Ask Colleen King

When people understand them, many like the idea of health savings accounts. They aren’t for everyone, but no one type of health care coverage is. Otherwise, we’d all have the same plan, and health care reform would have hit by now.

What does a health savings account (HSA) have to do with tax time? Well, if you’ve maxed out all the places you can stash pre-tax money, this is one more place to consider, IF you opened the account before the end of 2009. You have up until April 15th, like you do with IRAs, to make contributions and designate them for 2009.

My tax guy is not a huge fan of HSAs. We have this discussion every year; he’d rather see me put more into retirement over an HSA. But the way I contribute to my HSA makes sense to me. You can look at the maximum amount for the year and drop that in. In 2009 it was $3000 if you had an individual HSA eligible health plan. Or, you could do a monthly automatic bank transfer so the account grows slowly over time. The way I do it, I anticipate what expenses are coming up and deposit accordingly. When I know my annual optometry visit is coming up, I put money in for that. HSA money can also be used for long term care insurance premiums, so I’ll be putting money in for that soon–they’re due AGAIN!

Since most people, especially entrepreneurs and self employed people have higher deductible health plans to save on the premium, to me is makes sense to have a plan that can be used with an HSA because the money you put into an HSA is deductible on your federal tax return. And, at the end of the year it’s not ‘use it or lose it.’ It rolls over, stays with you, until you do need it.

You can use the money for all sort of things, click here for a list of allowable expenses. There are many other details on the ins and outs of HSAs, but I’ll save those for another time. Main thing today, if you have one, and you need a place to stash some money to cut your tax obligation, consult your tax professional and see if this might be one thing to consider.

Lots of banks and credit unions in California offer HSAs. Check out this web site, www.hsainsider.com as a ‘clearing house’ of sorts to see what’s available.

Be well!

Tags:   Health insurance · Health Savings Account · HSANo Comments.

Why is an ‘insurance person’ writing about a tax issue? When it comes to annuities, it may end up connected if the President has his way. Unfortunately.

An article in Investment News by Dan Jamieson on February 22 indicates that President Obama wants to have the 2.9% Medicare tax apply now to unearned income. This will hit more than just annuities, this will also affect other forms of unearned income you may be more familiar with–dividends, rents, royalties and interest on individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples earning more than $250,000.

Is nothing sacred? Annuities, particularly fixed or indexed annuities, are a good way for people to go when looking for a conservative option to put money away. I’m assuming that if you are using an annuity for an IRA of some sort this wouldn’t apply. One reason many financial planners don’t use annuities for IRAs is the presumption that the fees and restrictions associated with annuities aren’t worth it. (There are many with no fees, by the way.) But there are fees generally with most options, aren’t there? Trading fees, etc?

Money in an annuity currently grows tax deferred, whether it’s set up as an IRA or not. This money needs to sit and grow particularly for folks planning on using this for retirement living. If they are a high wage earner now, this can eat into the growth of a non IRA annuity.

Share this with a friend, not just the annuity part, because people need to know what else is going to be affected by this proposal. Seems like someone needs to look at ways to cut spending, but maybe there’s just something I’m missing.

Tags:   Annuities · fixed annuities · fixed indexed annuitiesNo Comments.

Anthem Blue Cross should thank Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia for coming up with something causing even more outrage than they did. An article in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution tells the story of a gentleman who had a 72% increase in premium. On the surface it looks like maybe one of the reasons was because he turned 60. That’s usually a big ‘bumping point’ in premium. But it’s on a policy with a $10,000 deductible?  Like any other article on this type of subject, it went on to say that most increases weren’t nearly that high. But it only takes one to catch a headline.

The president of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) said he didn’t think the carrier was gouging with this rate increase. I sure hope not, and that they can back up the reasoning for it. As an agent, I view my/our relationship with insurance companies is a partnership. Hopefully neither of us throws the other under the bus. But if this and other significant increases aren’t justified, it gets hard to defend.

Yesterday, Leslie Margolin appeared before the Assembly Health Committee to explain Anthem’s position and has promised to work with lawmakers to try and bring down costs. But it’s not a matter of just insurance companies and the cost structure, it’s all parties–physicians, hospitals, drug makers, device makers, you name it.

I”m spending a lot of time these days helping my clients look for more affordable coverage. But you can only move people around so much. If one carrier has an increase the others will too at some point. Until the day comes when we truly have suitable reform, that’s the best we can do. I think. Hope so!

Tags:   health care reform · Health insurance · Individual Health InsuranceNo Comments.

I know I’m not a political or social services writer, but our pals at the L.A Times Wednesday had an interesting article on how the County of Los Angeles reimburses physicians when they care for the uninsured.

How does this affect your health insurance premiujms? The Physicians Services for Indigents Program in L.A. County was paying doctors 29% of their estimated fees until last January when they cut it to 27%. Now, this week the rate will be reduced to 18% effective July 1. Can you imagine doing your job for less than 1/5 of what you normally earned?

If you think this doesn’t affect your health insurance premiums, think again. This is one of the biggest reasons for health care reform. You have people who need care and can’t afford it, and physicians (and others) who are willing to provide it, but something has to give. Cost shifting to insured patients happens when physicians and hospitals have to get costs handled somewhere.

And speaking of hospitals, the article by Molly Hennessey-Fiske and Ron Lin points out that physicians may go to hospitals for reimbursement. I know back in the day when I was an emergency nurse in downtown LA and Hollywood, the emergency physicians would try to negotiate something with the hospital when they saw the obligatory uninsured. Which downtown, was a vast majority of the patients. But that was back in the day when reimbursement was better and more people had jobs with health insurance provided.

All this to say, be kind to your local emergency physician and keep your policy current. Or get one if you can. The costs you incur can be disasterous if you aren’t insured. And until there’s a more palatable way to handle health care reform, well, enough said.

Have a great weekend, stay dry and stay out of the ER.

Tags:   health care reform · Health insurance · Individual Health InsuranceNo Comments.

Last week Wellpoint, the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, put out a response to the screaming about their recent rate increase. Click here and check it out.

It’s long, but I think potentially worth reading if you’re at all curious. If nothing else, the earnings statement Brian Sassi makes is impressive: “Anthem’s net income on a per-member-per-month basis was $12.62 in 2008, which compares to $18.45 and $13.22 for our two large not-for-profit competitors.” Guess we’ll find out later who those folks are, right?

So what was it in 2009? Well, they’ll get to that I’m sure. But in his response to Kathleen Sebelius, Sassi points out that membership has dropped off; mainly healthier clients that are looking to save money and feel they don’t need health insurance. That leaves people with health issues who will cost them more money.

Each carrier has rate increases; I’ll be interested to see what happens as the year progresses and other ‘rate actions’ come up.

So in the meantime, what do you do if you’re rates are dragging you down? You can do what I did and apply to another carrier, or even downgrade your plan with the carrier you have now. Do you need every office visit covered if you only go to a doctor once or twice a year? Maybe not, it ends up being a personal preference/comfort for each individual. And being willing to pay for the smaller things generally will end up saving you a significant amount on premium.

And consider working with an independent agent. We don’t cost you a dime and we can give you rates from all the companies. Otherwise you have to call each company, and have multiple reps call you back. For me, I have a specific set of companies I prefer to put people with because they tend to work best for most. That doesn’t mean the other companies aren’t okay, like anything, it’s a matter of personal experience.

Now at least you have a bit of a reprieve if you’re with Anthem, the increases won’t hit until May 1 now. But don’t wait to make changes, because everyone will be scrambling at the same time which slows the process.

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Well, it’s been just over a week since the rate increase heard around the world hit and people are still going

nuts. President Obama has expressed outrage. Kathleen Sebelius isn’t satisfied. California Department of Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner allegedly said that people shouldn’t buy from Anthem Blue Cross (I say allegedly because another agent told me this, I didn’t see it myself in writing.) If that last one is true, personally, I feel it’s reckless for the Commissioner to make a statement like that unless he’s seen the documentation. But, he’s running for governor so it’s another chance to get in the media.

I really hope that all this screaming and chest beating gets us somewhere. Most people need relief from their health insurance premiums that’s for sure. Anthem’s defense is that despite ‘profits’ of $2.7 billion in Q4 2009, they lost money on their individual health insurance policy unit overall in 2009. They say they paid out more in claims than they took in. And that’s entirely possible, we’ll never know until the investigations are done. And I would LOVE to see the results of any audits. Think about it–they have to be able to justify what they are doing, because anyone can call rate changes into action at any time. There has to be some justification for what they are doing, and since 30-39% increases aren’t hitting everybody, you know there’s more to the story.

Don’t get me wrong. Just because I sell insurance doesn’t mean I agree with everything they do. BUT, having worked in a national level operations unit I know how stories get twisted. And you do too, just from your everyday consumption of the media. Remember if it bleeds, it leads. This time it’s just bleeding Anthem blue.

So while everyone is going nuts, what do YOU to help your situation. First, I will tell you to keep in mind, the more you want from a plan, the more it will cost. So next, tune in tomorrow and I’ll give you some suggestions to help cut your health insurance premiums. Not all of my suggestions work for everyone, but there may be one or two for you. Or at least it will help you understand better how this all works.

Be well!

Tags:   health care reform · Health insuranceNo Comments.

I would have gotten to writing this sooner but I’ve been talking/emailing with many of my clients today about the Los Angeles Times story today talking about Anthem Blue Cross’s March 1 rate increase. The story is claiming an average of 30-39% in increases.

First of all, we all know the media loves controversy and shock value. As usual, they skipped a couple of things. Don’t get me wrong, just because I sell health insurance doesn’t mean I agree with all the carriers say and do. Independent agents like myself want to see some changes in how health insurance works because we spend a lot of time trying to get people covered, trying to appeal above standard rate increases and declines, then we have to take cover when the increases hit.

I pulled out my Anthem list of March 1 increases to see how many of my people are in the 30-39% range–none of them. Anthem has gone to ‘anniversary date’ ratings recently so that the increases don’t all hit on March1; it’s tough for them and for agents trying to help their clients. Otherwise I would have had about 60 people calling me. So out of my 12 people getting increases this month, three are dental plans only, and those increases are from 5-13%. But that’s dental you say, so what?  How much were the medical increases you ask?   Read on…..

Tags:   health insuraance · Individual Health InsuranceNo Comments.

It’s been a couple of weeks now since the great ’shout heard around the world’ by Rep. Joe Wilson’s (R-SC),constituting a serious breech of etiquette for Congress, but what it brought to light appears to have drastically changed what will happen with a specific portion of the proposals in health care reform.

What set Rep. Wilson off was President Obama’s statement that illegal aliens would not be covered by the new version of health care. Well, that is what it says in the House bill. What no one wants to cop to is that there was no enforcement mechanism, no provision for checking someone’s residence status when applying for public or subsidized health care. And it’s not like something would have to be created, there is already a database that can be checked and is used by 70 government programs currently. Why not this one?

The SAVE database, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, Is used to check eligibility for government programs. Similar to when your doctor calls your insurance company to verify your eligibility for benefits. Except for the prospect of being deported if you aren’t found to be eligible. If you are in Los Angeles, you’ve heard a lot about this on the KFI 640 AM radio show with hosts John and Ken.

Many have said that this was omitted due to pressure to do something about immigration reform. I’ll leave that to another Examiner to comment on. It is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that to cover the 6 1/2 million illegal immigrants will cost $31 billion. So eliminating that will be a drop in the $900 billion estimated bucket that the reform plan will cost over the next 10 years. But since everything so far is an estimate, I’ll take the $31 billion, thank you.

But coming from a nursing background, once upon a time, the problem with NOT covering people here illegally is that their kids are in school with our kids. If they aren’t receiving care, such as immunizations, there is a public health risk potentially.

So what do we do? Suggestions?

Tags:   health care reform · Health insuranceNo Comments.

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) remain a popular adjunct to qualified high deductible health plans in finding ways to save on health insurance premiums. There are individual health plans and group health plans that you can get that will allow you to open an HSA. For a list of what you can and can’t use the money for, click here.

Every year the IRS sets the figures for maximum contributions, minimum deductibles and few other things that govern health savings accounts. Here are the numbers for 2010:

• Maximum individual contribution to an HSA–$3050
• Maximum family contribution to an HSA–$6150
• Policy out of pocket maximum for individuals–$5950
• Policy out of pocket maximum for families–$11,900
• Minimum deductibles on plans for individuals–$1100
• Minimum deductibles on plans for families–$2400
• Catch up contribution for those over 55–$1000

That last one is potentially really important–for people over 55, if you have some extra cash floating around, you can put an additional $1000 in your HSA, above the annual maximum. This is another potential advantage to a couple both opening up an HSA. For 2009, you could both deposit the $3000 maximum AND an additional $1000. If you only have one account, it is an individual account so you could put the 2009 family max of $5950 plus $1000 for a total of $6950 for the year. If you each have separate HSAs, based on the 2009 figures, you could each put in $3000 to your accounts, plus another $1000 each, for a total of $8000.

But that only works if you are drowning in cash. I don’t consider an HSA to be the first place to stash extra money, most of us would rather put it in a retirement account. But if you’ve maxed out all your ‘pre-tax’ options, here’s one more place. And, it’s deductible on your federal tax return.  Be well!

Tags:   Group Health Insurance · Health insurance · Health Savings Accounts · HSAs · Individual Health Insurance2 Comments

Hey I couldn’t make this up. I’m assuming it’s the insurance industry that came up with this, not Hallmark or American Greeting since I haven’t seen any ‘Happy Life Insurance Awareness Month’ cards at the local retailers as yet in the card racks.

But as odd as it sounds, ‘Life Insurance Awareness Month,’ it is important for people to review what they have in the way of life insurance. Needs change over time, since there are times in your life when you need more coverage, and points where you can consider decreasing your coverage if you want to.

Agents are often taught that they should do annual reviews on what their clients have, but most of the time I think if you meet/talk with your agent every 2-3 years, that will work. You will need to contact them sooner if you have some life changes. Things like getting married, buying a home, having a baby, these are all times that increase your expenses so you don’t want to risk what you have by not have sufficient coverage in case the unthinkable happens. You need to consider the income of both spouses, multiply that anywhere from five to fifteen times depending on your liabilities and that will give you an idea of the amount of coverage you should consider. And if one spouse isn’t working, is the ’stay at home’ partner, don’t assume you don’t need life insurance on them. If something happens to them, especially if you have kids, you may need to start paying for child care, need housekeeping help, and you aren’t necessarily going to be able to work as much. You may want to take time off for after school events.  You may need to change jobs if you do something that makes you travel often. Just stave off a financial mess by insuring the non-working spouse, whatever your situation.

As you get older, those are times you may be able to either decrease your coverage, or elect to convert your term policy to a permanent policy, either a whole or universal life policy. If your kids are grown AND have left the nest (being grown doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve moved out on their own these days) you may be able to get by with less coverage. If your home is paid off or the mortgage balance is very low, something that current savings could pay off, you may be able to decrease your coverage.

But before you cancel or decrease coverage, evaluate the overall worth of your estate. One reason to maybe buy MORE at this point in life is to facilitate a transfer of wealth. Life insurance proceeds are tax free to the beneficiaries; some people spend a couple hundred thousand dollars to buy a million dollar policy, thereby increasing what they leave to their heirs. Also having life insurance paid to your beneficiaries can help them pay off the inheritance taxes a large estate can incur.

So for a little extra help in figuring out what you need, check out this life insurance calculator in addition to talking with an agent or financial advisor.

So, Happy Life Insurance Awareness Month–Be well!

Tags:   Life Insurance · term life insurance · universal life insurance · whole life insurance1 Comment