Archive for December, 2010
Health Insurance Help For Laid-Off Workers Or the Uninsured
Having been laid-off in 2007, I know firsthand how difficult it is to afford health insurance and prescription drugs. I had employer sponsored health insurance and I was eligible to continue my insurance plan under COBRA for 18 months, but payments were $460month and that wasn’t an expense I was willing to absorb and watch it eat away at my savings. However, I chose to continue my dental insurance under COBRA for $54month because I was having expensive procedures performed.
Walking away from health care was a scary thing for me. I had high cholesterol and hypertension and the medications were not cheap. But a funny thing happened after I lost my job. My blood pressure returned to normal because the micro-management and cranky client induced stress was no longer present. As for the high cholesterol, I stopped snacking on deep fried shrimp three-four times a week and that resolved itself, too. A lifestyle change was all I needed, but getting laid-off was a rather harsh way to administer it.
I tried finding my own private health insurance plan, but I was considered to be uninsurable due to pre-existing conditions. I had excellent health insurance with my employer and never hesitated to use it. Little did I know that it was gong to come back to bite me. Because of never thinking twice about making a trip to the doctor, my rejection letter read like a death sentence. Aside from colds and seasonal allergies, every single thing I ever went to the doctor for was a nail in my coffin regardless of whether or not it was still an issue or just an acute episode. Michael Moore’s documentary ‘Sicko’ details how insurance companies go to huge lengths to craft those denial letters. My only option was to purchase a high-risk policy, but that was over $700month.
Tags: acute episode, deep fried shrimp, health insurance plan, high cholesterol, lifestyle change, micro management, private health insurance, rejection letter, risk policy, seasonal allergiesRelated posts
Health Insurance In California Will Healthcare Reform Affect You
It’s estimated that 4 million Californians will get access to healthcare with the changes initiated by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act. You can use your annual income to see whether you’ll be qualified for assistance.
If you make between $14,403 and $41,000 a year, or your combined annual family income is under $73,240, you will be eligible to get Health Insurance Plans in California through the exchange and you can use subsidies to make it more affordable.
If you don’t have children and your annual income is below $14,403, or you are a parent and your annual income for a family of three is under $24,360, you will be eligible for Medi-Cal. Healthcare reform expands this public program to increase financial assistance to people with incomes in the low to middle range
What Does Healthcare Reform Do For Children
Healthcare reform will extend coverage to more children by increasing help to families, but it also allows parents to cover their children under their California health insurance for several more years. As of September 2010, children can be protected by their parent’s coverage until they become 26.
In addition, healthcare reform specifically ends exclusions on pre-existing health problems. If you are one of the millions of children with a problem like asthma who have been barred from medical care for years, you’ll have access to much-needed care.
Does Healthcare Reform Affect Seniors
If you are at least 65, you will continue to get Medicare, and healthcare reform extends the viability of Medicare. For seniors in the infamous Medicare doughnut hole, which means Medicare does not pay for your prescriptions, healthcare reform cuts your out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs with a $250 rebate check in 2010. Ultimately, reform is designed to completely remove the Medicare gap in coverage for prescriptions by 2020.
In September 2010, healthcare reform ends the charging for recommended preventive services so seniors can receive an annual wellness check-up for free. This can help catch health problems early when they are most treatable and reversible, and give seniors peace of mind.
Tags: affordable care, california health insurance, care act, doughnut, health insurance plans, medi cal, medicare doughnut hole, patient protection, prescription drugs, rebate checkRelated posts