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MLGW board retains health insurer despite recommendation to pick lowest bidder
The board of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division voted Thursday to keep UnitedHealthcare as its biggest health insurance provider, despite recommendations by MLGW’s staff to pick another company and a warning from the utility’s CEO that its choice would be expensive.

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Affordable individual and family health insurance plans are often offered through an indemnity or managed care organization. With an indemnity, the policyholder – you – pays for all health care costs upfront. The individual and family health insurance plan will reimburse you once they receive a doctor or hospital bill. With a managed care plan, you usually only have to pay a co-payment at the time of your medical service. The doctor or hospital will then bill your individual and family health insurance company for the rest. Managed care organizations include Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) and Point of Service (POS) plans, and they do not always provide the wide selection of doctors and other health care professionals offered by indemnity plans.

You may feel health insurance is too expensive for you, but there are affordable individual and family health insurance plans out there. Being without adequate health insurance is too risky – for your health and your bank account. Thanks to individual and family health insurance plans, it’s possible for you, your spouse, and your children to obtain affordable health insurance.

If you and your family are currently without affordable health insurance, act quickly. After you apply for an individual and family health insurance plan, the time between application and the date the plan actually starts varies. The speed of the process usually depends on the underwriting process of the insurance company, so it’s best to apply as soon as possible.

Before issuing a policy, health insurance companies offering individual policies evaluate certain information about you to determine how likely you are to have a claim. This is called “underwriting.” For any health policy, a company might consider your age, occupation, current health status and your medical history. If your individual risk factors indicate you are likely to have a claim, the company may charge you more for your policy or refuse to cover you.

Most individual health insurance companies have clauses regarding pre-existing conditions. Limits on pre-existing conditions are a standard part of most health plans. These limits ensure that benefits are paid only for conditions that occur after your health coverage becomes effective. Paying only for approved services and covered conditions helps control healthcare costs and prevent possible insurance abuse.

If you are seeking an individual health insurance policy and you have a current or past health problem, you must disclose it on your insurance application. Failure to disclose pre-existing conditions could jeopardize future claims or invalidate the policy. Individual health insurance companies may completely exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions by attaching an “exclusion rider” to your policy.

If you list pre-existing conditions on your application and the company issues you coverage without attaching an exclusion rider, the company must begin covering your pre-existing conditions when the policy’s pre-existing waiting period expires. Pre-existing condition waiting periods can be a maximum of two years on individual policies. Exclusion riders can be in-force indefinitely.

In Texas, if you move from a group, government, or church health plan to an individual health policy, you won’t be subject to a new pre-existing condition waiting period if you had 18 months of prior coverage, with no more than 63 days lapse in coverage. If you move from a group, government, or church health plan to an individual policy with less than 18 months of coverage or have a lapse in coverage greater than 63 days, you will receive credit on the new policy’s pre-existing condition waiting period for the time you were covered during the preceding 18 months.

When it comes to applying for an individual health insurance policy, be forthcoming and honestly answer all questions about your medical condition. If you withhold information about an illness or medication, the health insurance company you’re applying to may deny subsequent claims.

In addition, understand your individual health insurance policy and read the policy wording carefully. Make sure you understand the limitations and exclusions of your coverage. And ask questions, especially if you don’t understand the policy wording, or are unsure about specifics of your coverage. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification about policy details. If you do not understand some or all of your policy, call your health insurance company and ask for an explanation. And try to get your answers in writing.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Researchers say workers are paying a larger portion of health insurance costs as businesses shift more of the burden to them in an effort while they ride out the economic downturn.

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Cheap Health Insurance Plans

The cheapest health insurance plans are Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), and Point-of-Service plans (PPOs).

HMOs

HMOs are the least expensive of the health insurance plans. They provide health care through a network of doctors and hospitals.

With most plans you pay a small fee known as a copayment for each doctor visit. You don’t have to fill out a bunch of forms as you would with a traditional plan, and there are no deductibles to pay.

When you’re ill you must consult your primary doctor, also known as a gatekeeper, who will either treat you or refer you to a specialist. You are not covered if you choose to go to a doctor who is not part of your network.

PPOs

PPOs cost slightly more than than HMOs, and are the most popular health insurance plans because they provide more flexibility than HMOs. They too provide health care through a network of health providers.

Your copayment for each doctor’s visit is about the same as an HMOs, and there are no forms to fill out and no deductibles to pay. There are no gatekeepers with a PPO so you can see a specialist without first seeing your primary care physician.

POSs

POS plans cost more than HMOs and PPOs, but provide the most flexibility of the three health insurance plans. They provide health care through a health provider network, but you also have the option of seeing a doctor of your choice.

Copayments for doctor visits within the network are about the same as they are for HMOs and PPOs, and you will be reimbursed up to 80% for your out-of-network doctor visits after you pay a deductible.

Cheap Health Insurance Quotes

The best way to get cheap health insurance quotes is to go to an insurance comparison website. Here you can get quotes from health insurance companies so you can compare rates. Some sites even have an insurance expert on call so you can chat with him or her online and get answers to all your questions. (See link below.)

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get cheap health insurance quotes from top-rated companies in your area. You can get more health insurance tips by checking out their “Articles” section.

This federal law, known as COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985), fills that important gap for health insurance plans for qualified workers, their spouses, and their dependent children so their health insurance does not have to stop when they leave their job.

Under COBRA, if you voluntarily resign or are terminated for any reason other than “gross misconduct,” you are guaranteed the right to continue your former employer’s group plan for individual or family health insurance for up to 18 months at your own expense. In most cases, spouses and dependent children are also eligible for COBRA coverage, sometimes for up to three years. However, individual plans – plans you purchase on your own, rather than through work or an association – are not subject to COBRA laws, and once you lose that coverage, you won’t be able to get an extension under COBRA.

One of the things many employees don’t know about enrolling in COBRA are its “hidden” costs. Your employer can charge up to 102% of the premium they pay for “similarly situated employees.” Health insurance premiums for most groups are “composite rated”, meaning that the premiums aren’t based on age. COBRA rates for these groups are based only on family status. Obviously, it costs more to insure the average 55 year old than the average 25 year old. So, if you’re a young, healthy individual who elects COBRA, your premiums will be subsidizing older people in your group. As a result, unless your health is impaired or your former employer subsidizes the COBRA payments of former employees (which is highly unlikely), you can assume that a non-age-rated COBRA policy will never be as good a deal as an individual health insurance plan can be.

There’s also the factor of “sticker shock,” in terms of an employee not realizing how much an employer has been paying for group healthcare until the employee gets his or her first COBRA bill. Group health coverage for COBRA participants is usually more expensive than health coverage for active employees because the employer usually pays a part of the premium for active employees, while COBRA participants generally pay the entire premium themselves.

Many health insurance experts point out that, in spite of the high cost, group insurance is generally less expensive than individual health insurance. Of course, that’s simply not true for anyone who is younger and healthier than the average employee. COBRA is unreasonable for anyone who is younger and healthier because they still have to pay the average premium, which will likely be higher than individual health insurance premiums.

But eligibility isn’t the only issue to consider when it comes to COBRA. Cost is a major consideration too. If you have no pre-existing conditions and decide against COBRA, you should consider buying individual health insurance until you land a new job with health benefits. And even when you do land a new job, it may be better to opt-out of a group plan if you can (taking increased pay instead) and maintain an individual health insurance plan that will be portable from job to job.

If you’re a young, healthy individual who becomes unemployed, even if your employer offers COBRA, consider the cost advantage of an individual health insurance plan, especially with Precedent. For young, healthy individuals, our premiums can be as low as 25 percent of what you would pay in COBRA premiums.

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OLDWICK, N.J.—-“It’s All About Life” features eight stories focusing on various aspects of the life insurance business in the September issue of Best’s Review. The section covers: The Canadian market.

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With that said, 19th birthdays seem to be a crucial milestone in most Americans’ health insurance coverage. Both public and private insurance plans treat this age as a turning point for coverage decisions. In Texas, young adults who are not full-time students lose their status as an eligible dependent after 19. A full-time student remains an eligible dependent in Texas until age 25.

Further, Texas health insurance regulation states that most private health insurance plans may not condition coverage for a child younger than 25 years of age on the child’s being enrolled at an educational institution. This regulation however does not help every young adult. Self-insured large groups may be exempt from the regulation. And the parents may be simply unable to continue paying a young adult’s premiums.

When young adults lose coverage under their parents’ plans, regardless of age, their ties with primary care physicians may be cut just when they should be forming stronger links to the health care system and taking responsibility for their own care.

These are just a few reasons coverage is so important for young adults:

o Fourteen percent of adults ages 18 to 29 are obese. Since the 1990s, obesity has increased by 70 percent in this age group – the fastest rate of increase among all adults.

o There are 3.5 million pregnancies each year among the 21 million women ages 19 to 29.

o Injury-related visits to emergency rooms are far more common among young adults than they are among children or older adults.

A recent health insurance survey shows that individuals who are uninsured or have less-than-adequate health insurance have their access to the health care system decreased. More than half of young adults, ages 19 to 29, who either were uninsured for the entire year or had a time without coverage said that they had gone without needed health care because of cost. Delinquent care included failing to fill a prescription, not seeing a doctor or specialist when sick, or skipping a recommended medical test, treatment, or follow-up visit.

In addition, uninsured young adults are far less likely than those with coverage to have a regular doctor. Only one-third of uninsured young adults, ages 19 to 29, had a regular doctor, compared with 81 percent of those who were insured all year. Uninsured female young adults had regular doctors at about half the rate of young women who were insured all year. Male young adults who were uninsured had the most fragile link to the health care system; just 21 percent had a regular doctor compared with 75 percent of male young adults who were insured all year.

Many young adults also have problems paying medical bills or are paying off medical debt over time. More than one-third of all young adults, both insured and uninsured, said that they had experienced problems with medical bills: having trouble making payments, being contacted by a collection agency because of inability to pay bills, significantly changing their way of life in order to pay medical bills, or paying off medical debt over time. Uninsured young individuals were the most burdened with medical bills and debt, with almost half reporting at least one problem.

But contrary to popular belief, young individuals seem to value the protection that health insurance coverage offers. The same survey also found that nearly three-quarters of employed young adults accept health insurance coverage when it’s offered, only slightly less than the acceptance rate of workers age 30 or older.

The first step to finding affordable health insurance for the unemployed is to find out if you’re eligible for COBRA. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) made it possible for individuals who are terminated, laid off, or transferring jobs to temporarily continue to receive group health insurance benefits. So, if you’ve just recently become unemployed for any of those reasons, referred to as “qualifying events,” contact your former employer for more information about your COBRA benefits.

The second step to finding affordable health insurance for the unemployed is to check into purchasing short-term health insurance. Short-term health insurance policies are designed with the unemployed person in mind, so rates are most likely within your budget. They can last anywhere from six to 12 months, so they’re perfect for individuals who are actively seeking employment or another form of affordable health insurance.

The third step to finding affordable health insurance for the unemployed is to contact your state’s department of insurance and request information about subsidiaries for which you’re eligible. Most states provide some form of free or low-cost health coverage for residents who meet certain income requirements. Some states even have special low-cost health insurance plans for people who can’t otherwise obtain health insurance. At the very least, you should find a free or low-cost health coverage program that will provide health care for your children, or assistance with special health care needs (i.e. diabetes, mental health, female health check-ups and conditions, etc.)

A change in your employment status doesn’t mean a change in your health needs. It may take some footwork, but it’s possible to find affordable health insurance for the unemployed.

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ALBANY — There are more than 343,00 children under the age of 19 without health insurance in New York State according to the New York State Department of Health. That’s enough to fill roughly 8,000 school buses that would stretch for nearly 60 miles. It’s a shocking statistic, considering there are free or low-cost health insurance options available for uninsured children.

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