If you didn’t contributed the maximum amount to your health savings account (HSA) in 2011, there’s still time. You have until April 17, 2012 to make deposits for the 2011 tax year. The maximum contribution amount is $3,050 for singles and $6,150 for families.
Wed, March 14 2012 » Affordable Health Insurance, Health Savings Account » No Comments
This week is National Consumer Protection Week, so it’s a good time to point out some consumer rights regarding insurance. Insurance policies and fixed annuities come with free-look periods, which is a set number of days the policyholder has to review the policy and determine if it is the right fit. Free-look periods have been around forever, but new consumer [...]
Thu, March 8 2012 » Affordable Health Insurance, Annuities, Health Care Reform » No Comments
Communication is becoming the least of what the average phone can offer these days. Phones have morphed into alarm clocks, navigation, calculators, organizers, and now add life-saver to that list. Parade magazine named iTriage one of ten mobile apps that could save your life. Designed by two emergency room doctors and an Aetna subsidiary, iTriage is intended [...]
Mon, February 27 2012 » Affordable Health Insurance, Healthy Tips to Keep Premiums Low » No Comments
Before health care reform, most individuals insuring themselves outside of a group never used their health insurance benefits unless something seriously went wrong. Why? Because in many cases they were sold catastrophic coverage, not because they had a bad insurance agent, but because it was the only affordable option. Catastrophic insurance coverage, AKA hit-by-a-bus insurance, will cover all expenses after the $10,000 or $25,000 deductible [...]
Thu, February 23 2012 » Affordable Health Insurance, Health Care Reform » No Comments
This is a true and very sad story as reported by CBS news last year; a man robbed a North Carolina bank to receive medical care in jail. I really wish he would have called his local insurance agent first because there are other options. If you can’t afford a low-deductible plan and don’t have [...]
Wed, February 22 2012 » Affordable Health Insurance, Insurance in the News » No Comments
The spilled milk joke was just terrible, but shortly after that the president’s talk of equal insurance premiums for men and women reeled me back in to his State of the Union address. I’ve blogged on the side subject of mandatory maternity coverage but never directly about the discrepancy in premiums. Women pay more than men for health insurance, [...]
Thu, January 26 2012 » Affordable Health Insurance, Health Care Reform, Insurance in the News » No Comments
Unless you work for a company that provides group insurance, having a pre-existing condition used to make buying health insurance an unattainable goal. But as health care reform works its way through our large bureaucracy, it is becoming easier. If you have a pre-existing condition and you live in Florida, you are one of the lucky ones. Things have gotten [...]
Fri, January 20 2012 » Affordable Health Insurance, Health Care Reform » No Comments
So many people are unemployed right now and have been for quite some time. Some of the lucky ones are in between jobs. Whatever the case, for many, COBRA insurance coverage has run out, is about to run out or is completely unaffordable. But there is a solution – short-term health insurance. Although short-term plans will not normally cover pre-existing [...]
Thu, September 8 2011 » Affordable Health Insurance » No Comments
Jim Spiewak from SNN local Sarasota Channel 6 was in the office Monday asking about the recent changes to preventative health care, which include additional benefits for women. I missed the broadcast and have no idea what clip was used, but whichever it was I’m sure it can be expanded upon. Spiewak wanted to know if insurance premiums [...]
Fri, August 5 2011 » Affordable Health Insurance, Health Care Reform, Insurance in the News » No Comments
I’m training a new agent right now, and although she’s taken the course and passed the state exam, she’s never been insured herself. Add that with the fact that the state licensing requirements teach you more about the law than insurance, and deductibles and coinsurance can be a little confusing. I found this great YouTube [...]
Thu, July 28 2011 » Affordable Health Insurance, Health Care Reform » No Comments
