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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Health insurance is on everyone’s mind these days–either you don’t have it, can’t get it and want it, you’re upset about what you are paying for it, or you turned on the daily news and there it is, the topic is right in your face again.
A Health Savings Account (HSA) is an account that you [...]

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In order to save money on insurance premiums, many people whether in an individual health plan or group health plan will select a health insurance plan with a higher deductible. They figure they are normally healthy, aren’t going to a doctor very often, so why spend a fortune on health insurance premiums? This is how [...]

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In the past couple of weeks, there have been a lot of celebrity deaths reported, but none overpowering the news more than the death of Michael Jackson. I’m not going to debate his talent or lifestyle issues, but it got me thinking.

Here is a guy that in one way or [...]

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Health insurance remains one of those things that most people still find confusing. For group health insurance, disclosing your health history helps determine the rates your employer gets. For individual health insurance, it determines not only rates, but whether or not you will even be accepted!

Focusing on individual health insurance, all carriers ask about whether [...]

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Here is another term in Health Insurance, both Group Health Insurance and Individual Health Insurance that people don’t always understand. I would have posted this sooner, but it’s been a busy month!

(“Help, I don’t understand!”)
Coinsurance might be easier read with a hyphen; co-insurance. This is one of the three main questions people should ask (in [...]

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