in Colorado Through 2008
Good news for our clients with Humana health insurance. After it seemed that HCA was handing out unreasonable rate increases, Humana Inc. HUM announced today that its existing contract with HCA-HealthONE hospital and ancillary facilities has been extended from June 1, 2007 through May 31, 2008 for all Humana members throughout Colorado. “We have forged… Read more about Humana Extends Contract with HCA-HealthONE in Colorado Through 2008
Wal-Mart Health Insurance Not That Bad
Let me preface this post by saying that I am usually not too impressed with Wal-Mart. I think that their lowest-price-at-any-cost strategy is not the best long-range plan in terms of caring for our Earth and its inhabitants. The Wal-Mart news of the day is about their new super-low priced generic drug program. The news… Read more about Wal-Mart Health Insurance Not That Bad
More on Sending the Wrong Message
– This post is expanding on our previous stories about the new laws allowing parents to keep their children as dependents on their health insurance until they’re 30. For various reasons, the 19 to 29 year old age bracket is the highest uninsured age bracket in the country. These laws were put into place in… Read more about More on Sending the Wrong Message
Sending the Wrong Message To Our Kids About Health Insurance
Recently, several states have passed laws increasing the age that children can stay on their parents’ health insurance policy. The reasoning behind the change is sound: these days, it’s not as easy to get a job with health benefits as it used to be, since fewer employers offer coverage to employees. So allowing young adults to remain on… Read more about Sending the Wrong Message To Our Kids About Health Insurance