Archive for November, 2009
Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander released a statement this morning saying the Senate-approved health care bill is riddled with “sweetheart deals” that will increase taxes and damage education.
Fellow Republican, Sen. Bob Corker, said the bill is “fundamentally flawed” and called for bipartisanship.
The bill, approved on a 60-39 vote, must still be merged with legislation passed by the House.
“The Senate health bill will prove to be an historic mistake if this or anything like it is ultimately signed by the president,” said Alexander, who is chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.
“Congress set out to reduce health care costs to Americans and Democrats have managed to do the exact opposite. Their written-in-secret bill will increase health insurance premiums, raise taxes, cut Medicare and dump millions of Americans into Medicaid.
“For Tennessee, Medicaid’s expansion and the bill’s ‘sweetheart deals’ would cost our state more than $750 million over five years when fully implemented, forcing tax increases or damaging higher education—or both.
“Instead, we should start over and move step-by-step to reduce health care costs using the steps that Republicans have repeatedly proposed: let small businesses pool resources for health insurance; allow purchasing of health insurance across state lines; end junk lawsuits against doctors; eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse; expand health savings accounts; and promote wellness and prevention.”
Corker said in his statement, “I’ve spent almost three years and countless hours in bipartisan meetings working toward reforms that would enable all Americans to access affordable, private health insurance.
“I wanted a bipartisan health care reform bill that would stand the test of time. Instead, we were forced to vote on a 2,000-plus page, fundamentally flawed, partisan bill that expands Medicaid by sending $25 billion in unfunded mandates to states, takes $464 billion away from Medicare and leverages it to create a new entitlement, uses budget gimmickry to hide its true cost; increases federal costs, and actually causes Americans to face increased taxes and premiums.
“It’s my sincere hope that Congress returns in 2010 more willing to work in a bipartisan fashion, and my work on financial regulatory reform gives me hope that that’s possible.”
Many employers in California do not realize that paying for employee’s individual health insurance policies presents many problems. There can be liability for the employer in doing so. Let’s look at the implications and understand why providing Small Group health insurance to your California employees is important.
First, we need to understand the differences between Small Group health or employer sponsored health insurance and individual/family or private insurance. Small Group is quite different in a few key ways. First, it is governed by California law AB 1672. Among many provisions set forth in AB 1672, Small Group coverage is guaranteed issue to qualified small companies with 2-50 employees. This means that a person with a legitimate employer-employee relationship (can be full or part-time depending on group preference) cannot be declined due to health.
Individual/Family health insurance is quite different in this respect. Individuals must qualify based on health in a process called medical underwriting. They can be declined coverage have rates increased based on their health history or status. This difference in medical qualification is a big issue for small groups that pay for individual health insurance plans for their employees if the group is eligible or capable of providing group health. If an employee is declined coverage and/or suffers a major medical bill, he/she can go after the employer saying that the employer should have sponsored a qualified (guaranteed issue) group health plan. This assumes that the employer met the requirements under AB 1672 to offer such a plan. As an employer, you also do not want to know too much about an employee’s health status. If you need to let the employee go, there can be issues in knowing that they were declined individual health insurance. Keep a good separation from this knowledge to avoid issues in hiring/firing.
Employers usually offer individual plans based on cost but the difference hardly justifies this exposure to liability. In California, the employer can pay as little as 50% of the employees health insurance premium and with options such as Employee Elect through Anthem Blue Cross, an employer can now offer a full range of plans to each employee with a fixed contribution (dollar amount or a percentage of a given plan).
The other main issue deals with the tax treatment of employers paying for employee’s individual health plans. Officially, only a qualified group plan premium for employees can be deducted as a business expense. Paying for individual health plans generally cannot be deducted. Make sure to run your company’s situation by a tax professional but this is a major drawback for paying for individual health plans.
In summary, with all the options, both from a plan and cost perspective, on the market, small group health insurance makes the most sense. Run your instant quote and please let us know how we can help investigate your Small Group health insurance options. It is important to avoid the liability of employees not qualifying for individual health plans due to health history and to make sure you take advantage of the tax benefits associated with paying for qualify Group health plans.
Much has been said about the importance of being healthy. If you have been paying attention to your health, you probably would have a California health insurance coverage. If you don’t have one yet, there is no better time than now to get California health insurance quotes. There is indeed nothing more important than keeping healthy than protecting yourself from illnesses and its consequences. What consequences are we talking about?
Among many other things, an illness or degradation in your health can mean loss of your earnings if you are unable to work. It can also mean huge financial burdens as medical bills are getting extremely expensive. A serious illness not only cripples you of the normal life you are used to, but it also endangers you and your family from all security – financial or otherwise. ACalifornia health insurance coverage will help you avoid most of these problems. It can also help you lead a life that is healthier as it pays for various preventive measures including immunizations and regular checkups, among others.
Recent statistics reveal that more and more California residents have been neglecting health insurance, most especially in the recent years. This can be attributed largely to the growing global financial crisis that all of us seem to experience. Although one can live without aCalifornia health insurance, imagine how much more impact a health problem can bring you and your family to top off the existing crisis.
If you take a look at California health insurance quotes, there are certain things to pay attention to. There are various items included in a health insurance plan. Some of these include inpatient services, outpatient surgery, medical testing, office visits, prescription drugs, physical therapy and rehabilitation care, and mental health care. These items are usually included in your California health insurance quotes.
You should remember is that your insurance should serve its purpose, which is to protect you and your loved ones from financial burdens in the event of serious medical conditions. There are a couple of effective ways to get more affordableCalifornia health insurance quotes. You can, for example, ask your California health insurance agent to take out coverage that you think you don’t need and see how it can lower your premiums. You can also set a higher deductible which will be your out of the pocket threshold before the coverage kicks in.
The importance of having a California health insurance coverage should not be ignored or underestimated just because the economy of the country is hard-up these days. In fact, the rise in medical costs should be the exact same reason for you to get thoseCalifornia health insurance quotes now. Even the most routine of surgeries can cost you thousands of dollars. Governor Schwarzenegger may now have a universal health policy plan forCalifornia, but an affordable health insurance can be yours if you know the right place to find it. Get access to low California insurance health quotes and start living a healthy, more secure lifestyle.