| Florida Group Health Insurance At Lower Costs
Florida Group Health Insurance is very difficult to compare with individual health insurance. Recent polls taken by the Washington Post said that "33% of the consumer population didn't realize that group and individual health plans are different". How do I get a group health insurance policy? And what are my options to get lower cost health insurance? Group health insurance plans allow you to participate in a good policy, based on your inclusion in a specific workplace group of people. If you're a business owner, then offering a good group health insurance plan is the best idea for a many reasons. Do you qualify for one of these plans? Many employers think that, with just a few employees, their businesses are too small. To the contrary, even a two person company can qualify for a group health plan.
Kan. Legislature Advances Bill to Help Poor Buy Insurance
Thousands of poor Kansans would get the state's help in paying for health insurance under a proposal endorsed earlier this week in both the House and Senate, as legislators moved closer to finishing a modest package of health care initiatives. The proposal would create a new program eventually providing $77 million a year in benefits to about 24,000 adults by 2012. While the program's details aren't spelled out, supporters expect the state to spend about $3,200 per person. The House approved, 117-5, a bill creating the new program. The Senate gave its own bill first-round approval on a voice vote and planned to take final action Tuesday. Both measures had bipartisan support. The House bill tied the new program to proposals to allow the state to make no-interest loans to help small businesses form associations and start health plans, and allow more Kansans to set aside money tax-free to cover health expenses.
Beitlich Touts Health Care Plan to State Senate Committee
The leader of the Wisconsin Farmers Union says the state government is doing great work when it comes to reforming health care. At a public hearing in Eau Claire on Thursday, WFU President Sue Beitlich told the State Senate Committee on Health and Human Services that she 'is encouraging to know that legislators see our needs and are working to create change in this vital area.'
In particular, Beitlich says her group favors State Senator Mark Miller's Wisconsin Health Security Act--which she feels is the most comprehensive proposal, specifically in its potential to help family farmers, small business owners, and employers and their employees.
"In Wisconsin in 2005 there were an estimated 500,000 adults without health insurance--a conservative estimate that is growing--and the number of children without insurance grew from 91,000 to 110,000 in 2005," Beitlich told the panel.
Blagojevich fights for business tax plan
Businessman Duntai Mathews knows it's important to have healthy employees at his small woodworking company. It's finding the money to pay for their medical insurance that's the problem. So Mathews and his family go without insurance and he doesn't offer it to his 11 employees either. "I need it," said Mathews, who is backing Gov. Rod Blagojevich's $7.6 billion business tax plan to make access to health care affordable in Illinois and generate money for schools and property tax relief. Mathews said private insurance companies want to charge him $6,200 a month to cover his employees, and Blagojevich's plan to offer low-cost health insurance for workers would do it for $2,800 a month. But Blagojevich's tax plan has outraged many other business owners, who predict it would force them to raise prices and cut jobs.
Independence Holding Company Announces Acquisition of Actuarial ...
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2007--Independence Holding Company (NYSE: IHC) today announced that it has closed on the previously announced acquisition of Actuarial Management Corporation ("AMC"). AMC is a leading, full-service actuarial firm headquartered in Concord, CA that focuses on fully insured health coverage for small groups, individuals and families, short-term medical and employer medical stop-loss. AMC is responsible for all actuarial aspects of IHC's entire book of fully insured health business, but will remain an independent business unit providing services and resources to clients outside the IHC Group of Companies. AMC's team of 19 professionals has extensive experience providing clients in the health insurance industry with development and management services, underwriting and benefit design review, data reporting, compliance support and strategic and tactical management services.
Small-firm health care at issue
Lawmakers unveiled legislation Monday that aims to protect small businesses and their workers from drastic health insurance rate hikes. The proposal is one of several pending this session to increase health coverage in Colorado while a commission studying comprehensive reform completes its work. The newest bill, by Reps. Anne McGihon, a Denver Democrat, and Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, would prohibit health insurance companies from using the health history of workers in setting rates for businesses with 50 employees or fewer. "It's not often in the arena of health reform that we see a clear problem with a clear solution, but this is one of those rarities," said McGihon. "This proposal will prevent insurance companies from increasing that burden just because of an individual employee's health issues," Massey said.
RI to debut small business health plan
Two new health plans available to employees of small businesses this fall will offer discounted coverage to people who agree to keep fit and quit smoking. Details of the plans were released Tuesday and will be offered in October by Blue Cross & Blue Shield for $323 a month and UnitedHealthcare for $309 per month. Both require customers to get a health screening, select a primary care doctor and create a plan to monitor long-term illnesses such as diabetes. People who are overweight will have to enroll in a weight-management program or show they're losing weight. Smokers would have to enroll in a program to stop. Those who don't will have to pay more. "There really is no free lunch," said Christopher Koller, the state's health care commissioner. "If you want to lower costs, there are going to have to be some commitments." Any insurance company that wants to insure the state's work force must offer the discounted plans, which can't exceed 10 percent of an average person's annual wages.
A Guide to Long -Term Care Insurance
According to the Small Business Council of America (SBCA) buying a long-term care (LTC) insurance plan is probably one of the most important decisions in a person's life. In fact, based on American Society on Aging (ASA) estimates, LTC insurance should not be an option for aging boomers. It should be a requirement. According to ASA, people who are 65 and older have a 70% chance of needing long term care before they die. Dying is the inexpensive part. The average annual national cost for nursing home care is over $70,000. At $52,000 annually, home healthcare may be relatively cheaper but could still easily deplete financial resources. The costs are expected to increase threefold in the next 20 years based on a 5% rate of inflation in long-term care costs. Few will argue the value of LTC insurance plans for aging individuals.
Panel kills bill to expand health plan availability
An alliance between the state's hospitals and chiropractors has killed legislation designed to expand the availability of stripped-down health insurance coverage. On a 5-2 vote, the Senate Health Committee voted to kill a House-passed measure to let insurance companies offer policies to individuals and small businesses without the full list of coverages now required under state law. Rep. Kirk Adams, R-Mesa, said the change would have made insurance more affordable and meant that more Arizonans could get coverage. .
Most small companies fret over insurance
Small-business owners are increasingly concerned about rising health-care costs and are looking to government more and more to find legislative relief. That's according to a new poll of small-business owners nationwide who say they simply can't afford to offer health insurance because revenues are too uncertain and many of their employees can't afford their share of the costs. The poll, which was conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business, is based on a random survey of its members, 10,000 business owners. A vast majority, 95 percent, said the most important issue facing their business is rising health-care costs, said William Dennis, chief economist for the trade group, which has an office in Columbus and headquarters in Washington, D.C.
COLUMN: Young people hold promise for strong Iowa future
This building we call the "Golden Dome" is a curious place. An enigma if you will. Often, the moment I arrive at the capitol we are off and running. COLUMN: Young people hold promise for strong Iowa future By TOM RIELLY Iowa Senate District 38 This building we call the "Golden Dome" is a curious place. An enigma if you will. Often, the moment I arrive at the capitol we are off and running. The activity is exhilarating, chaotic, informative, and, from time to time, exhausting. A huge buzzing human beehive of legislators, staff, lobbyists, guests, tourists, dignitaries, press, and, most important, school children. It is amazing to me how a conversation on a $50 million appropriation for research and development can morph into the real need for deer contraceptives or helping small business owners gain easier access to health insurance for their employees — all in the span of five minutes.
BestWeek: UnitedHealth’s $2.6 Billion Buyout of Las Vegas-Based ...
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UnitedHealth Group's pending $2.6 billion acquisition of the Las Vegas-based Sierra Health Services is a strategic move affording it access to among the fastest-growing markets in the United States. In an exclusive article in this week's BestWeek, industry observers speculate about more managed-care mergers ahead and note the smaller Sierra offers UnitedHealth a business model the other large publicly traded companies may find hard to match. UnitedHealth wants to be big everywhere, and because it was lacking in size in the Nevada area, the deal makes sense, said Donald Light, a senior equity analyst with Celent. With Sierra, UnitedHealth becomes the dominant player in Nevada's employer market, he said. Also featured is Best's Insurance Composite Index, which finished the week of March 15, 2007 at 1,295.24, up 6.79% from a year ago.
Health-care plan needed
As a self-employed small-business owner, I wasnt shocked to learn that health insurance premiums for employers increased nearly 87 percent between 2000 and 2006.
In fact, my own health insurance premiums have gone up 35 percent in the last year.
Because of my health, it is impossible for me to get on my wifes insurance plan. The governors proposed plan, Illinois Covered, will bring my premiums down so that we can finally use our income on something other than our health care.
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Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Unveils Low-Premium ...
Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher Koller on Tuesday unveiled new low-premium "wellness health benefit plans" that are intended to encourage small businesses to offer health coverage to workers, the Providence Journal reports. The plans, which will be offered by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and UnitedHealthcare of New England, will include coverage for physician visits, hospitalization, preventive services and prescription drugs. Under a law passed last year, the insurers must offer the plans to businesses with 50 or fewer employees beginning Oct. 1. The law requires premiums to equal no more than 10% of the average annual wages in the state. Premiums for individual coverage will average $322 per month for Blue Cross plans and $309 per month for UnitedHealthcare plans -- 18% lower than similar plans currently on the market.
Deborah Oliver: Let's take control of Dirigo
As a small-business owner and entrepreneur, I am writing to urge the Maine legislature to pass LD 431 — An Act to Enable the Dirigo Health Program to be Self-Administered, sponsored by Rep. Jill Conover of Oakland. I appeared in November at the Bureau of Insurance public hearing in Gardiner regarding the outrageous rate increase Anthem was then requesting for the Dirigo product. I left that hearing mystified by Anthem's reluctance to answer questions. I am convinced from what I heard and saw that Anthem is no friend to the Dirigo plan or its subscribers. DirigoChoice is thriving as a viable, affordable health insurance plan for Mainers. Before I quit a full-time job in Maine to start my own business, I carefully investigated health insurance options for my husband and me. Policies available to us as nongroup subscribers were exorbitant; premiums for policies approximating the coverage offered by my then-employer were well over $1,000 a month.
Education, health care should be more affordable
"We cannot sustain an economy based on innovation unless our citizens are educated in math, science and engineering," Gates said. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the nation's largest, has contributed $3 billion since 1999 to educational programs and scholarships. The Microsoft Corp. chairman and world's richest man outlined his ideas before a U.S. Senate labor and education committee on March 7, yet it's like a new version of Windows without the full operating-system programming. You can't improve education and keep the U.S. competitive globally without amending the U.S. tax code and making college affordable for everyone. Instead of promising future teachers, professionals and small-business owners a bright future, we saddle them with college debt and make it difficult for them to buy health insurance.
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