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Quotes for Life Insurance Now Include Term and Whole Plans at Consumer Portal Online

January 28, 2014, 9:04 am
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Quotes for life insurance online now include whole and term plans for adults at the Cherry News company. These quotes are positioned to help adults price plans online at http://cherrynews.com/life-insurance.

Rockford, IL (PRWEB) January 28, 2014

Agencies in the life insurance industry often provide basic information to adults each year who are planning a new or renewal purchase. The Cherry News company is helping to distribute pricing for certain plans online by offering consumers access to its quotes for life insurance tool at http://cherrynews.com/life-insurance.

This tool is able to present term and whole plans including full pricing to adults. This easy way of obtaining provider pricing is offered as an alternative to systems online that ask for personal information prior to displaying rates.

To keep the system secure, the Cherry News company uses a zip code as the search criteria to link adults with several different agencies. This different system is expected to attract more system users in 2014 who value privacy when researching insurance products.

"Our term and whole policy locator online is meant for use by adults aged 18 to 80 who are planning a purchase this year for life insurance online," said a CherryNews.com source.

The delivery of the price information online is creating a faster method of comparing multiple agencies in the U.S. underwriting plans. The traditional routes of using phone systems or direct response mail applications could increase the wait times for adults to view pricing.

"Our automated delivery system for policy quotes is designed to take away the need to input medical or family information just to view the potential cost of a insurance plan," said the source.

The CherryNews.com company is giving access to adults for its online system 365 days a year. The term and whole policies are one phase of the plans that are viewable using the connected online search tool. Adults who plan to purchase a 2014 health insurance plan from an exchange network could use the system at http://cherrynews.com/health-insurance as one option online.

This extra tool is connecting health insurance quotes with adults while maintaining anonymity through the zip code search process. All policy rates and declarations can be accessed using this additional automated service.

About CherryNews.com

The CherryNews.com company is one online portal providing insurance lookups for adults in the U.S. This company has developed more than one automated search tool for use this year. The company staff continue to present other types of consumer content from the company homepage weekly. The CherryNews.com company is now syndicating a large percentage of its online content using different sources in the global news market. The automated tools online are added to monthly and new information is presented to adults who are using these helpful research systems. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.
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Life Insurance Coverage Rates Tool Now Open for Adult Use Online

January 28, 2014, 9:14 am
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Life insurance coverage rates tool is now available for adult usage online at the Cherry News company. New price quotes are now displayed at http://cherrynews.com/life-insurance.

Columbus, OH (PRWEB) January 28, 2014

The exploration that some adults conduct online for insurance does not always produce pricing from providers. The Cherry News company has introduced its life insurance coverage rates tool and is now providing quotes at http://cherrynews.com/life-insurance.

These quotes are calculated for each adult user of the search system based on their location inside the U.S. A zip code that matches a person's mailing address is the identification that is needed to produce a quote online. The system is not designed to accept or collect medical information.

The rates data that is supplied online is one part of the data that a user can access. Every provider that is selected for affordable life insurance pricing online offers reviews of types of plans prior to accepting a policy purchase from system users.

"The easy online lookups that are offered through our finder tool are meant to help adults planning an insurance product purchase this year," said one source at the CherryNews.com company.

The rates providers that exist in the system are currently represented in all 50 U.S. states in the insurance industry. Any system user locating a term, guaranteed or whole policy has the choice to search companies in a geographic location to help find the best available discounts.

"The adults using our system to find discount rates will be pleased with the variety that is offered in pricing and policy types online," the source said.

The CherryNews.com company has increased its consumer solutions this year by including more research online aside from life insurer data. The databases that are now linked to medical providers are offering quotes to system users.

The medical provider database at http://cherrynews.com/health-insurance is enabled to connect rates for health insurance to adults researching these plans online. The rates provided are updated with the Affordable Health Care Act rates for this year.

About CherryNews.com

The CherryNews.com company is one public resource that consumers have access to on the Internet to find helpful retail information. The price guides and reports this company releases on a regular basis are two examples of the contributions made to help consumers become informed about services or products sold online. The CherryNews.com company has expanded into providing use of automated tools online to link insurance products with researchers online. Adults are now using the company tools to locate different solutions for insurance through the company homepage. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
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Health Insurance Plans Now Quoted at Consumer News Website Online

January 28, 2014, 9:04 am
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Health insurance plans are now quoted for consumers using the Cherry News website. A 2014 price system is enabled for use to find different coverage at http://cherrynews.com/health-insurance.

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) January 28, 2014

The industry changes for 2014 in the health insurance industry can confuse some adults when seeking plans that are offered by top providers. The Cherry News company has developed a virtual way to search health insurance plans online at http://cherrynews.com/health-insurance.

Every plan that is searchable through the automated locator service is designed to present options to adults who are seeking medical insurance coverage. These plans are sourced through different providers to help make research easier online.

The 2014 rates that are given through the automated tool are updated to include industry changes from providers for plan types and pricing. Every search that is made using the system uses the zip code that a person enters to help match local providers in the U.S.

"Complete pricing and policy information is presented through this easy search system to help adults remove the confusion of seeking health insurance online," said a source at the Cherry News company.

One benefit to using the search tools that are provided for public use is the anonymity for each system user. Instead of requiring medical or other contact information, the zip code system is used for every search. This is adding extra privacy for adults researching providers based solely around policy pricing.

"There are multiple agencies that quote pricing for adults who use the system to find health insurance plans offered in the U.S. to level the playing field for adults hoping to find discounts," said the source.

The CherryNews.com company is presenting its insurer tools this year online to help more adults online. The medical insurance information that is presented online is now in combination with a life insurance tool added this month for use. The life insurance rates at http://cherrynews.com/life-insurance are now visible for adults.

This extra finder tool also accepts zip code inputs from system users to maximize the amount of provider pricing that is featured in the search system for adults.

About CherryNews.com

The CherryNews.com company is one resource providing health insurance, life insurance and other products from insurers online. A new 2014 lookup system is part of the available consumer tools that are now featured on the company homepage. The CherryNews.com company is continuing its support of retail information online by publishing helpful blog posts, retail price guides and other content for the public. The company staff continues to assist with media distribution daily by helping to syndicate all written content to various resources worldwide. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.
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Exchanges, Exchanges Everywhere: Understanding the Role of Private Exchanges

January 28, 2014, 10:31 am
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Just when we thought we'd gotten the health insurance exchange part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) down, along comes a curve ball: private exchanges.

We knew about public exchanges (or marketplaces): 14 run by states and the District of Columbia, 36 run by the federal government alone or in partnership with states. We knew they aim to provide opportunities for uninsured and individually insured Americans to get coverage under Medicaid or through private insurance policies. And we knew that eligible consumers (with incomes under 400 percent of the federal poverty level [FPL] but above 138 percent of FPL) can receive federal subsidies for the purchase of private health plans on public exchanges.

We also knew about public exchanges that are just for small employers (fewer than 50 employees), so-called Small Business Health Option Programs (SHOPs). (These aren't ready electronically everywhere yet, but they will be by November 2014.) If they work as planned, they could offer employees of small businesses a wider range of health plan choices than many have had before.

That's a lot of exchange stuff to get under our belts, without even considering private exchanges. So what are these other exchanges? How, if at all, do they relate to the ACA? What should we make of them?

Here are some basics.

*What is a private exchange?* Simply put, a private exchange is a private business that sells health insurance online to employers. However, if you've seen one private exchange, you've seen one private exchange. Their offerings can vary: an exchange run by a single private insurer might offer only its own products, while a benefits consultant might offer plans from dozens of insurers. Private exchanges can also differ in their administrative efficiency, charges, and service, such as the quality of the support they offer customers in picking insurance plans.

The current penetration of private exchanges is difficult to assess. It's estimated that about a million customers will enroll in them this year, mostly through their employers or former employers. But a recent study by Accenture, a consulting company with an interest in promoting private exchanges that was recently awarded the contract to finish fixes on HealthCare.gov, also projects growth to as many as 40 million users over the next five years.

How are private exchanges related to the ACA? Only indirectly. Some private exchanges predate the ACA and served as models for the public exchanges. Many of these original private exchanges were nonprofits encouraged by state governments to provide more options for small businesses buying coverage for their employees.

However, a new crop of for-profit private exchanges has arisen recently as a defense against the ACA and to capitalize on the buzz that now surrounds the "e-word." Public exchanges could threaten the business of insurance brokers, benefit consultants, and some private insurers whose customers can now bypass them and go directly to public exchanges. This could become a bigger issue in 2017 when the ACA will permit all employers, not just small ones, to purchase health insurance in public exchanges. For brokers, consultants, and insurers, private exchanges can provide a way to hold onto existing clients by offering a private product that looks a lot like what the public exchanges are offering.

The exchange buzz has also created some new business opportunities for would-be operators of private exchanges. Some are offering to help employers outsource the management of employee health insurance. Private exchanges also sometimes offer employers assistance with switching from defined benefit to defined contribution approaches to funding health insurance benefits, arguing this will save companies money. According to one consultant survey, 2 percent of employers currently use the defined contribution approach, but as many as 28 percent may switch in the next two to five years. Private exchanges can also start to market an array of potentially profitable ancillary products: life insurance, disability insurance, and more.

*What should we make of the private exchange phenomenon? *The future of private exchanges remains unclear. Their ability to spread beyond their current narrow foothold in the health insurance marketplace will depend on a number of imponderables: whether they will compete effectively on cost and service; whether employers really want to get out of managing the health insurance of their employees; whether employees really want all those choices that exchanges offer; and whether private exchanges can find practical ways to preserve for employers the advantages of self-insurance and the favorable tax treatment of employer-sponsored health insurance.

Some observers are concerned that if private exchanges proliferate, they will further fragment the risk pool for small groups, putting the viability of the SHOP marketplaces in jeopardy. Perhaps the only thing certain about private exchanges is that they demonstrate once again that the private sector is endlessly ingenious at turning new public programs into business opportunities. Reported by Huffington Post 5 hours ago.
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Why Your Doctor Shouldn't Accept Your Health Insurance

January 28, 2014, 10:27 am
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Photo Credit: Alex E. Proimos via photopin,ccBefore we get off on the wrong foot, let's clarify what kind of doctor I'm talking about. That doctor is a primary doctor or low-level specialist, brain surgeons are not included in this discussion.

Now that we've got that straight, you probably want to know why I would make such a seemingly silly statement?

The basic thesis of this hypothesis is that seeing your primary doctor throughout the year is like getting the oil changed in your car.

In other words, it's not, or SHOULD not be a major financial burden to pay for such a service.

It's these types of services insurance is not designed for. In fact, not only are they not designed for it, it hinders their ability to provide the best service.

A fairly accepted economic principle is that you are worth what people will pay you. That's not to be confused with what you charge them. You might be charging someone for something, but they might be willing to pay you much more for it.

This concept is set on fire, put in a box, tossed down a canyon and run over by steam roller within the healthcare industry.

In fact, when (way back in 1922) doctors and hospitals started to realize people would have a problem paying for their services, at the rates they wanted to charge, the hospitals created the insurance program Blue Cross and the doctors created Blue Shield.

They merged to form Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 1982.

What if there was no such thing as "health insurance"? What do you think doctors or even hospitals for that matter would charge knowing you were the only one who would pay the bill?

I promise it would be less than what they're charging right now. In fact, I can prove it to you -- more on that in a second though.

Of course, you can play the "what's it cost to save a life" card, and it's a card I think has some value, however at the end of the day there are plenty of other people in the lifesaving business that don't get the same pass.

The problem is, because health insurance is so expensive, we want it to cover everything and because it covers everything we want to use it as much as we can.

The truth is health insurance was never intended for what should be small-time, nickel-and-diming. Health insurance is supposed to help pay for the things you would never be able to afford on your own, like brain surgery or an open heart procedure, not to get an antibiotic for a sinus infection.
*There's a Better Way*
I want to introduce you to Dr. Robert Lamberts, he doesn't accept any health insurance of any kind, government or private.

Instead, he has priced his services in a way that is affordable and manageable for people to pay, on their own, through a monthly subscription of sorts.

He actually has a pricing page where he breaks down the monthly cost by age. It's so awesome I don't want to take the chance of you not clicking to see it.

Under 3 years: $40/Month
· 3-29:30/Month*· 30-49:40/Month· 50-64:50/Month· 65+:60/Month
*Students who live out of town: $10/Month
There is a $150 Family Maximum to the monthly fee

Before you say it, no I have no affiliation to Dr. Lamberts, he lives 660 miles away from me in Augusta, GA and I've actually never communicated in anyway with him. He might have ignored a tweet from me once.

While we're at it, take a look at the type of care and service he is providing for that insanely low monthly subscription.
· I communicate using phone, secure email messaging, and text messaging.· We only use voicemail when necessary, and when we do use it we will call back as soon as possible.· After hours, the office phone number will ring directly to the physician (for subscribing patients only).· We try to avoid unnecessary visits, handling whatever problems we can over the phone or using electronic communication.· The limited number of patients, along with the reduction of office visits means that the schedule is much more open for same-day visits. This means that you won't have to waste time waiting to be seen by a hurried doctor.
Tell me almost every one of those items isn't on your current wish list for your doctor?
If you needed any more proof in this type of system, when have you ever received anything even close to this from your doctor?
*The One Catch*
By his own admission, in a previous Huffington Post article, Dr. Lamberts said, "My fee covers only my services, not the cost of visits to specialists or many of the tests I may order," the website states. "This means that insurance may still be needed for much of the care I may order."

But that's okay.

If you're dealing with a $3,000 MRI or a even an $800 x-ray, this is where your health insurance is supposed to do its job.

To be honest, the only thing you should truly be worried about your health insurance handling is that bill that is tens of thousands of dollars.

Again, even the cost of these supposedly expensive tests could follow the same path of Dr. Lamberts' re-imagination.

You might actually like your health insurance more if they did.
*What You Forget*
To get that "good" health insurance, as so many people have called and asked me for, means you are going to pay for it upfront.

You'll do this in the form of higher monthly premiums to cover the added benefits and risk associated with you having the option to use them, regardless if you do or not.

So the question you have to ask yourself is, why guarantee paying a health insurance company extra money if there's a good chance you won't use it?

Would you rather put that money back in you pocket at the end of the year? Even if you had to use it, at least you will have more freedom and control over how it's used.
*The Power of Competition*
The best part about all this, Dr. Lamberts has raised the bar. If more doctors adopt this approach it will force the less patient-focused doctors to take notice.

The entitled air that has engulfed the medical profession for the last half a century is going to be its ultimate demise. Coming to the realization they are just as much a part of the "healthcare problem" as insurance companies should be a sobering fact.

I've said it before, but you can't lower the cost of health insurance without lowering the cost of what it's trying to insure.

Removing something as crazy as primary doctors visits just might be one of the first steps. Reported by Huffington Post 5 hours ago.
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Here's Some Bad State Of The Union Advice For President Obama

January 28, 2014, 10:53 am
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In just a few hours, President Barack Obama will deliver a speech called “The State Of The Union” and deliver it to a joint session of Congress. It’s probably already written, save for maybe the obligatory “bad joke that humanizes the president,” and waiting to go to the printers, but hey, when you are the White House’s political opponents and you have some super-bad advice for what should be included in the speech, there’s no time like the present! Let’s review the highlights.

*Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.): MOAR BENGHARGLE, PLS:*
The families of Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty deserve better from this country. They deserve more from this president.

With that in mind, on January 16, I went to the Senate floor and made a simple and respectful request of the president.

I asked that he take the opportunity during his State of the Union address -- on Tuesday, January 28 -- to give those families and all Americans the whole story.
This is a break from Sen. Roberts’ previous admonitions that Obama needed to take things less seriously. I’d be interested in knowing, actually, what Obama thought of his decision to go to war in Libya in the first place -- of which the attack in Benghazi was a natural and predictable consequence -- but I’m guessing I’m going to have to wait for the book. At this point, however, “the whole story” of Benghazi so obviously involves the CIA that the telling of it would probably resemble what the wags call “pulling an Edward Snowden.” I guess that would give the president a rather intimate experience with his own administration’s policy on whistleblowing, though!

*Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.): You apologize for Obamacare, right now!*

Cruz:
“For the State of the Union, one of the things President Obama really ought to do is look in the TV camera and say to the over five million Americans all across this country who have had their health insurance cancelled because of Obamacare -- to look in the camera and say, ‘I’m sorry,’” the Republican senator from Texas suggested during an interview with Bob Schieffer on CBS’s "Face the Nation" Sunday. “‘I told you if you like your health insurance plan you can keep it. I told you if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor. And that wasn’t true. I’m sorry.’”
Rokita:
When President Obama stands before the American people to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday night, I hope he admits that ObamaCare is an insidious law and a failed experiment in big government.
Obama has basically already taken it squarely on the chin for the whole “if you like your plan, you can keep it” fiasco, and there’s no getting around the justness of that. That said, I actually wouldn’t be surprised if he offered up another round of mea culpas for the bungled rollout of the HealthCare.gov website tonight. If he wanted to be serious about that issue, he’d use the State of the Union to call for broad reform of the IT procurement process that brought all of those woes. He’d be doing future presidential administrations of all parties a favor: Future generations of Americans are going to demand seamless interaction with the government over the Internet and on their mobile devices in greater and greater numbers, so we as a nation need to get out in front of that surge.

Probably won’t happen, though, and it would be an arguably pointless thing to call for, seeing as the House of Representatives is controlled by a party for whom government dysfunction is an essential part of its brand identity.

As for apologizing for the law? At the moment, my position is, "LOL, no," with an option to revisit the matter once we see how enrollment is faring come October.

*The Heritage Foundation: Apologize for everything!*
President Obama should use his State of the Union speech tonight to launch a much-needed “apology tour” to the American people.
I dunno, it doesn’t sound to me like that would create many jobs.

*Reps. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Tim Griffin (R-Ark.): Could Obama just read us a newspaper? We are clueless.*
“The entire purpose of the State of the Union Address is for the President to outline where we stand as a nation,” Griffin said. “So instead of more talk about salmon and high-speed rails, more criticism of the Supreme Court or more praise for the Soviet’s Sputnik mission -- President Obama should use his State of the Union Address to tell the American people the truth about the fundamental financial challenges our country faces.”
Actually, I genuinely think that Gardner and Griffin are sincerely asking for someone to help them figure out what’s going on in America? They seem to have completely succumbed to the depredations of Beltway-insiderism and have developed the blinkered perspective of America’s cosseted elites. What Gardner and Griffin want Obama to do in the State of the Union address is agree to gut earned benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare. The popular opinion expressed by “the American people” is that these programs are popular and should be preserved or strengthened.

The State of the Union address isn’t a thing that’s going to bring about an immediate improvement in Obama’s stagnant approval ratings, but if you’re looking for a way that Obama could make them even worse in one fell swoop, you really can’t beat going on national teevee and saying, “Hey, everyone, how about we pointlessly add to the misery of retired people and poor Americans for no other reason than all of this town’s clucking deficit hacks have their boxers in a wad?”

*My Bad Advice for the President: Just don’t do these State of the Union addresses anymore.*

Actually, that’s pretty good advice, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to charge for it, sorry.

[Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not?] Reported by Huffington Post 5 hours ago.
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General Hospitals in Australia Industry Market Research Report Now Updated by IBISWorld

January 28, 2014, 11:02 am
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Australia’s ageing population is increasing demand for hospital services and leading to shifts in both public and private health funding. For these reasons, industry research firm IBISWorld has updated its report on the General Hospitals industry in Australia.

Melbourne, Australia (PRWEB) January 29, 2014

General hospitals provide acute care, and are split between government-funded public hospitals and private hospitals. Public hospitals receive the majority of their funding from state governments and the Federal Government, while private hospitals primarily source their revenue from private health insurers and out-of-pocket patient costs. IBISWorld industry analyst David Whytcross states “demand for general hospitals has surged over the past five years due to Australia's ageing population and the prevalence of chronic illness among adults. Private hospitals have gained further benefits from steady increases in private health insurance coverage.” As a whole, the General Hospitals industry is forecast to grow 3.8% annualised over the five years through 2013-14 to be worth $56.4 billion.

Over the past five years, public hospitals have been boosted by increases in public funding, particularly from state governments. State government funding growth is expected to slow down through 2013-14, resulting in sluggish revenue growth of 0.4% for the year. Revenue growth for private hospitals has been driven by growth in private health insurance coverage, which is indirectly funded by the Federal Government through premium rebates. Expenditure has increased within both hospital systems primarily due to Australia's rising age profile. In 2011-12, people aged 65 and over accounted for almost 50.0% of patient days, with this proportion steadily increasing. With the higher prevalence of private health coverage in this age bracket, expenditure within both public and private hospitals has grown due to these demographic changes. Population ageing will continue over the next five years, with the baby boomer generation moving into retirement. According to Whytcross, “the Federal Government will support the increased demand from older generations through activity-based funding, increasing its contribution to industry revenue by funding efficient growth.” Efficient growth involves increases in expenditure due to volume rather than cost growth. Private hospital revenue is expected to rise due to growth in private health coverage. However, growth in coverage will be counteracted by the downgrading of coverage levels, which will limit private hospital service volumes.

With the largest general hospitals owned and operated by state governments, standard methods of determining industry concentration are not readily applicable to the General Hospitals industry. Larger public hospitals jointly funded by the Federal Government and state governments operate alongside smaller private hospitals. Hospital networks owned by New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia account for a significant proportion of industry revenue, resulting in high market share concentration. While concentration is high, each state health department manages hospitals of different sizes and attributes and no individual hospital accounts for a significant market share. The industry’s major players include the NSW Ministry of Health, the Victorian Department of Health, Queensland Health, the Department of Health of Western Australia and the South Australian Department for Health and Ageing. For more information, visit IBISWorld’s General Hospitals report in Australia industry page.

Follow IBISWorld on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ibisworldau

IBISWorld industry Report Key Topics

General hospitals provide diagnostic, medical and surgical services and continuous inpatient nursing care. The industry also includes establishments that provide both hospital facilities and training of medical and nursing staff.

Industry Performance
Executive Summary
Key External Drivers
Current Performance
Industry Outlook
Industry Life Cycle
Products & Markets
Supply Chain
Products & Services
Major Markets
International Trade
Business Locations
Competitive Landscape
Market Share Concentration
Key Success Factors
Cost Structure Benchmarks
Basis of Competition
Barriers to Entry
Industry Globalisation
Major Companies
Operating Conditions
Capital Intensity
Technology & Systems
Revenue Volatility
Regulation & Policy
Industry Assistance
Key Statistics
Industry Data
Annual Change
Key Ratios

About IBISWorld Inc.
Recognised as the nation’s most trusted independent source of industry and market research, IBISWorld offers a comprehensive database of unique information and analysis on every Australian industry. With an extensive online portfolio, valued for its depth and scope, the company equips clients with the insight necessary to make better business decisions. Headquartered in Melbourne, IBISWorld serves a range of business, professional service and government organisations through more than 10 locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.ibisworld.com.au or call (03) 9655 3886. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
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State of the Union and Crafting a Winning GOP Strategy

January 28, 2014, 12:15 pm
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State of the Union and Crafting a Winning GOP Strategy President Obama, dogged by the bungled rollout of the Affordable Care Act and a slow economic recovery, is declaring war on inequality. An age-old problem made worse by his policies, he offers more opiates—like raising the minimum wage—that fail to address the root causes of vanishing opportunities and falling incomes for most Americans.

Market capitalism has proven a superior system to anything Old World socialists and American liberals can contrive. To the misfortune of utopians seeking both equality and prosperity, the system rewards intelligence and hard work and requires some inequality to accomplish prosperity.

Globalization, promoted through free trade agreements by presidents since Kennedy, has opened vast markets and increased the incomes of the most talented and industrious Americans, while subjecting more ordinary citizens to more intense competition from workers in Asia and elsewhere.

Sadly, foreign markets for what many Americans make remain largely closed. GM boasts some of the best selling cars in China, but high tariffs and regulations keep out U.S.-made vehicles. That denies ordinary workers good paying jobs.

In tandem, domestic policies encourage the monopolization of markets, big paydays for top executives and star performers, and impose higher prices and lower living standards on ordinary Americans.

Dodd-Frank has not stopped reckless risk taking and big paydays on Wall Street, but its regulatory costs have compelled many smaller banks to sell out to big banks. Having a tighter grip on markets, larger banks charge higher fees, pay less interest on savings, and reward top executives.

The Federal Communications Commission does not classify cable television providers as utilities and permit regulation of their rates. Monthly fees rise with the rhythmic certainty of the onset of winter and permit huge payouts to the NFL. That makes Peyton Manning richer and subscribers poorer, regardless of whether or not they watch football.

ObamaCare and the broader morass of federal and state health care regulations have encouraged the consolidation of hospitals around many major cities and reduced the number of health insurance companies operating in regional markets. Less competition increases salaries for hospital administrators, insurance company executives, and some medical specialties.

Overall, Americans pay 50 percent more for health care than the Germans and the Dutch, who also have private providers and high quality care, and Americans compete less effectively in world markets and earn lower wages for that difference.

As the president suggests, raising the minimum wage would help many poor Americans, but it would destroy jobs. A better strategy would be to junk the wage floor altogether and combine all federal income support programs—the earned income tax credit, food stamps, Medicaid, ObamaCare subsidies for health insurance premiums and the like—into something more coherent like a family allowance for each child. That would level incomes a bit and eliminate a lot of bureaucracy that is slowing businesses, weighing down growth, and keeping most Americans from earning bigger paychecks.

However, for such pro-market approaches to work, Republicans would have to accept that in some places markets need help to be effective and fair.

If they want free trade, then they must support agreements that give American workers a better deal. To junk ObamaCare, they must come up with a regulatory framework that actually lowers prices and costs. And if we are to rely more on markets and less on regulation to discipline the banks, then it is time to break up the big banks to foster genuine competition.

Obama is surely right about one thing. If Republicans want to change things, then they have to win more elections. That will require more pragmatism and less ideology. Opposing the president, no matter how wrong headed some of his policies may be, is simply not enough.

Peter Morici is an economist and professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland and a widely published columnist. Follow him on Twitter.

 
 
 
  Reported by Breitbart 3 hours ago.
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Obamacare enrollment continues to climb

January 28, 2014, 12:51 pm
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More than 320,000 people have signed up for insurance or newly enrolled in Medicaid through Washington’s online health insurance exchange. Of that number, more than 86,000 are now covered by private insurance purchased through the exchange, according to . The rest are new participants in Me Reported by Seattle Times 3 hours ago.
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Some Oregonians are caught in health coverage gap

January 28, 2014, 1:08 pm
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Health insurance agents say some Oregonians who applied via Cover Oregon in time to secure January coverage are still without insurance. Reported by ajc.com 2 hours ago.
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Fitch: Enrollment a Key to ACA Risk for Health Insurers

January 28, 2014, 12:58 pm
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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The importance of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) risk-sharing programs to health insurers' credit quality will be meaningfully influenced by enrollment trends, according to Fitch Ratings. This will be especially true for those insurers offering individual and small group products on state or Health and Human Services Department (HHS) managed health insurance exchanges. The ACA includes three risk-sharing programs that became effective in 2014 and are designed to redu Reported by Business Wire 3 hours ago.
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Senate GOP Replacement For Obamacare Would Allow Insurers To Discriminate Against Women

January 28, 2014, 1:33 pm
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WASHINGTON -- Three Senate Republicans unveiled an alternative to Obamacare Tuesday, offering their party a path forward if the GOP is ever successful in its ongoing attempts to repeal the health care reform law.

Calling it "common-sense, patient-centered reforms," they argued that it will "reduce health care costs and increase access to affordable, high-quality care." While it gets rid of the individual mandate, it also does away with some of the Affordable Care Act's more popular provisions, including ones meant to prevent women from facing discrimination by insurers.

The Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, put forward by Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), would essentially lower rising health care costs by asking individuals to pay a greater share. By "sensitizing" patients to how much various health care resources cost, they may make smarter decisions, according to their thinking.

But the burden may not fall on everyone equally. One of the most popular provisions of Obamacare was barring insurers from discriminating against women and charging them higher premiums than men. A 2012 report by the National Women's Law Center found that 92 percent of the best-selling insurance plans charged a 40-year-old woman more than a 40-year-old man for coverage, even for plans that did not cover maternity services.

This protection, instituted under Obamacare, would vanish under the new Senate GOP plan.

"It would be back to, being a woman is a preexisting condition because the ACA prohibits pricing based on gender," said NWLC Vice President of Health and Reproductive Rights Judy Waxman. "And this plan repeals that and lets insurance companies do it again. ... We would be right back to women getting charged more because they're women, even though there won't be maternity coverage. Right back to that."

Obamacare also told insurers that they could no longer reject, or charge higher premiums for people with preexisting conditions. Those conditions could be anything from acne, asthma or heart disease, to being pregnant or even a victim of domestic violence.

The Senate GOP plan would also bar discrimination based on preexisting conditions, but only for people with continuous coverage. Anyone who let their coverage lapse, then tried to get health care again, could face higher premiums or be barred completely from certain plans by insurers. As National Journal noted, this requirement is essentially a replacement for the individual mandate in Obamacare, where individuals would want to get coverage not because they'd be fined if they don't, but because they wouldn't want to face the threat of discrimination.

White House press secretary Jay Carney commented on the GOP plan Monday, saying in the press briefing, "It would result in restoring in the health care and health insurance equation in America the primacy of insurance companies over individuals, giving back to insurance companies the power to deny an American coverage because he or she has a preexisting condition or to charge women twice what they charge men because they’re women."

When asked for comment about how the Senate GOP plan would benefit women, Coburn spokesman John Hart argued that both men and women would benefit from the repeal of Obamacare.

"We move women and men out of Obamacare's virtual bread line, in which they're supposed to buy a 'superior' government-mandated product on a website that doesn't work in a system that isn't viable, and give them the ability to make better choices with a generous tax credit," he said. "We trust men and women to be smart and responsible shoppers. Obamacare doesn't."

"We protect men and women with pre-existing conditions with our 'continuous coverage' policy," he added, commenting on the individual mandate replacement. "However, unlike Obamacare, we don't destroy the private health insurance market -- and consumer rights and options -- in the process. For millions of men and women, Obamacare itself has become a pre-existing condition that has caused them to lose their coverage and doctors."

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney also said when he was running for president that he supported "continuous coverage." But a 2012 Commonwealth Fund report found that between 2004 and 2007, 89 million Americans were without coverage for at least one month.

Under Obamacare, most health insurance companies and employer plans must offer certain preventive services at no cost to patients, if they have been recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. That panel is composed of independent, volunteer physicians and academics selected by HHS. Mammograms, breast cancer prevention drugs and HPV vaccines are among the services that are covered.

That requirement also would disappear under the new GOP plan.

"Unlike Obamacare, our plan does not rely on comparative effectiveness research programs and instead trusts patients and doctors to decide what is medically necessary," said Hart in response. "Remember, Obamacare depends on the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the very panel that was responsible for once advising women under 50 to not undergo annual mammograms."

"Yeah, make choices, but it's really choices the insurance companies offer. So preventive care services offered without a copay -- that's gone," said Waxman. "It's a lot of shifting costs onto the consumer -- onto the woman, onto any consumer. It probably saves the federal government money, but I don't see how it lowers health care costs. It simply shifts them from the government and the taxpayer onto each individual." Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.
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Zane Benefits Publishes New Information on the 2014 Federal Poverty Line Guidelines

January 28, 2014, 2:18 pm
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New Guidelines Impact Medicaid and Tax Credit Eligibility in 2015

Park City, UT (PRWEB) January 28, 2014

Today, Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, published new information on the 2014 Federal Poverty Line Guidelines.

According to Zane Benefits’ website, the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) is the set minimum amount of gross income that a family needs for food, clothing, transportation, shelter and other necessities. In the United States, this level is determined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Federal Poverty Line varies according to household size, and the number is adjusted for inflation and reported annually in the form of poverty level guidelines.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) households with income between 100% and 400% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL) who purchase coverage through a state health insurance exchange will be eligible for a premium tax subsidy to reduce the cost of coverage.

According to Zane Benefits’ website, the 2014 FPL Guidelines impact those purchasing coverage for 2015.

Click here to read the full article.

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About Zane Benefits

Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, was founded in 2006 to revolutionize the way employers provide employee health benefits in America. We empower employees to take control over their own healthcare, while helping employers recruit and retain the best talent. Our online solutions allow small and medium-sized businesses to successfully transition to a health benefits program that creates happier employees, reduces costs and frees up more time to serve their customers. For more information about ZaneHealth, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 1 hour ago.
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House Republicans Pass Sweeping Anti-Abortion Bill

January 28, 2014, 3:00 pm
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The House of Representatives passed a bundle of abortion restrictions Tuesday that would dramatically reduce the number of health insurance plans that cover the procedure. The vote was 227 to 188, with one lawmaker voting present

The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7), sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), would prohibit insurance plans sold in the new health care exchanges from covering abortion, and it would eliminate tax benefits for small businesses that purchase insurance plans covering abortion. The bill would also prevent the District of Columbia from using its own locally raised funds to subsidize abortion care for low-income women.

Currently, more than 80 percent of private health insurance plans include abortion coverage, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group.

The bill would not actually prevent federal taxpayer dollars from funding abortion because the Hyde Amendment has already done that for more than three decades.

Earlier this month, Democratic women lawmakers protested the bill in the hallway outside its House Judiciary Committee hearing. They pointed out that it would raise health care costs for women, drive insurance companies to drop a previously noncontroversial medical benefit and financially penalize small businesses. They also took issue with the fact that an all-male group of Republicans was pushing the bill through the legislative process with very little input from women.

“H.R. 7 is a reflection of a majority that is out of touch with the American people and struggling to understand fundamental truths about reproductive health -- and we really mean struggle,” Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) said on the floor of the House. “This extreme legislation was originally sponsored by a man, originated from a subcommittee composed of 13 men, and was passed out of the Judiciary Committee with the votes of 21 Republican men. This has been the problem for a long time -- men in blue suits and red ties determining what women can and should do when it comes to their own health.”

The bill is unlikely to go anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and the White House said Monday that President Barack Obama would veto it if it ever came to his desk. Reported by Huffington Post 34 minutes ago.
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House OKs bill barring federal funds for abortion

January 28, 2014, 3:23 pm
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Tuesday to bar federal subsidies to Americans signing up for health insurance plans that cover abortion, as Republicans issued a fresh warning about the impact of President Barack Obama's health care law. First passed in 1976, the Hyde amendment has been added each year to spending bills and has banned federal funds for decades. "Under the Affordable Care Act, massive amounts of public funds in the form of tax credits — $796 billion in direct spending over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office — will pay for insurance plans, many, perhaps most of which will include elective abortion," Smith said. Democrats countered that the legislation was another salvo in the GOP's "war on women," designed to chip away at reproductive rights and strip women of their access to coverage through private health insurance. The administration, in threatening a veto, said the health care law and companion executive order prohibits federal funds for abortion. Reported by SeattlePI.com 11 minutes ago.
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9 Easy Steps for a Complete Money Makeover

January 29, 2014, 3:09 am
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9 Easy Steps for a Complete Money Makeover Filed under: Banking, Personal Finance, Credit Cards, Budgeting, Financial Education

*Getty Images*

By Kimberly Palmer

If you're ready to start fresh with your money, but aren't quite sure where to begin, these nine steps will help guide you. They'll shore up your finances while letting you have some fun, too.

*1. Choose a better bank.*

If you find yourself constantly paying fees for using out-of-network ATMs or running out of cash when you're on the road, now is the time to find a bank that better fits your needs. The comparison tool findabetterbank.com can help, as can bankrate.com and Google (GOOG) Advisor. Larger banks tend to offer more ATMs for frequent travelers while smaller banks and credit unions might be less convenient but offer lower fees.

*2. Upgrade your credit card.*

Many people use credit cards that aren't matched to their needs, which means they pay too much in fees or miss out on rewards. If you carry debt, you'll want to find a card with the lowest annual fee possible. But those without debt can maximize their rewards. Comparison sites such as indexcreditcards.com and creditcards.com make it easy to search for the right fit.

*3. Conquer paperwork.*

If you're drowning in bank statements, retirement account paperwork and health insurance forms, consider moving as much paperwork as possible online, and creating a three-ring binder and filing system for the rest. Having a shredder on hand to quickly and safely transfer personal documents to the trash can also help.

*4. Stop paying for cable.*

Many television shows are available online for free -- viewers need only watch a short commercial beforehand. Hulu.com, iTunes and network websites make it easy. If you're looking for a specific show, try a simple Web search; just be sure to avoid the spam sites that pop up.

*5. Take a free vacation.*

A combination of credit card rewards, airline miles and hotel membership programs can generate enough rewards to fund a getaway for two around the world.
Just be sure to keep track of all paperwork and look for opportunities to layer deals and giveaways on top of each other. And don't forget to read the fine print, especially when it relates to expiration dates and other restrictions.

*6. Spend less on food.*

Cooking more at home, keeping an organized fridge, and shopping more frequently but buying less can help cut down on food waste. Even restaurant trips can become more cost-efficient if you bring your own doggie bag and ask the server to pack up the bread for you if you don't plan to eat it.

*7. Find your number.*

Most Americans haven't yet calculated just how much they'll need to save for retirement, but free online calculators make it easy. Bankrate.com, Fidelity and Transamerica offer calculators that are easy to customize with specific rates of returns, tax rates and inflation rates, among other factors.

*8. Seek frugal fun.*

Successful parties don't need to break the bank. Stick with email invitations to save on paper and postage costs and focus on a few special touches, such as cucumber water, to add flare. Gifts for special occasions also can be more meaningful and less expensive when they include gifts of time, such as a coffee date.

*9. Protect yourself online.*

If your password is a common name or phrase, a hacker could guess it. Make your online accounts more secure by not using the same password on multiple sites and sticking with longer, hard-to-guess words or sentences.

Once you've run through this list, you'll be better poised to stay on top of your money throughout the year -- and that's something worth celebrating.

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-*More from U.S. News*-

· 10 Ways to Upgrade Your Finances in 2014
· Your 10-Step Financial Recovery Plan
· 10 Questions That Will Help You Earn More Money

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Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Reported by DailyFinance 13 hours ago.
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HealthMarkets Insurance Agency Announces Launch of Innovative Mobile Quoting Tool

January 29, 2014, 4:09 am
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Consumers can now utilize their mobile device or tablet to get information about insurance plans marketed by HealthMarkets.

Dallas/fort Worth, TX (PRWEB) January 29, 2014

HealthMarkets Insurance Agency (“HealthMarkets”), one of the nation’s largest health insurance agencies, today announced the launch of its innovative online quoting tool that is one of the first of its kind to be optimized for mobile-phone browsers. The new tool, now available at HealthMarkets.com, provides consumers with real-time quotes representing an estimate of the premiums for health insurance plans offered on the site, and includes in that calculation an estimate of any government subsidies that the consumer may be eligible to receive.

“HealthMarkets is devoted to providing consumers with the most convenient health insurance shopping experience,” said Ken Fasola, President and CEO of HealthMarkets. “With consumers increasingly on the go, we believe it is critical to provide them with the kind of information they need to find affordable health insurance using their phone, tablet or desktop computer.”

Fasola continued, “With a superior online quoting experience at HealthMarkets.com, customer phone support 24 hours a day, and a dedicated field force with over 3,000 local health insurance agents, HealthMarkets can provide the talent and tools necessary to help consumers compare health plans online, over the phone and face-to-face.”

Quoting is available across 44 states with 3,000 health plans from over 120 different insurance companies, enabling HealthMarkets.com to offer one of the broadest selections of health insurance plans using a private consumer website. Quotes include an estimated subsidy calculation for eligible consumers based on the income figures they input so they can obtain more accurate prices on available qualified health plans.

“This is just one more step we’ve taken to improve how consumers shop for and compare health insurance plans. Across all individual lines of business, we have sold over 1.1 million policies over the past three years. With the addition of the federal Web-Broker Entity (WBE) designation, we intend to provide enhanced solutions for consumers looking to shop for, and enroll in, subsidy-eligible health insurance plans,” Fasola added.

Purchasing health insurance can be an immensely personal and complex process. With all of the complexity, HealthMarkets is seeing an increase in demand for expert advice to offer solutions for consumers who don’t want to “go it alone”. By using the services of a licensed health insurance agency such as HealthMarkets, consumers are guided through the process, better enabling them to make decisions about the affordable individual health insurance options that work best for them.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), consumers have until March 31, 2014 to enroll in a qualified health plan. HealthMarkets can help consumers enroll in plans that are on the federal or their state government’s health insurance exchange, in addition to health plans not available on those exchanges.

For more information, visit http://www.HealthMarkets.com, or talk with a licensed representative by dialing 800-827-9990.

###

About HealthMarkets Insurance AgencySM
HealthMarkets Insurance Agency, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of HealthMarkets, Inc., is the d/b/a or assumed name of Insphere Insurance Solutions, Inc., which is a licensed insurance agency in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. HealthMarkets offers consumers a convenient shopping experience for Medicare, health insurance and other related insurance products. HealthMarkets represents over 120 nationally-recognized insurance carriers and offers consumers the option of comparing health and Medicare plans online at HealthMarkets.com, over the phone at 800-827-9990 and face-to-face with over 3,000 dedicated local insurance agents across the country.

Cautionary Statement Related to Forward-looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements regarding Insphere Insurance Solutions, Inc., d/b/a HealthMarkets Insurance Agency, and its affiliates. These forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Such forward-looking statements can be identified by the words "anticipate,""believe,""estimate,""expect,""intend,""objective,""plan,""possible,""potential" and similar expressions. These statements are based on management’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions, and actual results may vary materially from those included in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update them, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements made by us. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.
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Obamacare deadline comin' up! What you need to know

January 29, 2014, 5:14 am
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You've got until Wednesday January 30 to sign up if you want health insurance coverage to start on March 1. Reported by CNN.com 11 hours ago.
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America's Health Care Crisis Is Far From Over, In 1 Chart

January 29, 2014, 5:40 am
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Even Americans who have health insurance struggle to pay their medical bills, according to a startling new analysis of Census data. And it's not clear if Obamacare will make the problem totally disappear.

One in five U.S. families with health insurance have medical bills that they cannot afford to pay in full, according to a recent brief from a division of the Department of Health and Human Services that looked at 2012 data.

As you can see from the chart below the situation is far more dire for those without insurance -- in families where no one has health insurance, nearly 40 percent have bills that they cannot afford to pay.

On the whole, more than one in four families faced financial burdens of medical care, according to the data. (The study's wonky definition of a family: "an individual or a group of two or more related persons living together in the same housing unit.")

Thankfully, Obamacare sets limits on annual out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and co-payments for policies sold on the health insurance exchanges. In 2014, those limits are $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family. Those limits were supposed to apply to all insurance plans, including those provided by employers, but some were exempted for one year.

The law also aims to expand health care coverage to all Americans, which could drastically cut the number of families with outstanding medical debt. But as the chart above indicates, increased access to coverage isn't enough to make health care affordable for everyone.

(Hat tip: NBC News) Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.
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NM delegation split on Obama speech

January 29, 2014, 5:33 am
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Bipartisanship within New Mexico’s Congressional delegation wasn’t forthcoming following President Obama’s State of the Union speech. “While I appreciate the President’s optimism, New Mexicans were hoping for solutions and answers to the problems facing us,” said Rep. Steve Pearce, the state’s lone Republican federal legislator in a statement. “Tens of thousands of New Mexicans have had their health insurance plans cancelled, and only a fraction of the initial goal have actually… Reported by bizjournals 10 hours ago.
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