Archive for May, 2009

Comparing Affordable Health Insurance Plans

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Health insurance is extremely important not only in emergencies but to maintain your health and take preventative measures. While it is expensive to many - there are affordable health insurance options. Three main options that are available include: state sponsored, individual, and group. Here is an overview of each:

Individual Health Insurance
This health insurance option is… »

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Increase in need for health care driving up premiums

Monday, May 25th, 2009

For Darrin Lehman, getting healthy has become a high-wire act without a safety net.

Unable to afford health insurance for the last six years, he found out he has high cholesterol only when he sold his blood plasma for some extra cash.

When he got strep throat last summer, a trip to a local convenient care center… »

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College graduate decisions about health insurance

Monday, May 25th, 2009

 Lindsay Straub says it was her “dream job.” Straub graduates from college Saturday, and just a few weeks ago, she was offered an entry-level position with an entertainment company.

“I was ecstatic,” says Straub, 21, a communications major at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. “I was ready to make the phone call to accept the… »

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Buying individual health insurance online

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

Searching for affordable individual health insurance? You are not alone. Across the country, there are countless individuals who buy their own health insurance each year. Some of them are unemployed or work for themselves. Many are early retirees or people who don’t have health insurance coverage through their job. Here are some tips to help… »

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Least competitive region on health insurance

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

A report released Thursday by a worker’s rights organization says Indiana’s private health insurance industry is a “near monopoly” and the Gary metropolitan area has the least competition in the state.

The report, compiled by Health Care for America Now and released in Indiana by Central Indiana Jobs With Justice, says consolidation within the private health… »

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Employer health insurance no longer option for many

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Recession, depression, cutbacks and layoffs are words all too commonly heard these days in news reports and conversations. Since the beginning of the financial crisis, millions of Americans have lost their jobs and many economists are predicting that more job cuts are on the horizon.

With the loss of their jobs, Americans are not only losing… »

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Domestic-partner health insurance approved

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

The Joint Committee on Finance today (May 22) approved Gov. Jim Doyle’s proposal to authorize the offering of health insurance benefits to same- and opposite-sex domestic partnerships.

This is a very important development and brings the reality of this provision becoming law one step closer, according to Don Nelson of UW-Madison’s State Relations.

Both houses of the… »

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Q&A About Health Insurance

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

As unemployment continues to rise, people are struggling to keep their health insurance.

KMBC’s Brenda Washington spoke with Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger. Praeger has just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where she met with Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of Health and Human Services and the former governor of Kansas.

The meeting revolved around the… »

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Competitive Health Insurance in Florida

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Some consumer groups and policy advocates claim a lack of competition is preventing affordable health insurance in Florida. Reports show that a handful of large insurers dominate the state’s urban regions. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida currently holds nearly 50% of the market in the central Florida region stretching from Lakeland to Kissimmee…. »

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RI health insurers ask for rate increases

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Rhode Island’s largest health insurance companies are seeking rate hikes.

Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher Koller says Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is proposing a 16.3-percent rate increase for businesses with 50 or more employees.

UnitedHealthCare of New England has asked to raise its large group rate by 11.6 percent.

Blue Cross insures 70 percent of… »

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