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5 tips for buying health insurance

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The clock is ticking folks — and no, we don’t mean the countdown to Christmas. Those people who are not insured or had their current health insurance canceled and don’t want to go with the default plan recommended by their insurance company have until Dec. 23 to enroll in a new pla Reported by Seattle Times 1 day ago.

Poll: 38 percent of Americans Would Rather Go Without Health Insurance, Pay Fine, Face Financial Ruin

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Poll: 38 percent of Americans Would Rather Go Without Health Insurance, Pay Fine, Face Financial Ruin Poll: 38 percent of Americans Would Rather Go Without Health Insurance, Pay Fine, Face Financial Ruin
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When it comes to buying health insurance under Obamacare, almost 40 percent of Americans would rather go without and pay a fine. They could also face financial ruin or not having medical care when seriously ill or injured.

A new poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that 38 percent of those surveyed would pay the mandate tax and not buy health insurance, reports Fox News.

The poll also also found that 65 percent of those surveyed, between 18 and 29, would buy health insurance, but only 57 percent of people 30 years and older would buy insurance.

The survey found a large amount of ignorance among Americans about the mandate tax amounts.

Only 21 percent of Americans know that people who refuse to get health insurance will pay $95 or 1% of their income above the filing threshold ($10,000 for singles and $20,000 for families), whichever is greater.

When it comes to political parties, 74 percent of Democrats plan to buy health insurance, while only 40 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of independents will.

It's not clear how the majority of Republicans plan to pay for their health care in catastrophic circumstances.

According to another poll by Bankrate.com, 28 percent of Americans would move to another county or state to get better or cheaper health care insurance.

When broken down by age, 42 percent of 18-29 year olds would move to a different county or state, but only 27 percent of people aged 50-64 would.

By political party, 12 percent of Republicans would move for better health care insurance, but only 9 percent of Democrats and 7 percent of independents would.

Sources: Bankrate.com and Fox News

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Clements Worldwide Launches Innovative New Mobile App for its International Health Insurance Programs

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mPassport® makes it easier than ever for expatriates to find medical care around the world.

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) December 12, 2013

Clements Worldwide, a leading provider of international insurance solutions, announces the launch of a new mobile application available now to members of its renowned GlobalCare®, Scholars®, and Clements Group Health® programs. Already successful with hundreds of new global clients, mPassport® offers instant access to medical resources and account information, all at no extra cost. With this innovative tool, Clements continues to lead the way in delivering leading-edge solutions for affordable primary and complementary international health coverage.

Designed with the unique needs of expatriates in mind, mPassport makes it easier than ever to find medical care around the world. Users can conveniently locate providers by city or through the GPS functionality, map directions, as well as schedule an appointment. mPassport also features a search function that will find equivalent prescriptions and translate important medical terms and phrases, vocalizing them in the local language. Requiring no internet connection to operate and downloadable on all mobile platforms, mPassport is another benefit now available to Clements health insurance policy holders.

Addressing the critical information and language needs of expatriates navigating foreign healthcare systems, mPassport now makes it easy and convenient to find medical resources around the world. “With the mPassport mobile app, expatriates have access to their GlobalCare, Scholars, and Clements Group Health account information and resources wherever they are,” says David Brumbach, director at Clements Worldwide. “Coupled with our extensive global coverage and dedicated claims support, this new mobile app is another invaluable benefit we are proud to offer to our customers.”

Since 1947, Clements has served the international insurance needs of expatriates worldwide and become the preferred international health insurance provider of professionals living and working abroad. With portability in over 170 countries and unparalleled medical benefits, Clements’ international health insurance solutions offer best-in-class service that delivers complete coverage as well as peace of mind. Brumbach adds: “For decades, we’ve been helping customers of all nationalities and professions manage their medical policies while based outside of their home country. We are still very proud to be the leading source of highly-rated health protection for them and their families throughout the world.”

About Clements Worldwide
Clements Worldwide is a leading insurance provider for expatriates and international organizations. Founded in 1947, Clements offers international car, property, term life, health, specialty and high risk insurance in over 170 countries. With offices in Washington, DC and London, Clements delivers comprehensive coverage, superior customer service, and unparalleled claims response. To learn more and quote online, visit http://www.clements.com. Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.

Obamacare Helps MVB Records Make Independent Hip Hop Artist RayBop the First Indie Artist in New York with Health Insurance via His Record Label

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MVB Entertainment LLC, the parent company of independent record label MVB Records, is once again changing the face of artist and label relations, by contributing to the cost of healthcare for their employees, including the talent they manage.

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 12, 2013

Through President Obama's Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), MVB Entertainment was able to extend health insurance to not only their staff, but also to the talent they manage.

Abdel 'Sosa' Russell, the owner of MVB Records, and CEO of MVB Entertainment, created an innovative method that allowed his company to convert a 1099 employee (talent), to a W2 employee, which then enabled them to offer employee benefits to freelance (1099) workers.

RayBop, is an artist/composer signed to MVB Records. At 23, he is now one of the youngest, and few, musicians in the United States with health coverage, that is provided by an entertainment company / record label. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.

Government relaxes health insurance deadlines again

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*Government relaxes health insurance deadlines again*

The federal government on Thursday said it’s cutting some slack for the many Americans who have been sweating getting new health coverage in place by Jan. 1. Among the several measures announced by the Department of Health and Human Services are deadline extensions for enrolling or paying for new coverage and steps to make sure people with serious ongoing health conditions have enough time to transition to new plans.

To quickly review where things have stood up until now: in order to have health coverage that starts on Jan 1, consumers have been given until Dec. 23 to enroll in a plan. When payment was due has been left up to insurance companies to determine.

Here are the updates announced today:

-*Extra time to enroll and/or pay for a new plan*-

HHS now says that if you pay your first month’s premium by Dec. 31, insurers must start your coverage on Jan. 1. The government is also “encouraging” insurers to allow coverage retroactive to Jan. 1 to customers who sign up and/or pay early in January.

*Our advice: *It’s still in your best interest to enroll and pay your first month’s premium as soon as you can, preferably by that Dec. 23 date. We agree with HHS’s advice to check directly with the carrier to make sure it’s received your payment.

-*A one-month grace period for doctors and prescriptions*-

HHS is “strongly encouraging” insurers to allow new enrollees to continue with their old doctors and prescriptions during January, and to charge them in-network prices even if the drugs and prescriptions are not in the new plan’s provider network or on its list of preferred drugs.

*Our advice: *If you have providers or prescriptions that you want to keep, this option should be your second choice. Your first choice should be to select a new plan that includes them in its network. To that end, you can take advantage of another new requirement announced today, which is that insurance companies must provide accurate and up-to-date lists of network providers and drug formularies that consumers can consult when shopping for a new plan.

-*A one-month extension of a special plan for people with serious health conditions*-

Since shortly after the health law was passed in 2010, every state has had a Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) that offered coverage at commercial rates to people with serious medical conditions who were turned down by private companies. These plans were closed to new enrollees earlier this year when the $5 billion appropriated to fund them started to run out, and the plans were scheduled to terminate at year’s end. There are still about 86,000 people on these plans nationwide, according to Chiquita Brooks-Lasure, deputy director of HHS’s Center for Consumer Information an Insurance Oversight. HHS will now allow PCIP enrollees to stay in their plans through the end of January, to give them plenty of time to find new plans that adequately cover their often-severe health conditions.

Got a question for our health insurance expert? Ask it here; be sure to include the state you live in. And if you can't get enough health insurance news here, follow me on Twitter @NancyMetcalf.

*Health reform countdown: We are doing an article a day on the new health care law until Jan. 1, 2014, when it takes full effect. (Read the previous posts in the series.) To get health insurance advice tailored to your situation, use our Health Law Helper, below.*

*Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on this website. Copyright © 2007-2013 Consumers Union of U.S.*

*Subscribe now!*
Subscribe to *ConsumerReports.org* for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products.
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    Reported by Consumer Reports 11 hours ago.

Feds offer a bit more time to buy health insurance

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Federal officials tried to offer a few extra breaks on Thursday for people struggling to buy health insurance by the new year. They gave people until Dec. 31 to pay their first premiums for coverage starting the very next day, and asked insurance companies to extend other deadlines, too. Reported by msnbc.com 10 hours ago.

La. high-risk health insurance pool closing

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Louisiana's high-risk health insurance pool will close Dec. 31 for its roughly 1,900 policy holders. Reported by ajc.com 28 minutes ago.

Health insurance numbers creep up on Obamacare exchanges

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About 365,000 people have managed to get health insurance on the new state and federal websites so far, federal officials announced Wednesday. Reported by msnbc.com 4 days ago.

Chelmsford Locks in Town Health Insurance Rates for 3 Years

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Patch Chelmsford, MA -- The Town of Chelmsford announced that it has signed a three-year pilot program agreement with the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA), its current municipal health insurance provider, which will lock in the town’s insurance rates as we Reported by Patch 2 days ago.

Fitch Affirms Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York at 'BBB-'; Outlook Stable

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CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has affirmed the 'BBB-' Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating of Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP). The Rating Outlook is Stable. Key Rating Drivers Today's rating action follows a periodic review of HIP's rating and recent financial performance. The rating reflects the company's strong market shares in New York and Connecticut, organization-wide capitalization metrics that are better than Fitch's median 'BBB' rating category guidelines, a Reported by Business Wire 2 days ago.

Most expensive C. Fla. ZIP codes for health insurance

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So what does health insurance cost in Central Florida? Geographic information services provider Esri has crunched the numbers, using data from its Updated Demographics (2013 estimates) and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to show who spends what on health care, health insurance and various health-related services. In total, the 824,197 households in Orange, Osceola, Lake and Seminole counties combined to spend $1.8 billion on health insurance in 2013. That means health insurance costs,… Reported by bizjournals 2 days ago.

Need help with your health insurance application?

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*Need help with your health insurance application?*

HealthCare.gove and most state-run Health Insurance Marketplace websites (with the exceptions of Oregon and Maryland) are working well for a lot of applicants at this point. But not for all: Some are running into website malfunctions at various points in the process or getting eligibility determinations that seem to make no sense, and haven't been able to fix the problems on their own.

With the Dec 23 deadline fast approaching to enroll in a plan with a Jan. 1 start date, if you’re one of these folks, it’s time to call in some reinforcements.

Here’s what NOT to do: call the HealthCare.gov national help line. Readers with mystery application glitches have not reported any help from that quarter. “The help line is there to give general information about the marketplace,” said Jodi Ray, project director of Florida Covering Kids & Families, a University of South-Florida based nonprofit that helps families enroll in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Instead, seek out free help in your local community from a Navigator or In-Person Assister. Employees of nonprofits, health centers, and other such groups, those helpers have received extensive training in how the law works and can literally sit side by side with you in front of a computer to deal with your problems and questions.

Two months into the fall open enrollment period, they have also at this point had a lot of experience with the quirks of the various marketplaces and how to work around problems. Here's some earlier advice on what to bring to your appointment.“People who have tried to start the process and gotten stuck should definitely be reaching out to a local Navigator or In-Person Assister,” said Ray, whose own agency is running a Navigator program.

Start on HealthCare.gov’s Find Local Help search page. If you live in one of the 36 states whose marketplaces are being run through HealthCare.gov, it will direct you to a list of flesh-and-blood helpers in your community. If you live in a state that’s running its own marketplace, the page will direct you there where you will see a similar search service.

Got a question for our health insurance expert? Ask it here; be sure to include the state you live in. And if you can't get enough health insurance news here, follow me on Twitter @NancyMetcalf.

*Health reform countdown: We are doing an article a day on the new health care law until Jan. 1, 2014, when it takes full effect. (Read the previous posts in the series.) To get health insurance advice tailored to your situation, use our Health Law Helper, below.*

*Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on this website. Copyright © 2007-2013 Consumers Union of U.S.*

*Subscribe now!*
Subscribe to *ConsumerReports.org* for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products.
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    Reported by Consumer Reports 1 day ago.

Health insurance enrollment will fall short

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Health insurance program won't sign up the projected 7 million Americans in 2014 because of lingering effects of the troubled rollout. Next deadline for the federal health-insurance program is January, when the financial management is due to be in place. Reported by Christian Science Monitor 1 day ago.

Zane Benefits Publishes New Information on the Health Insurance Tax Credits

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What if Income Changes After Receiving a Health Insurance Tax Credit

Park City, Utah (PRWEB) December 15, 2013

Today, Zane Benefits, the number one online small business health benefits solution, published new information on the health insurance tax credits.

According to Zane Benefits’ website, as of 2014, tax credits are available to help individuals purchase health insurance coverage through the new health insurance marketplaces. The individual health insurance tax credits are based on income, and are advanced-payable so they can be used right away to lower the monthly premium costs. The health insurance tax credits range on a sliding scale, depending on income.

If income increases during the year an individual may have to repay some of the money, but the amount would likely be capped.

If income decreases during the year an individual may receive a refund at tax time.

When an individual applies for health insurance through a state’s health insurance marketplace (ex: healthcare.gov), there are questions about your household income. If income changes during the year, shuld the marketplace should be notified. During tax time, the health insurance tax credit will be reconciled with the income for the year.

Under the health care reform law, liability is limited if income is less than 400% of the FPL. As such, there are caps on the amount people will have to repay. Individuals earning less than 200% of FPL will repay no more than $300, individuals earning 200-300% of FPL will repay no more than $750, and individuals earning 300-400% FPL will repay no more than $1,250.

Click here to read the full article.

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About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits was founded in 2006 to provide a revolutionized SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) administration platform ("ZaneHealth") for defined contribution health care. The flagship software provides a 100% paperless administration experience to small businesses and insurance professionals that want to offer better health benefits without a traditional group health insurance plan at lower costs. For more information about Zane Benefits, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.

Buying health insurance: Tips for consumers

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Tips from experts on buying health insurance under President Barack Obama's new health care law: Reported by Deseret News 3 hours ago.

Buying health insurance: Tips for consumers

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Tips from experts on buying health insurance under President Barack Obama's new health care law: Reported by KansasCity.com 16 hours ago.

Sticker shock may await health insurance buyers

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Sticker shock may await health insurance buyers Reported by ajc.com 16 hours ago.

5 Tips for Choosing a Health Insurance Company

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It is a historic season for health reform, with many of us holding our breath to see how things unfold. As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) comes into effect, many uninsured Americans are purchasing health insurance for the first time. Whether you're a new buyer trying to choose an insurance company or a current subscriber looking to switch companies, use these tips to find the best value.
 
 
 
  Reported by ABCNews.com 10 hours ago.

Health Insurance Marketplace Web Sites, Phone Info

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Health Insurance Marketplace Web Sites, Phone Info Reported by ajc.com 4 hours ago.

Many Immigrants Hesitate to Seek Health Insurance

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For many immigrant families, applications for health insurance stir fears of deportation
 
 
 
  Reported by ABCNews.com 3 hours ago.
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