Individual Health Insurance
Health Insurance for Early Retirees
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
The New York Times has an interesting article
on some of the challenges that early retirees face in finding health
insurance. The article notes that for most people-especially those with
no existing medical concerns-”the best, least-expensive option is to
buy an individual policy” rather than opt into COBRA coverage through
an employer. The story focuses on a couple in their […]
More Employers Moving To Defined Contribution Health Plans
Friday, January 25th, 2008USA Today has a story (reprinted below)about the shift of more and more employerstowards a defined contribution model of providing health insurance.Just as retirement and pension plans movedfrom defined benefit to defined contribution in the 1980’s,health care benefits will change in this direction.
****************Employers put health coverage in workers’ hands
By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY
Nick
Trikolas plans to […]
The simplest way to compare individual health insurance plans
Monday, October 8th, 2007I learned this from Bob Vinyard.
The most simple method of comparing plans is to look at your annual
premium + your out of pocket on a major claim.
The plan with the lowest
total at risk (premium + OOP) is the plan that you should choose.
What is the purpose of individual health insurance?
Monday, October 8th, 2007Why buy individual health insurance?
“It is to pay those claims that are financially impossible to cover out
of your income & your savings. Nothing more, nothing less.” so says Bob Vinyard.
Why buy health insurance if you are healthy?
?One purchases insurance in advance of the need to
protect one’s assets against seizure or depletion in the event of […]
The Wall Street Journal Notices Individual Health Insurance Market
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007The individual health insurance market is hot, and getting hotter.
MP McQueen, writing in today’s Wall Street Journal notices that the big insurance carriers are introducing many new individual health insurance products to fit various market niches.
So, what I want to know is,where is the innovative company thatwill take all these products directly to the consumer,belly-to-belly, […]
Google Health Screenshots
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007Everybody wants to jump on the health information bandwagon.
Both Microsoft and Google are close to launching their respective attempts to grab a nice seat right at the front of the bandwagon.
Here’s some of the first screenshots of Weaver, Google’s codename for their health information storage program. This story comes from Blogoscoped.com.**********************
Google Health, codename “Weaver”, is […]
Boom in Individual Health Insurance Grows Closer
Thursday, June 14th, 2007You don’t need much of a crystal ball to see the growing support for the move from defined-benefit health benefits into defined-contribution.
What happened with 401(k) and IRA accounts in the 1980’sis going to be mirrored by health benefits changes over the next 5 years.
If I were looking to hit an investment home-run, top of the […]
CBS Examines Individual Health Insurance Market in Two-Part Series
Thursday, May 24th, 2007CBS’ “Evening News”
on Wednesday reported on the “new uninsurables” — individuals who are
“denied individual health insurance, but not for a serious illness.”
According to a 2006 survey by the Commonwealth Fund,
89% of U.S. adults who apply for individual health insurance policies
do not obtain policies because their applications were denied or they
could not afford coverage.
Insurers that […]
Understanding Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs)
Sunday, May 20th, 2007Employer benefits expert Brent Heurter gives a quick (3 minutes) introduction to Health Reimbursement Arrangements.
Click here to learn more from Brent Heurter
Blue Cross goes retail
Monday, February 26th, 2007Blue Cross today announced their first retail store … in an additional component to rapidly-moving advance of what they are calling “consumer-empowered” health care.
From their press release….
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Announces ‘Florida Blue,’ a New Concept Retail Store for the Health Insurance Market
- PRNewswire
February 26, 2007
Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) today […]
