Health Insurance Illuminated is a new blog sponsored by Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey and written by Richard Quinn the editor of Quinnscommentary.
The blog is devoted to explaining health insurance and issues related to health care and it’s cost.
Take a look and please feel free to comment and suggest topics for discussion.
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Just received this from Consumers Union – Your thoughts
Dear John,
It’s no shock the insurance companies hate the new health reform law that requires them to spend most of your premium on your health care – not on their reams of paperwork, marketing, TV ads and CEO salaries.
What is shocking is a plan that could put the money you deserve back in the insurance companies’ pockets!
Next week a group of little-known state insurance commissioners may vote to tell Congress to undermine this new law. Make sure they know you are watching what they do!
Tell your state Insurance Commissioner to vote for consumers, not the insurance companies!
What’s at stake is one of the most pro-consumer rules in the much-maligned national health care law. This rule says insurance companies can’t spend more than 20 percent of your premium on their administrative costs and profits. It finally holds companies accountable for how they spend your money – and helps hold down our rates as well.
Even better, if insurance companies don’t keep their costs down, they have to give YOU a rebate for how much they went over that 20 percent. It’s estimated consumers could get at least $2 billion in rebates next year!
Of course the industry hates this rule. And one way around it is to claim the money they pay insurance brokers to sell their policies shouldn’t come out of that 20 percent. If the Commissioners vote to let them do that, then we may have to say goodbye to most of those rebates – and hello to spiraling rates!
Tell your Insurance Commissioner to reject this anti-consumer scheme!
We beat back this attempt once with your help. Now we need you to weigh in again with the Insurance Commissioners and tell them consumers are watching what they do – and there will be consequences! Please act, then forward this to others so they can too!
Sincerely,
DeAnn Friedholm
PrescriptionForChange.org
A project of Consumers Union
506 W. 14th St., Suite A
Austin, TX 78701
Dear rdquinn, I’ve read the article “Don’t pay that doctor’s bill yet” and want to thank you for that. I expect new educational articles about “How inshurance works”. Being very experience person could you help me with very complecated issue? I ‘ d like to know how payments are spread between Insurance (Horizon BCBJ HMO small group insurance from work ) and patient who is not elegible for Medicare because he does not have 40 quaters even though he is more that 65 years old. Thank you for your blog. Mary
I am not sure I have enough facts to answer your question, but I do know even people with less than 40 quarters can buy into Medicare. Here is a link to some government information:
http://www.medicare.gov/MedicareEligibility/home.asp?dest=NAV%7CHome%7CGeneralEnrollment%7CPremiumCostInfo&version=default&browser=Safari%7C5%2E1%7CiPhone+OS&language=English
The real question is how your plan treats people who normally would have Medicare. Generally, if you are eligible for Medicare you cannot buy regular but only supplemental health insurance coverage (unless you are still working in which case your employer plan remains your coverage until you stop working).
It may be that you must have Medicare as your primary coverage at 65 even if you are required to pay the entire Medicare premium. This you should check with Social Security directly.
Dick
Richard D Quinn Editor Quinnscommentary.com
I was reading through a few of the articles and highly recommend reading ‘Costs Contained, Better Quality Care? The Hope of ACOs’. It makes total sense and I do agree with the author. There really is no need for unnecessary, duplicative tests. This type of thing is the reason why we can not find cheap insurance.