Since health care reform passed, children have been guaranteed health insurance coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions.
Unfortunately, some health insurance companies exited or considered leaving the child-only health insurance coverage market.
To offset the trend, many states decided to enact open enrollment periods so individuals would refrain for only purchasing coverage when they child or children are sick.
View the following lists to see what states are holding open enrollment periods and when.
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Annuity sales in 2011 grew 7.7%, fueled in large part by a 28% increase in net variable-annuity sales during the year.
Cathy Weatherford
The increase in variable-annuity sales, to $27.7 billion was the best since 2007, according to the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI), whose analysis was based on data reported by Morningstar and Beacon Research.
Fourth-quarter variable annuity sales also were strong, increasing nearly 35% from the $5.4 billion in sales in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Net variable-annuity sales for the quarter increased by nearly 35%, to $7.2 billion, in the fourth quarter.
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In the wake of a record-breaking year for extreme weather, a study by the Consumer Federation of America found Americans are paying higher premiums for home insurance as insurers shift more of the financial burdens for hurricanes, tornadoes and floods to consumers.
The study, “The Insurance Industry’s Incredible Disappearing Weather Catastrophe Risk,” comes as weather disasters in 2011 affected millions of people, claimed 1,000 lives, resulted in 8,000 injuries and caused more than $52 billion in economic losses. The U
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You probably don’t think much about life insurance– after all, cashing in a policy usually means someone close to you has passed away. But it’s important to know a little bit about how you can use life insurance proceeds. Most people know that life insurance proceeds can pay for funeral expenses or to pay off a home mortgage. But here are some lesser-known ways to use a life insurance policy according to Life Quotes, Inc:
Medical expenses due to terminal illness: According to Life Quotes, Inc, if you are battling a terminal illness you can take a portion of the death benefits to fund medical expenses involving treatment and care. This
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Today’s headlines include coverage of the health policy flashpoints during last night’s GOP presidential primary debate.
Analysis: Is A New Federal Patient Safety Effort Doing Enough To Curb Medical Errors?
In the following analysis for Kaiser Health News, Michael L. Millenson writes: “The Medicare program is betting on a new course of action to curb what one medical journal has dubbed an ‘epidemic’ of uncontrolled patient harm. The effort is pegged to the success of a little-known entity called a ‘hospital engagement network’” (Millenson, 2/22).
Can Massachusetts Lead The Way On Controlling Health Costs?
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There are many benefits to group health insurance plans but they aren’t always the best option.
Sure, the employer picks up part of the tab but employers are also passing more of the cost to employees than ever before.
Here are a couple examples of when a group plan may not be the best option:
- The group plan is considered a mini-med health plan. Mini-med plans are typically offered by restaurants and to part-time workers but there are a lot of exclusions in the plan and they will only coverage a percentage of health costs.
- Deductibles on high deductible plans continue to get more expensive. At some point, certain deductibles are no longer affordable to consumers depending on their budget. F
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