Health official says compliance high

The vast majority of Massachusetts taxpayers complied with the new health insurance reform law by answering the filing requirement on their new return. That's according to Jon Kingsdale, executive director of the Commonwealth Connector Authority, which is implementing the law and its mandate to expand coverage to nearly every resident. Kinsgdale issued a report card Wednesday for the reform effort thus far.

He said nearly 99 percent of taxpayers complied with the requirement. Taxpayers needed to show they complied with the law and had healthinsurance as of the end of 2007. If they did not, they lost their personal exemption, which was worth about $219 for an individual. Kingsdale said only a few thousand people appealed the law to the Connector. Of 168,000 uninsured taxpayers, 97,000 were deemed able to afford insurance, according to Department of Revenue Data supplied to the Connector. Another 62,000 were determined to not be able to afford insurance, citing income or health hardships. Another 9,000 residents claimed a religious exemption from obtaining health insurance.

news source : http://boston.bizjournals.com/

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Craig Bacheler expects to offer healthinsurance benefits at his information technology business, now that Alabama's governor has signed into law a tax break for small businesses that provide the insurance to their workers. Bacheler said high insurance costs have left his five-month-old company, Bacheler Technologies in Montgomery, unable to offer such benefits to its two employees. But the new law will make the insurance more affordable, allowing him to make it available when the law takes effect. "It's hard to compete with big businesses because they can pay all or part of the cost," he said, adding new health benefits would make recruiting employees easier.

Gov. Bob Riley pushed the tax break through the recent legislative session and signed it into law Tuesday in a Capitol ceremony. Riley predicts the legislation will allow more small businesses like Bacheler's to start offering health insurance. Starting Jan. 1, the new law will permit businesses with fewer than 25 employees to deduct from their state income taxes 150 percent of the amount they pay for health insurance for employees who earn less than $50,000 annually. The deduction has been 100 percent. Small business employees who earn less than $50,000 annually will be able to deduct from their state income taxes 150 percent of what they pay toward their health insurance. To get the deduction, they have to spend more than 4 percent of their adjusted gross income on medical expenses.At the bill signing, Riley said the state has offered financial incentives to big corporations that have built plants in Alabama. Now, he said, the time has come to help small businesses, which create more than 80 percent of the jobs in Alabama.

Andy Martin, owner of Square Root Interactive in Montgomery, said his Web design company already pays part of the cost of employees' health insurance. But the tax break will help his firm make more money and possibly expand its work force of 11. He said it will also help employees with their share of insurance costs. The Legislature passed the bill after Riley made it part of his 2006 re-election platform and after business groups, including the Business Council of Alabama, spent four years promoting the idea. Martin, a BCA member, said the legislative action was unexpected. "It's almost like the feeling you have when somebody you didn't expect remembers your birthday," he said. The tax break is supposed to cost the state $33 million annually. To pay for the tax break, the Republican governor recommended and the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed a bill to close some loopholes that large national corporations use to pay less state income taxes in Alabama.

That bill, designed to raise $54 million annually, reins in the practice of national corporations paying a sister company huge amounts for use of a trademark and then using those payments to lower their state taxes on income generated in Alabama.

news source : http://www.forbes.com/

KCHA raises health insurance rates

GALESBURG — The Knox County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners agreed Tuesday to increase employee insurance costs next year. The board voted 5-0 to increase deductible costs from $250 to $1,100, but to also create a savings account for each employee. By making the changes, the board was able to save $30,393, spending $167,642 for coverage. The original plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield would have cost $198,035. The changes allowed the board to continue buying healthinsurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Before the change, Knox County Housing Authority Executive Director Margie Hulick said the 28 KCHA employees were responsible for $1,250 per individual out of pocket per year, including co-pay and the deductible. “It cost us less per month because of the higher deductible,” Hulick said. “To offset the higher deductible, we set up a savings account for each employee.” Now, employees will be responsible for $2,000 per individual out of pocket, but will receive a $750 health savings account in his or her name. Each employee will receive $500 in the savings account for the remainder of this year. A health savings account allows employees to save money for future medical expenses. Money placed in the accounts can roll over into the next fiscal year. The new plan eliminates the co-pay, leaving employees responsible for all initial costs until the out-of-pocket limit is met.

news source : http://www.galesburg.com/

Farmers need Gov’t support to get health insurance

VietNamNet Bridge - Although the government supports those who live close to the poverty line, tens of million farmers have not purchased medical insurance, said Truong Thi Mai, chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Social Affairs Committee. There is discrimination at hospitals because some patients have medical insurance cards while others don’t. Some seek treatment during working hours, while others seek treatment after hours. Earners with below-average income need the government’s support when purchasing health insurance
.

Currently, the state pays only for residents whose incomes are close and on the poverty line or whose family members are prioritized by social welfare policies, i.e. seniors and children under the age of six. Government spending has not benefited farmers who don’t belong to the above-mentioned groups. These farmers have no choice but pay VND250, 000 (US$15) a year for an insurance card. Those in charge are afraid of running out of funds. The Ministry of Health must make a list of basic medical services. Patients, including those insured, must pay for medical services that are not on this list. The Assembly is considering how much residents must pay for medical insurance. Some deputies proposed a maximum of 6 percent; others suggested that state agencies’ employees pay 3 percent of their basic salaries and 5 percent of their pension and social security money. Workers at private companies pay 2 percent while their employers pay 3 percent.

At present, there is a paradox. The government plans to bring better health care services to residents in remote regions, but medical clinics there are only able to provide a few simple services, so many patients don’t benefit from buying insurance. Patients who live in the cities do receive these services so insurance companies must pay more for better services.

news source : http://english.vietnamnet.vn/

Massachusetts Insurance Impoves Preventive Health

New Massachusetts health insurance plan now covers more than half of those who were uninsured last year. Also more people have received preventative care since the time mandatory health insurance was launched. Massachusetts enrolled mandatory health insurance in the fall of 2006 and required all residents to obtain coverage starting from January 2007. Some 86000 residents who did not fulfill the requirement are required to pay a $219 penalty later this year.

Massachusetts health insurance plan was aimed at providing health coverage, which is affordable for the uninsured people. The following figures show that the plan became successful. The figures come from Urban Institute's analysis show that about 350000 out of 600000 uninsured residents were enrolled in the plan and about 60000 residents who were unable to afford even subsidized healthinsurance were granted exemptions. In 2006 about 13% of Massachusetts residents aged from 18 to 64 were uninsured, but in 2007 the number decreased to 7%. Those who are still uninsured are mainly low income males and the 1/3 of the uninsured people reported that they were unaware of the fact that the healthinsurance is mandatory.

Those with lowest income - less than three times the federal poverty level $66600 - were 24% uninsured. Now this number has decreased to 13%. The individuals that earned significantly more constituted the 5 percent of the uninsured, which has droped to 3 percent. About 70% of those with lowest income received preventative care in 2007, compared to 65% in 2006. 59% of them received dental care in 2007, compared to 49% in 2006. Only 17% reported that they delayed medical care in 2007, compared to 27% in 2006.

Urban Institute's analysis also mentions that the number of uninsured has decreased only thanks to the increase of new health insurance enrollment cases. Massachusetts residents did not switch to government-provided health insurance plans from private insurance providers. Also, employers did not show a tendency of benefiting from the governmental plan. In other words, the number of those newly insured is the number of residents who were uninsured, not the number of people who were previously covered and just changed the type of healthinsurance coverage.

New Massachusetts health insurance plan is great help for those with low income and uninsured. The state's mandatory health plan is also a good way for health department to save medical resources. It is much better to cover the uninsured and provide with preventative health care on time, rather than to handle long hospital stays.

news source : http://www.emaxhealth.com/

Contact 2 - Health Insurance

A Metro East woman emailed Contact 2 with a big problem: Lindy Evans says her employer withheld money for health insurance, but it never paid its portion of the premium. However, Lindy says her employer never told her the policy was dropped, so she continued using her insurance card for medical procedures. Months later, Lindy got a surprise $12,000 bill from her insurance company for services that weren't covered because she wasn't actually a policy holder.

A St. Louis University Law Professor says Lindy's situation is not all that uncommon, especially for employees who work for small businesses. The professor recommends that Lindy sue her former employer in state court.

news source : http://www.myfoxstl.com/

Unpack the value of travel insurance

Everyone hopes their trip of a lifetime doesn’t turn into a disaster, but life has a way of throwing curveballs. Travelers can minimize the damage of a last-minute illness, lost baggage or a bankrupt cruise line by purchasing travel insurance. Coverage that also includes medical and dental emergencies, and even medical evacuation, can add extra layers of security for overseas travelers.

I travel quite extensively and have never purchased travel insurance; however, according to a 2006 study by the U.S. Travel Insurance Association (UStiA), American leisure travelers are buying travel insurance more often than in the past. As many as 70 percent of Americans who book a cruise also buy travel insurance for their trip. Furthermore, one out of every six individuals who purchase travel insurance file an insurance claim at some point.

Travel insurance policies vary widely, so it’s important to examine the coverage offered and read the fine print before you buy. Package travel insurance policies typically include coverage for trip cancellation, lost or delayed baggage, medical or dental emergencies, travel delays or accidental death. Medical evacuation coverage is often sold as a separate policy.

Flight insurance, which provides compensation should death or injury result during a commercial flight, is generally considered unnecessary. The risk is low and most people are covered by their medical or life insurance in the event of injury and/or an accidental death policy in the event of death.

If you think you can skip health care travel insurance, keep in mind that Medicare and the majority of private health insurance policies do not cover medical expenses incurred while traveling outside the United States. In addition, if you should become seriously ill, a medical evacuation can cost thousands of dollars.

If you decide to purchase travel insurance, select your policy carefully. A quick Internet search for travel insurance generates a list of travel insurance comparison sites. Enter the dates, destinations, trip costs and age of travelers and you can get quotes and compare features and benefits of the various policies available. You may find that quotes for older travelers are higher. In addition, if you have a pre-existing medical condition, you may have a more difficult time obtaining the coverage you want.

A request for quotes from one of these comparison sites, for a 55-year-old traveler booking a cruise to Alaska from California valued at $4,000, delivered 31 package options ranging in price from $108 to $486 or, two to 12 percent of the cost of the trip.

news source : http://www.hcnonline.com/

The Importance Of International Travel Medical Insurance

Traveling on vacation or business is usually a lot of fun; exploring new places and cultures while enjoying new cuisines adds to the experience and pleasure of visiting new destinations but, at the same time, you must take into consideration the possibility of any sort of accident that may happen at any given moment. Therefore, international travel medical insurance is essential every single time you take a trip abroad. Where And How To Obtain International Travel Medical Insurance

Usually, when you book your vacation, your travel agent is responsible for letting you know about international travel medical insurance as well as its coverage and cost. All airlines expect you to have one as a requirement in order to be able to fly out of the country. If you are booking your flight tickets online, then you will probably be prompted to purchase international travel medical insurance as well; the insurance itself is not very expensive depending on the regulation of the country you are about to visit as each country applies different laws and regulations.

What Does International Travel Medical Insurance Cover?

International travel medical insurances usually covers any accidents that may happen when you are traveling; emergency evacuation and sometimes even refunds of travel costs; this feature usually differs from one insurance company to the other. Take a moment and read the you are about to buy for even if you may never expect to have any such emergencies you never know what may happen next and you will need to fall back on the medical insurance you just purchased.

Helpful Tip

International travel medical insurance is a precautionary matter that most travelers need to carry even if they have other medical insurances as well; they cover international laws and regulations and, therefore, apply only when you leave the country. International travel medical insurances differ vastly depending on the country you are about to visit, therefore, ask all relative questions before you are in an emergency situation and realize that you don’t even know how to get in touch with your insurance company or what types of accidents they cover.

Accidents happen everyday and even if it is the last thing that will ever cross your mind when planning a vacation or trip abroad, being careful and prepared can only keep you safe in case you should ever need international travel medical insurance.

news source : http://www.bestsyndication.com/