itrstnhm8e8 asked:


I work for a major company in the health Insurance field. I am worried that once reform is passed my jobs will be in jeopardy. Would it make sense to reform health care only to drive more people out of work?

?Lightening? asked:


What are some good health insurance companies? Good meaning
good coverage
low deductible
nothing shady, or in the small print that is kind of dishonest
not expensive for a college student ?
does the deductible include the monthly insurance premium?
Do health insurance companies ever allow a person to have a policy through their company as well as a policy through another company?
Are there any reasons you may be denied the insurance?

Paul Jr born Nov 4th 2008 asked:


Does anyone know of a low-cost health insurance program for pregnant women? My husband just lost his job and I was on his benefits and I’m about 3 months prego. I don’t qualify for medi-cal because I make a little more than the required income, and I can’t get IEHP until I’m in my 9th month of pregnancy. I just feel so stressed out, this couldn’t have happened at a worse time. I can’t afford to pay 400 dollars a month for insurance, and also a lot of companies won’t even give me insurance because I am pregnant.
Yes I live in the U.S., California to be exact

nananana asked:


Hi, Everybody! I’m college student, i work part-time and make around $500 per month. I just got appendix surgery at Northridge Hospital in CA, unfortunately i didn’t have health insurance. I estimated my bill will be around $15,000. Does anyone know any Charity Organizations which help poor students with their hospital bill? Thank you for your help and patience for responding my answer.

ut.soccer asked:


My mom’s factory closed this past week and she is in need of quality and affordable health insurance. She has an option for COBRA but it’s almost 800 dollars a month and she needs something less expensive. Anyone have any suggestions on what companys she should research?

…… asked:


Im 21 college student and just got layed off I havent had health insurance for like 3 years and I need to go to a doctor like a gyno anywayz im going to the social services office to see if I can get like a low cost health insurance from the state or something I live in ct… but if they don’t help me how much health insurance is a month? I can’t afford more then 50 dollars a month I just got layeoff and I don’t like getting help from the state but I really need to see a doctor
Like I said I don’t like getting help from welfare … there’s not a lot of jobs put there right now I try walmart target d&d but nothing yet I just need a help with health insurance til I find a job … I don’t wanna b another burden for the state

GagesMomColie asked:


I have no health insurance and cannot take my son to a dr and do not have money to pay a huge ER bill. He has a nasty ear infection. What can I do to treat it so no damage is caused? He is 18 months old.
I live in Utah and all the free clinics are closed.

blank asked:


http://www.californiahealthline.org/Articles/2009/5/26/Proposals-to-Cut-Health-Spending-in-California-Face-Opposition.aspx

This article explains a little of what’s going on, but basically, to reduce the budget deficit, our governor wants to cut Healthy Families, which is a low cost health insurance program for children from families who make too much to qualify for medi-cal, but are not able to afford private insurance. Couldn’t he find somewhere else to cut the funds from, instead of taking insurance away from children when the rest of the country is trying to expand coverage for children?

My son is on Healthy Families and I don’t know what we’ll do if it gets cut. I currently pay $21.00 per month for his insurance, and if they cut the program, I will undoubtedly be paying in excess of $100 per month for less coverage. Does this seem like a stupid program to cut to anyone else? Sorry, I know this isn’t much of a question, but I’m really frustrated by it!

You get your group health insurance renewal letter from your insurance carrier, you insurance agent or a letter from each of them. They notify you that your rates are going up.

Did you ever wonder what factors contribute to this increase?

Here are the 6 factors that can affect your renewal premium rates:

1. Change in Base Rate

The change in base rate reflects changes due to medical and drug prescription cost trends in your city. Increases in the cost of medical treatments and the cost of prescriptions in your geographical area will have an impact on your base rate.

2. Change in Age/Gender

These changes are based on the demographics of your group.

If your plan uses age banded rating, rates may increase as employees move into a higher costing age band. With age banding, the price brackets are generally broken into five year segments. So, the insurance company provides a different rate for each employee, based on the age of that employee. An older employee will pay a higher the premium than a younger employee.

Similarly, some plans set health insurance rates based on gender. If you have such a plan, changes in the number of women and men enrolled in your group plan will affect the premiums.

3. Group Size Adjustment

Changes in the number of employees enrolled in your plan can affect the cost of the plan’s premium.

4. Change in Area Factor

Where the employees enrolled in the plan live influences the cost of the insurance. Premium amounts are base on the member’s home address.

So, if you have new employees living in higher rated areas or you have employees that move into higher rated areas, the premium will increase.

5. Change in Industry Factor

The type of business you run – what industry it is categorized as – can also impact premium cost. Occasionally, an insurance company will re-evaluate their pricing based on industry. If they raise the rates for your industry, this increase will be reflected upon renewal of your policy.

6. Risk and Compliance Adjustments

These adjustments are based on the overall rate level change to the group and reflect the claim and use history of the group.

Please note that you may have a policy that does not take every one of these factors into consideration. Check with your insurance agent to see which ones your plan includes.

The good news is that these rate change factors can also result in lower premiums if changes to your group profile are favorable.

By: Corinne Mitchell

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