Americans would be in trouble if they lost their paycheck.

70% of working Americans would be in trouble within 1 month if they lost their paycheck.

 This from a study by the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education. There is a GREAT need for disability income protection - make you are not left out without income.

Find out more on how to protect your paycheck?

Many Small Business Owners Would Use Health Care Exchanges

Fifty-five percent of small business owners surveyed by Pacific Community Ventures said they would be likely to participate in the healthcare exchanges set up by the state. When given basic information about the exchanges, 55% said they would be likely to participate and 32% of those not offering coverage said they would be more likely to offer it because of the exchanges.

Also, 43% of small businesses that don’t offer insurance said they would be more likely to do so after learning about small business healthcare tax credits, according to the survey of 804 California small employers with fewer than 20 workers. However, 48% of small employers in the state are unaware of provisions in the law that will benefit small businesses.

Fifty-seven percent of small businesses don’t know about the small business tax credits they can claim this year to offset healthcare costs and 62% don’t know about health insurance exchanges.
• The survey also includes the following findings:
• 52% of small businesses that offer insurance said they would be more likely to continue providing it because of the small business healthcare tax credits
• 35% of small businesses that offer insurance said the exchange makes them more likely to continue providing coverage
• 30% said the exchange is more attractive if employee choice is included
• 45% identified as Republicans, 26% as Democrats, and 21% as Independents.

For more information on the survey results, visit http://www.pacificcommunityventures.org/insight/businesses

Free Link Exchange, Reciprocal Link Exchange, Link Exchange Directory | Exchanges.net

Free Link Exchange, Reciprocal Link Exchange, Link Exchange Directory Exchanges.net

How the State of California is Implementing Health Reform

In just one year, hundreds of thousands of Californians have benefited from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a report by Linda Leu and Anthony Wright of Health Access. Their detailed report explains how access to healthcare in California is changing as a result of health reform. The following is a summary of the report including descriptions of actions that the state has already taken to implement healthcare reform as well as pending legislation.

By this time next year in 2012, even more Californians will see additional benefits from the Affordable Care Act, most notably low-income adults getting county based coverage. In addition, California’s Exchange will be putting the pieces together to begin enrollment in late 2013.

California, which has been trying for years to reform healthcare on the state level, was quick to take advantage of the new benefits and opportunities. This includes applying for new federal grants, passing legislation to implement and expand upon federal law, negotiating a Medicaid waiver with the federal government, and issuing new regulations and oversight of insurers.

On September 30, 2010, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed about a half-dozen bills passed by the California State Legislature, bringing state law into compliance with the ACA. In some cases, the laws go beyond federal requirements. The legislature has introduced more than a dozen bills to continue to implement the federal health law.

Health Access says that California will need to adapt its individual market laws to the Affordable Care Act by January 1, 2014, so insurers cannot deny people with pre-existing conditions or charge different rates to cover them. The Pre-existing California Insurance Plan (PCIP) is ramping up its outreach and enrollment efforts, so the state can draw down as much of the $761 million (and potentially more) of federal funds available for California. The following is a description of how specific programs have changed.

Small Business Tax Credits
(Editor’s note: Small businesses will get incentives to purchase coverage through state-run health exchanges.) Starting in March of 2010, small business owners became eligible for tax credits of up to 35% of the their contribution to a health plan. Beginning in 2014, if they purchase coverage through an exchange, they will get tax credits of up to 50% of their contribution.

The tax credit applies to employers with fewer than 25 full-time employees that contribute at least 50% of the total premium. The full credit is available to businesses with fewer than 10 employees averaging less than $25,000 annual wages and phases out at $50,000. Non-profits qualify for up to 25% in tax credits.

The Healthcare Exchange
A lot of work is needed to get California’s Healthcare Exchange program ready for implementation by 2014 including hiring staff, building IT systems, providing for easy enrollment in coverage and eligibility in getting federal subsidies, organizing the marketplace so consumers can make good decisions, and setting up processes to negotiate for the best value for individuals and small businesses. Four of the five appointments to the Exchange board have been made and a first meeting is expected in the next month.

Rate Reviews
California received $1 million in federal funding to ramp up rate reviews. The Department of Insurance and Department of Managed Healthcare will be implementing new rate review procedures and looking closer at insurance company rate filings. AB 52 (Feuer), which would give the state the authority to approve or deny rates, is pending in the Legislature. Another bill, AB 51 (Alquist), would conform state law to the new rules on medical loss ratios; so at least 80% to 85% of premium dollars go to patient care, rather than administration and profit.

Small Group Rating
A bill in the California Legislature this year, AB 1083 (Monning), would establish reforms in 2014, so that small businesses don’t face price hikes when a few of their workers get sick.

Preventive Care Requirements
Up to 31 million Americans are expected to benefit from the requirements for private health plans to offer preventive services with no cost share for consumers. Many screenings, immunizations, and other preventive services are now available to consumers with no co-payments, co-insurance, or deductibles. Last year, Governor Schwarzenegger signed, AB 2345 (De La Torre), which puts the federal protections into California law.

Rescission Restrictions
Health plan rescissions had already decreased in California due to increased media and regulatory oversight, but legislative action was still pending. In 2010, Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 2470 (De La Torre) to implement the new federal standards for rescission. California improves upon federal law with requirements that insurers continue coverage pending determination of rescission.

Lifetime Caps on Coverage
On September 23, 2010, the ACA required plans to begin phasing out annual limits. ACA bans all lifetime limits.

Coverage For Young Adults
An estimated 196,000 young adults are now eligible to stay on their parents’ coverage. Starting September 23, 2010, the ACA allowed parents to keep their children on their health insurance plans up to age 26. This could assist up to 4 million young adults nationwide and 196,000 in California. In 2010, California passed SB 1088 (Price), which conforms state law to federal law with regard to this new option for children up to age 26. CALPERS reports that 27,000 young adults are getting such coverage among its membership.
Starting in 2011, young adults who meet certain income requirements will also be eligible for the Low-Income Health Programs, which are county-based Medicaid expansion programs. In 2014, young adults will be among the nearly four million Californians who can get income-based subsidies for purchasing coverage through the Health Benefits Exchange.

Medicare Expansion
As many as 269,623 seniors and people with disabilities in California fell into the Medicare Donut Hole last year — a gap in coverage that required them to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for prescriptions. Last year, 269,623 beneficiaries in California got $250 rebate checks. Starting in 2011, a 50% discount on prescriptions will close the coverage gap further. Additional measures will phase out the gap over the next several years. Preventive services, such as colorectal cancer screenings, mammograms, and annual wellness visits are now available to seniors enrolled in Medicare with no copayments, co-insurance, or deductibles. This will mean savings to 4.5 million seniors in California.

Over the next 20 years, the Affordable Care Act will slow Medicare spending by reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. These fraud prevention measures and other savings are expected to extend the financial solvency of the Medicare program by 12 years. These measures are also expected to lower out-of-pocket costs to beneficiaries. In 2018, beneficiaries can expect to save almost $200 a year in premiums and more than $200 a year in coinsurance. At the state level, one bill in consideration, AB 151 (Monning), would ensure guaranteed issue for seniors who switch from Medicare Advantage plans to Medi-gap coverage, regardless of health status.

Coverage For Pre-Medicare Retirees
Under ACA, $5 billion is available for a new reinsurance program to provide financial assistance to employers and union based plans covering early retirees ages 55 to 65. This includes 430,000 Californians who retired before they were eligible for Medicare. More than 100 California employers, union trusts, and others have received funding. A number of states have used reinsurance to lower premiums for small businesses. Savings for the plans will have to be used to lower costs for the enrollees.

Enrollment in Public Health Programs
Health Access said that California needs to streamline its eligibility and enrollment systems to make it easy to enroll in Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, subsidies in the new Exchange, or private coverage.

Medicaid Funding
A new Medicaid waiver, approved last year, takes advantages of opportunities under the ACA to provide $500 million in state budget fiscal relief to help prevent further Medi-Cal cuts. The ACA also establishes funding for innovations like healthcare homes and community health teams. It also increases funding to community clinics that provide Medicaid services and increases provider reimbursement in 2013.
California must conform to Medi-Cal rules in order to expand the program, in 2014, to those who are up to 133% of the poverty level — including adults without children at home. The federal government will fund 100% of the coverage of newly eligible enrollees for the first three years. The state must reform eligibility and enrollment procedures to streamline how Californians get coverage, so that it will be ready to enroll as many Californians as possible. Several bills advance these goals, including AB 43 (Monning), SB 677 (Hernandez), AB 1296 (Bonilla), AB 714 (Atkins), and AB 792 (Bonilla).
All California counties are working on plans to implement Low Income Health Programs. These programs use existing county health dollars and new federal matching funds to provide coverage to low income adults earlier than 2014. Under the state’s Medicaid waiver, counties can begin providing Medicaid-like coverage, this year, to medically indigent adults up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level through the Low Income Health Programs (LIHP).
Implementation of the Medicaid waiver will continue including efforts to monitor how public hospitals are meeting their goals to improve quality and capacity. Starting this year, $9.5 billion in new funding will allow health centers to expand their services. They will be able to treat an additional 20 million patients and expand their medical, oral, and behavioral health services. Health Access says that Congress needs to protect funding for community clinics.
For more information, visit www.health-access.org.

Amsinsure.com - Torrance, CA - Insurance Agent in Torrance, California

Amsinsure.com - Torrance, CA - Insurance Agent in Torrance, California

SIS Rider - Social Insurance Supplement Rider --- What is this?

This is a rider that can be added TO A DISABITY POLICY that reduces the premium by a small amount. The client still gets the full benefit amount at claim time (both base and SIS rider amounts). However - it requires the client to apply with social security, or any other social benefit that might be available. IF social security pays anything - then that benefit is integrated dollar for dollar with only the SIS rider amount. Unless it is required by the company - is this rider worth it? Call and we will let you know what is best for you.

Integrated Delivery Health Plans Score Higher with Members

• Health plans members are more satisfied with health plans that share characteristics of integrated delivery systems (IDS), according a J.D. Power study. Another major finding is that, in 2011, member satisfaction with health plans, in general, is at the lowest point since the study’s inception in 2007, averaging 696, compared to 701 in 2010. Member satisfaction with coverage and benefits has decreased slightly. Members expressed considerable declines in satisfaction with communication, claims processing, and statements.

Now in its fifth year, the study measures member satisfaction among 137 health plans in 17 regions throughout the United States by examining seven key factors: coverage and benefits, provider choice, information and communication, claims processing, statements, customer service, and approval processes.
Satisfaction with integrated health plans, such as Health Alliance Plan and Kaiser, averages 741 on a 1,000-point scale compared to 691 among members of plans where care is not integrated. In addition, members of integrated plans have a better understanding of their coverage and the processes necessary to get services. Sixty-three percent of integrated plan members say they completely understand the benefits covered, compared to 52% of non-IDS plan members. Forty-four percent of IDS plan members say they completely understand how to get preventive services while just 24% of non-IDS plan members say the same.
Richard Millard, senior director of the healthcare practice at J.D. Power said, “An advantage of these plans is that interactions center on the member as a patient because the provider and plan are integrated. The higher level of satisfaction with integrated plans is particularly important with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which will result in the creation of accountable care organizations modeled after the IDS approach.
Members of integrated plans tend to be more satisfied with information and communication as well as coverage and benefits. “Information and communication remains the factor with lowest satisfaction among all plans, possibly reflecting the increasing complexity of health benefits. Because members are increasingly concerned about the uncertainties surrounding cost and coverage, plans that focus on delivering useful information to manage these changes tend to earn higher satisfaction scores,” said Millard.
Fifty-seven percent of health plan members chose to make changes involving cost or coverage during the past year or were required to do so – continuing a trend in which more members say they are powerless to control their healthcare costs.
With individual plans, satisfaction averages 667 points compared to 700 points with group health plans.
Exchange-based purchasing may result in further growth of the individual market, but it is not yet well understood. However, only one-half of all members think that by 2014 they will continue to purchase health insurance as they do now.
For more information, visit http://www.jdpower.com/healthcare/ratings/member-health-plan-ratings

What employers should know; Non Discrimination by employers in Health Benefits is comming!

Non-discrimination testing, is going to be very similar to non-discrimination testing for pension and 401k plans but specifically relates to the components of the health insurance coverage versus the employer contributions to the premium cost.  The testing will look at items such as deductibles, co-pays, coverage, etc. and ensure that the highly compensated individuals are not receiving a "richer" benefit than the non-highly compensated, similar to retirement plan testing.

All non-discrimination testing related to health care programs will commence in 2014, or at least that is the predicted date at this point in time.  Employers, however, should be thinking about requirements that will begin in 2012 for the reporting of employer contributions to health care premiums.  This information will have to appear on W-2's given to employees in 2013 for wages, etc., earned in 2012.

Opportunities Grow for Workplace Disability Sales

Seventy-one percent of companies surveyed said that group long-term disability insurance is extremely or very important. The study by Mass Mutual and The American College also reveals that many companies have shortfalls in their plan designs. On average, only 60% of employees’ base salary is covered by a group long-term disability insurance program. Only 27% of group long-term disability insurance programs include variable compensation — leaving bonus and commission income unprotected.

The majority of group plans offer a basic foundation of coverage, but limit benefits for high earners. Surprisingly, just one-quarter of companies are considering making changes to their group long-term disability insurance program.

Tara Reynolds, cor

porate vice president for MassMutual said, “It’s a real travesty that employees are being left exposed when they don’t need to be and when they may not be aware of it. While group long-term disability programs provide strong foundational coverage, they may not meet the needs of all employees and they do not cover all sources of employment income.” The opportunity to purchase buy-up coverage through a group long-term disability insurance program is not widespread, with only 25% of employers offering this option to some or all employees. Only 15% of companies surveyed offer individual disability income insurance to supplement their group plan. Cost and administrative burden were cited as reasons why companies do not offer individual disability income insurance coverage, along with the option that employees can purchase it on their own outside of work.

The study points out that individual disability income insurance can provide consumers with portable protection. Employ

ees who purchase individual coverage through the workplace get discounted premiums and simplified underwriting. For increased protection, employees can select riders for catastrophic coverage or retirement contribution protection. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com/DIstudy.

Health Savings Accounts Surpass $10 Billion in Total Deposits

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) surpassed $10 Billion at year-end 2010, according to a survey by Devenir, an investment firm that specializes in providing investment options for HSAs. HSAs continue to see dramatic growth as the total number of HSA accounts rose to 6.2 million with assets totaling almost $10.1 billion, a year over year increase of 27% for accounts and a 41% increase in assets.

Jon Robb, lead research associate with Devenir said, “The industry has experienced tremendous growth and is likely to continue growing at this pace.” However, when looking back at a number of HSA market reports dating back 2005 to 2007, almost always the conservative 2010 projections were the most accurate. Taking this into consideration, Devenir conservatively projects the HSA market to reach $61 billion in assets by the end of 2015. Devenir also projects that HSA investment dollars will continue to grow quickly as health savings account user’s balances become larger, representing 17% of all HSA assets by the end of 2015.

The top five custodians hold over $4.4 billion in HSA assets amongst almost 2.7 million accounts, accounting for 44% of all HSA assets. The average account balance grew almost 11% in 2010 to $1,627. HSA investment assets reached  $725 million in 2010 (102% year over year increase) and are projected to reach $10.3 billion by end of 2015. For more information, visit www.devenir.com.

The Top Employee Wellness Concerns

More than one-third of employees say that weight loss is their top health concern this year and 23% say stress is their main health concern, according to a poll by ComPsych Corporation.  Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, Chairman and CEO of ComPsych said, “With more and more individuals slipping into the overweight category, it’s no surprise that weight management is a top issue this year.

Stress levels are also unusually high, given the additional workloads many have taken on during a recovering economy.” Employees were asked: Which health issue are you most trying to stay ahead of this year? They said the following:

• 39% cited losing weight.
• 23% cited reducing stress.
• 22% cited exercising.
• 7% cited improving diet.
• 5% cited quitting smoking.
• 4% cited other.

We can assist you in putting together a program for you company; info@amsinsure.com

Obama Would Allow States To Opt Out Of Healthcare Law In 2014

Media reports and analyses are treating the President's announcement that he was endorsing an accelerated schedule to allow states to opt out of his healthcare reform law as a significant concession to his Republican opponents, as well as an attempt to reach out to the nation's governors grappling with budget deficits. Ultimately, however, some of the law's supporters argue that the President's announcement will enhance the Administration's legal case as it strives to defend the law in court.

        The story generated print coverage and some cable and local TV reports, but was not mentioned on the network newscasts. USA Today (3/1, Wolf, Jackson) reports that in his remarks, Obama endorsed legislation originally proposed by Sens. Ron Wyden and Scott Brown which "would give states" the freedom to opt out of the legislation, though not "entirely," by 2014. Still, "key requirements would remain, such as those prohibiting insurers from canceling coverage because of pre-existing conditions."

Many More Workers Are Taking Advantage of Their Wellness Benefits

Achieving better health is the top reason American workers (43%) say they participate in a wellness benefit program or would participate, according to the latest Principal Financial Well-Being Index. Other reasons include reduced personal health care costs (33%) and a greater chance of living longer and healthier lives (31%).
The survey also found that 53% of workers use weight management programs offered by their employers — a 25% increase over last year. There was a 21% increase in workers’ use of personalized action plans for high-risk conditions to 68%, and an 18% increase in workers’ use of blood sugar screenings to 84%.
Forty-three percent of workers agree wellness benefits motivate them to work harder and perform better. Twenty-eight percent say they have missed fewer days of work as a direct result of participating in a wellness program and 38% attribute wellness programs to improved energy and productivity at work. Forty-eight percent said that their wellness benefits encourage them to stay in their current employment situation.

Many Employers Want Healthcare Reform to be Repealed

Sixty-two percent of employers say they hope healthcare reform is repealed, according to a study by Market Strategies International.

Seventy-two percent of employers say they don’t believe that healthcare reform will reduce their healthcare cost burden. This finding is independent of firm size and whether the firm offers employee health benefits. Sixty-three percent of employers don’t think that healthcare reform will make their business more competitive from a cost standpoint or more competitive in attracting and retaining employees.

However, 70% believe that some parts of healthcare reform should stay in place and 58% believe that reform was long overdue. 

Whats new in a Disability Income Policy

1.  Critical Illness - Return of Premiums
If a policy owner with a Critical Illness contract in force (Assurity or Mutual of Omaha) - the company will refund 100% of the premium paid by the client - less any benefits paid. 

2. COLA - it isn't the same for every carrier.
Some carriers are simple, some are compound. Some are a flat rate, some are geared to the CPI. For young clients - it is good to know what you are receiving.

3. Prudential LTC - they actually have 3 different kinds of products under one policy chassis.
.Reimbursement, partial cash and full cash. Let us get you runs on all 3 for and we will let you know the why's and wherefore's of the premiums differences.

4. Guaranteed Renewable vs Non-Cancelable. Do you know the difference?
Guaranteed Renewable says that as long as you pay the 'billed' premium - there is coverage. The company does have the ability to increase premiums. However, they have to prove to their state commissioner that they had an unprecedented amount of claims that the didn't expect. Plus they have to do so on a whole class of clients. Non-Cancelable - says that the company cannot increase premiums.

Traveling in 2011 Don't forget to take a travel medical plan with you

I have medical insurance, so why would I need a travel medical policy?  My insurance requires me to pay the bill and then be reimbursed or I am hurt or sick and want to get home for medical care, the repatriation benefits can do what no other insurance can do. Interactive Travel Insurance Guide Not sure which plan to choose? Use this tool to help you navigate our plans!
Get a quote link:	Interactive Travel Insurance Guide Find the best plan by answering just a few questions Get an Instant Quote as soon as you find the right insurance plan

Health Spending Grew At Slowest Pace In 50 Years.

Media outlets widely covered a CMS report that showed the recession hindered Americans' spending on healthcare, but most sources still expressed concerns that healthcare expenditures continue to grow unchecked. The New York Times (1/6, A19, Pear) reports, "Total national health spending grew by 4 percent in 2009, the slowest rate of increase in 50 years, as people lost their jobs, lost health insurance and deferred medical care, the federal government reported on Wednesday." Nevertheless, "health care accounted for a larger share of a smaller economy -- a record 17.6 percent of the total economic output in 2009, the report said."

        The AP (1/6, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports, "The recession slowed the growth of the nation's health care bill to the lowest levels ever measured," yet, "the slowdown did not change the nation's underlying problem with out-of-control health care spending." Data from Medicare's Office of the Actuary show that "Americans spent $2.5 trillion on health care in 2009, or $8,086 per person." Notably, the "figures do not reflect the impact of President Barack Obama's landmark health coverage expansion, which didn't pass until 2010."

        McClatchy (1/6, Pugh) reports, "Unlike previous recessions, when spending for health services began to slow some two years after an economic downturn, the effect of the Great Recession was swift and profound on insurers, health care providers and patients in both 2008 and 2009." McClatchy adds, "Fueling the spending slowdown in 2009 was a 3.2 percent decline in private health insurance enrollment as 6.3 million people lost job-based health coverage that year. That loss of private coverage also curbed growth in out-of-pocket spending by patients, many of whom delayed medical care because of a lack of cash."

        Meanwhile, "spending on Medicaid soared -- by 9 percent, compared with less than 5 percent in 2008 -- as more people qualified for the public insurance program for the poor," the Washington Post (1/6, Goldstein) reports.

        In fact, "government spending on Medicaid and Medicare rose almost six times faster than insurance company expenditures in 2009 from the prior year as the recession pushed more Americans onto public assistance," Bloomberg News (1/6, Young) reports. The federal government "and states combined to spend $373.9 billion on Medicaid...an increase of 9 percent. Outlays for Medicare, aiding the elderly and disabled, rose 7.9 percent to $502.3 billion." Meanwhile, "insurance companies led by UnitedHealth Group Inc. spent $801.2 billion, an increase of 1.3 percent."

        Politico (1/6, Coughlin) says that despite the trend, "some sectors saw accelerated health spending, including a whopping 10 percent bump for home health care, an 8.3 percent increase in other residential and personal care and 5.3 percent for prescription drugs." Commenting on the data, Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, said, "The continued rise in health care costs is not sustainable. ... Rising health care costs threaten our economic competitiveness, make health care coverage less affordable, and crowd out other urgent national priorities. We urge policymakers to work on a bipartisan basis to pass reforms that will control the soaring cost of medical care."

        The Wall Street Journal (1/6, Landers, subscription required), Reuters (1/6, Heavey), CQ HealthBeat (1/6, Reichard, subscription required), and Modern Healthcare (1/6, Zigmond, subscription required) also cover the story, as does The Hill (1/6, Pecquet) in its "Healthwatch" blog.

Choose your Disability Policy

1.  You can choose your Disability Income policy...
But - you can't choose your disability!!

2. Residual Benefit - this is almost always necessary.
You do  not need to be totally disabled. What is normally needed is a loss of income of at least 15-20% due to a sickness or injury. The benefit paid is equal to % of benefit equal to the % of income loss.

3. Survivorship/Waiver Rider - LTC
This says that if a couple have both of their policies in force for at least 10 years - if one of them should go on claim and/or pass away - the Surviving person has their coverage paid up - and/or gets to use their spouses left benefit.

4. Work around other insurance.......Our company will issue a policy that works around in force coverage.
If  you have STD that ends in 180 days – our company will issue a small amount to go on top of the STD from the elimination period. Then, when the STD ends, the our companies benefit will increase. Other companies will start with the smaller amount and stay at that amount.

Online Health Advice, Don't Believe Everything You Read

Record numbers of people around the world turn to the Internet for online health advice, but should they believe everything they read? A new survey suggests many people are getting inaccurate information and are not checking up on their sources.

Always check sources of online health info

The Bupa Health Pulse 2010 International Healthcare survey questioned 12,262 people from 12 different countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States between June 10 and July 14, 2010.

The main reason people use the Internet for health purposes is to find information about medications (68%). Nearly half (46%) of people surveyed said they are self-diagnosing, and 39 percent reported they were looking for other patients’ experiences. Eighteen percent of all respondents to the survey said they used social networking sites to learn about healthcare issues.

Few people, however, are checking the accuracy or source of the health information they find. Among online searchers in Britain, for example, while 58 percent looked for information to self-diagnose, only 25 percent took the time to check where the information came from.

The survey also found that people searching for health information on the Internet will likely find many different potential health conditions to match their complaints, depending on which websites they visit. The range of suggested health ailments for the same symptom can range widely; for example, a search for the symptom stomach cramps was diagnosed as being a symptom of angina, indigestion, or appendicitis, depending on the website.

In a recent survey published in Birth, 613 pregnant women who used the Internet to look for pregnancy-related information said they went online because they were not satisfied with the quality of information given to them by their healthcare providers. Eight-three percent said they used the information they found to influence their pregnancy healthcare options.

While the Bupa survey found that most of the top 20 healthcare websites people use to find health information are geared toward the scientific and academic communities and are based in the United States, online health information seekers should always check the sources of the information they find.
The Bupa report suggests individuals be as specific as possible when entering search terms, check each website for a quality mark (e.g., HONcode, URAC), read the “About Us” section on the website to find out if the authors are health professionals, and look for the date of publication, because medical advice can be out of date very quickly. Finally, individuals should consult with their physician before taking any action based on what they find on the Internet.

The bottom line is, don’t believe everything you read on the Internet. When searching for online health advice, use reliable (e.g., academic, government, scientific institutions) websites, check your sources, including references to scientific articles on the website, and protect your health.

SOURCES:Bupa Health Pulse 2010 International Healthcare SurveyLagan BM et al. Birth 2010 Jun; 37(2): 106-15

Major health insurers in California to resume offering individual policies for children

The companies abruptly halted the sale of individual policies for kids in September rather than comply with provisions of the nation's new healthcare law. A new state law forced them to change course. 

California's largest health insurers, fearing they'll lose new customers in the state's lucrative individual insurance market, have canceled controversial decisions last fall to stop selling policies for children.
The insurance companies abruptly halted the sale of individual policies for kids in September rather than comply with provisions of the nation's new healthcare law that required them to accept all youngsters under age 19 regardless of their medical conditions.  get a quote here

Insurers said at the time that the healthcare overhaul could saddle them with huge and unexpected costs, particularly if competitors exited the market. Their decisions prompted criticism from health activists and a spokesman for the Obama administration, who accused them of abandoning children and families.
But a new California law forced the insurers to change course. Beginning Jan. 1, it will prohibit those that abandon child-only coverage from selling new policies in the broader individual insurance market for five years — slicing into profits in a state filled with throngs of potential customers.

On Wednesday, Aetna Inc., Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna Corp., Health Net Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. said they would resume sales of child-only coverage Jan. 1 for an estimated 80,000 children who are not insured through family policies or their parents' employers.

"It's good that the insurers are back in the market, even if they had to be brought back kicking and screaming," said Anthony Wright, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Health Access California. "It will make a big difference for thousands of families."

All the insurers have notified the state Department of Insurance of their intention to resume sales.
"We've let brokers know that as of the 1st, we have plans for child-only policies," said Brad Kieffer, a spokesman for Woodland Hills-based Health Net.  Cheryl Randolph, a spokeswoman for Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group, said: "We will have child-only policies on Jan. 1.  Anthem, the largest insurer in the individual market, will work with regulators to start selling again "in the best interest of our customers in California," spokeswoman Peggy Hinz said of the Woodland Hills company.  There is plenty at stake. California's private insurance market — where individuals and small businesses buy coverage — generated $17 billion in revenue last year. The market is only expected to grow as millions of uninsured Californians buy coverage, beginning in 2014, through a new marketplace exchange set up as part of the federal healthcare law.

"California offers a significant opportunity for us and we believe we will be highly competitive in this market," Cigna spokeswoman Gwyn Dilday said in announcing the Philadelphia company's decision to resume child-only sales.  The insurers were guarded about their plans in other states. Only one, Connecticut-based Aetna, gave details, saying it would also resume sales in Kentucky, where changes in state law have required the company to rethink its approach.  "We are committed to working with states to address the issues originally raised by the change in federal law in a way that will allow us to participate in these markets," spokeswoman Anjanette Coplin said.

Regulators from the California Department of Insurance have been trying to prod insurers to start selling child-only policies once again since they announced their departure shortly before Sept. 23, when the federal healthcare law would have required them to accept all children with preexisting conditions. On Wednesday, officials sent the companies two pages of "guidance" to help them interpret the new state law.
The officials said AB 2244 requires insurers to offer children's coverage as part of all their policies, not just a select few. And they said parents must apply for the insurance during a two-month open enrollment period that runs from Jan. 1 to March 1, or in the month after their children's birthdays.

Families with sick children that apply during these periods can be charged no more than twice the standard rate. Families that apply outside the enrollment periods are not protected against higher rates.
The author of the state law said he was delighted to hear that insurers would once again offer coverage for children. "The law seems to be having just the effect we intended," said Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles). "For a family there is little more important than being sure their children have access to health insurance, so I'm very pleased to see these insurers are choosing to make that insurance available."

Get a quote here

duke.helfand@latimes.com

Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times