Ask Colleen King

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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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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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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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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It’s getting to be that time of year when the four years of college (or five, or six) is about to wind up. At last. That tuition bill is going to be gone and the kid(s) will be out of the house. Then it occurs to mom and dad (not usually to the new grad) [...]

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A couple of months ago I did an article on COBRA coverage: how it works, and why you should or shouldn’t take it.
Now that there’s a subsidy of 65% for people involuntarily terminated after September 1, 2008, the picture changes somewhat. Depending on how much the 35% you have to pay is, that 65% can [...]

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It’s so nice to have people that keep you on your toes. Health Insurance questions abound when you ask for topics for this blog. Thanks to Lisa Nicole Bell again, www.adivinebook.com for this one.
The plus for you, the consumer, whether it’s for individual health insurance of group health insurance is that the rates are the [...]

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