Category Archives: Insurance

Learn about Insurance: Auto, Homeowner’s, Life and every other kind of insurance imaginable and how it can protect you.

Washington Senate Asked to Vote on Reproductive Parity Act

In Washington, a bill called the Reproductive Parity Act is going through Congress. If passed it would ensure that insurance plans that are included in the exchange would continue to cover abortion, (as they do right now). Governor Inslee called for the Washington State Senate to vote on the bill. The Reproductive Parity Act is the name given to bills that would, if passed into law, help women in Washington to maintain their current health insurance coverage when the state health insurance exchange opens in October of 2013. Washington already includes coverage for abortion in health plans that include coverage … Continue reading →

Insurance and the State of the Union Address

The State of the Union address is something that the President of the United States gives once a year. President Obama recently gave the 2013 State of the Union address. The topics can be about anything that the President feels is important. This year, some of the speech related to insurance. The State of the Union is an annual speech that the President of the United States presents to the United States Congress. It has several purposes. The State of the Union address is a report on the condition of the nation. The speech allows the current President to outline … Continue reading →

Illinois has Insurance Exchange Approved

The Department of Health and Human Services has granted conditional approval for Illinois’ plan for a health insurance exchange. The state will have an exchange that is a federal-state partnership. In this blog, I also have an update about what each state is doing with their exchange. On February 13, 2013, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, announced that the state of Illinois has been granted conditional approval for their plan to operate a health insurance exchange. The state has decided to create a partnership exchange. This means it will be run, in part, by … Continue reading →

Pre-Existing Condition Plan is Suspending Enrollment

The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, (PCIP) one of the first portions of the Affordable Care Act to go into affect, is suspending enrollment. The short answer as to the reason why is because the funding is running out. Those currently enrolled will still be covered by the plan. The Pre-Existing Condition Plan (PCIP) is part of the Affordable Care Act. It was created in 2010, and was one of the very first health reform changes to go into affect. The main purpose of the PCIP was to guarantee health insurance coverage for people who had previously been struggling to find … Continue reading →

Today, I Go to the Dentist

Some dread going to the dentist, but not me. I finally have dental insurance again, which means I can afford to actually go to the dentist for preventative care. My new plan is a good one, and inexpensive. After years of not being able to pay the cost of going to a dentist, I am glad to be able to go today. The last time I saw a dentist was sometime during 2009. At the time, I had the type of job that offered not only health insurance, but also coverage for dental. As you may recall, 2009 was right … Continue reading →

Fewer Young Adults Lacked Health Insurance in 2012

Gallup does polls about all kinds of things. They ask people specific questions, and keep track of the answers. According to Gallup, fewer young adults in the United States lacked health insurance coverage in 2012 than that age group did in previous years. In 2010, a specific provision of the Affordable Care Act went into affect. As of September 23, 2010, young adults who were between the ages of 18 and 26 were able to be covered by their parent’s health insurance policies. Previous to this health reform law, insurers were only allowing parents to include coverage for their children … Continue reading →

Farmers Insurance No Longer Covers Certain Dog Breeds

Let me start off by saying that this appears to be specific to California (as far as I can tell). Farmers Insurance has decided to stop providing liability coverage in a homeowners policy for dog owners of Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, or Wolf hybrids. A homeowners insurance policy will cover many things. It can help you with the cost of replacing items that have been stolen from your home. It covers the cost of repairing your home due to damage from a storm, a fire, or even a vehicle that has driven into your house. This coverage includes damages to your … Continue reading →

Judge Overturns Arizona Law that Violated Medicaid Rules

Medicaid is a public form of health insurance that provides coverage for people who are low-income. A Judge has overturned a law in Arizona that would have barred Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding. The law violates Medicaid’s freedom of choice provision. Medicaid is funded by both the federal government and the government of an individual state. Recently, Governor Jan Brewer expand that Arizona would expand its Medicaid program. The federal government offers funding to enable states to do that. The funding would be used to cover more low-income people who cannot afford to purchase a health plan from a … Continue reading →

My Broker’s Advice About My Discontinued Policy

In August of 2012, my health insurance company, Anthem, sent me a letter telling me that my policy had been discontinued. Naturally, I panicked. I need health insurance, and this was the only plan I could afford. Later, they sent a letter telling me they were raising the premium cost. What to do? Here’s what my insurance broker advised. After several unsuccessful attempts to find affordable health insurance, I went to see an insurance broker. This brilliant woman found me a plan that was comprehensive and that had a premium that was low enough for me to afford. If I … Continue reading →

Mississippi’s Exchange has been Rejected

This is a first. The federal government has rejected Mississippi’s plan for a state-based health insurance exchange. This is a result of disagreements between the state’s Governor and Insurance Commissioner. It is still possible for the state to create a partnership exchange. The state of Mississippi has a unique situation going on in regards to its health insurance exchange. Governor Phil Bryant and Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney have had disagreements about what kind of exchange their state would have, and over who has the authority to make that decision. In November of 2012, Commissioner Chaney sent a letter to the … Continue reading →