Posted December 22, 2009
Obama recently announced he will delay his planned family vacation to support the health care overhaul bill currently in the Senate. At this point all Obama can do is provide encouragement since the Republicans have vowed to do everything they can to slow down and hopefully stop the passage of the bill. Republicans, which only have 40 seats in the Senate, have been able to so far delay the passage and hope to continue their progress.
Senate Wants No Co-Pays on Mammograms
Posted December 4, 2009
The health insurance reform debate is in full stride and the Senate is adding amendments into the health insurance reform bill. One of these is an amendment to restrict insurance companies from requesting a co-pay for women's preventative care services which would include mammograms.
This may be somewhat in response to the negative reaction from the public on the recent announcement from a government task force recommending a raise in the age on when a women should get her first mammogram. This amendment does not restrict deductibles that may apply to the procedure and does not remove the chance that insurance companies may change their coverage for mammograms to fall in line with the new government task force recommendations, which insurance companies have admitted they do follow guidelines from sources such as the government task force mentioned above to administer their coverages.
Selling Insurance Across State Lines
Posted November 13, 2009
It is a proposal that is still trying to make it into the current healthcare insurance reform. Interstate insurance or selling insurance across state lines, has been proposed in Congress since 2005 and is still for many a strong selling point for a change in how and where Americans should be able to purchase their health insurance coverage. Proponents say it will increase competition and opponents say it will do the opposite and raise costs along with lowering the quality of health insurance policies.
Getting a Little Suspicious of AARP and Their Strong Support for Health Insurance Reform?
Posted October 27, 2009
Membership organizations have been helpful to many in finding health care benefits. AARP is a household name for senior citizens. This trust seniors have for AARP is based on the assumption that they are advocating for seniors and not swimming in profits like many think that the health insurance companies are. But is that image true or just advertising?
The truth may be surprising to many senior citizens. According to www.washingtonpost.com, "The group and its subsidiaries collected more than $650 million in royalties and other fees last year from the sale of insurance policies, credit cards and other products that carry the AARP name, accounting for the majority of its $1.14 billion in revenue, according to federal tax records. It does not directly sell insurance policies but lends its name to plans in exchange for a tax-exempt cut of the premiums.
The group's dual role as an insurance reformer and a broker has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks from congressional Republicans, who accuse it of having a conflict of interest in taking sides in the fierce debate over health insurance. Three House Republicans sent a letter to AARP on Monday complaining that the group was putting its "political self-interests" ahead of seniors.
Republicans also question the high salaries and other perks given to some top AARP executives, who would not be subject to limits on insurance executives' pay included in the Senate Finance Committee's health reform package. Former AARP chief executive William Novelli received more than $1 million in compensation last year."
Will Medicare Beneficiaries Loose Benefits Under Pending Health Care Reform Legislation and is Obama Trying to Hide Information About the Loss?
Posted October 18, 2009
The pending legislation for health care reform is causing worry to millions of Medicare beneficiaries that are in private Medicare Advantage plans. The concern happened when recently the Obama administration tried to stop insurance companies from telling those Medicare beneficiaries that they may lose benefits due to the pending health care reform legislation backed by the Obama administration and Democrat lawmakers. Then, after pressure from opponents and insurance companies telling the Obama administration that the move to not tell Medicare Advantage recipients about the potential loss of benefits was unconstitutional, the Obama administration backed away from its original order and agreed to not stop the information from being sent to the beneficiaries.
This has obviously sent up a red flag to many that maybe the Obama administration and lawmaking Democrats don't want the public to know something about the loss of benefits. This move has pushed a once cooperative insurance industry further away from the Obama administration on working out health care reform legislation.
Is it Underinsured or Responsibility... What do You Think?
Posted October 4, 2009
With the health insurance reform debate still in full force with the public and lawmakers, one common word keeps coming up: underinsured. These are people who do have health insurance but would or have paid large amounts out of pocket to cover an illness.
People who have high deductible health insurance are considered to be underinsured. Some feel there is nothing wrong with a high deductible plan and feel citizens should have some responsibility vested in their health insurance. Furthermore, high deductible plans do cut insurance costs because one is taking on more financial responsibility for their health insurance. But, at the same time, many with high deductible plans are continuing to file for bankruptcy because of unpaid medical bills.
Understand the Issue: Obama's Health Care Reform 2009
Need to Know Fact: Insurance Exchange - The term for the new government health care plan proposed by the Obama adiminstration.
Obama's Health Care Reform Proposal
Obama Healthcare Reform and How He Plans to Pay for It
Health Care Reform - Why Will This Work Now?
How The Critics Feel About Obama's Plans to Reform Health Care
