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Will you owe a penalty under Obamacare? - Congressional Budget Office predicts: just 1.4 percent of Americans will end up paying tax for not purchasing health insurance

Maggie Mahar — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:30:07 +0000

If, for whatever reason, you decide not to purchase coverage in 2014, you can use the calculator on this page to determine the size of the penalty you would pay. But here's the good news: You may...

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Obamacare rebates: $1.1 billion back to consumers - Companies must return excess health insurance premium dollars

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 18:43:35 +0000

The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that health insurance companies spend 80 percent of your premium dollars on actual health care – rather than marketing, administrative and CEO salaries – has...

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Is it time to dump your health insurance plan? - Before you leap to new coverage, take a good look

healthinsurance.org contributor — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:20:23 +0000

The sad truth is that any number of factors can change with your health insurance coverage after you've enrolled, and you shouldn't hesitate to consider a switch.

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CO-OP health plans put patients’ interests first - Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans could encourage savings, use profits to lower premiums, improve benefits for enrollees

healthinsurance.org contributor — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:00:11 +0000

Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs) will be run by their customers and are designed to offer consumer-friendly, affordable health insurance options to individuals and small businesses.

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How to buy health insurance - 10 tactics for selecting an affordable individual health plan

Carla Anderson — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:38:07 +0000

Buying health insurance can be complicated, but like a lot of things, it's easier if you break the job into smaller tasks and work your way through them.

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Healthier living through pet ownership? - Studies suggest links between pet companionship and better cardiovascular health, mobility, allergy resistance

Dr. Fiona Caldwell — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:46:33 +0000

It is easy to feel the modern-day joys our pets bring us, but researchers are also in agreement that there is compelling evidence these emotional connections actually translate to positive physical...

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Health reform’s 10 essential benefits - How the Affordable Care Act's essential benefits package will improve health insurance coverage for consumers

Carla Anderson — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:17:25 +0000

The ACA specifies ten benefits be included in all health insurance plans sold on each state's health insurance exchange. Any new plan sold to individuals or small groups must cover the essential...

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How to keep your health insurance when you move to another state - Look before you leap to avoid losing your coverage

Steve Anderson / Arlene Karidis — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:52:45 +0000

What happens to individual health insurance coverage when a policyholder moves to a new state? The answer depends on the carrier, and on each state.

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Health insurance consolidation on the rise - Insurer market dominance threatens consumer choice

Steve Anderson — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:48:03 +0000

This year, the AMA warned that health carrier market dominance is a threat to consumer choice, allowing plans "to give patients take-it-or-leave-it pricing."

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Reform promises end to deadly rescissions - Challenges already curbing rescissions, denial of coverage

Arlene Karidis — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:51:23 +0000

Industry practices that result in health policy cancellations may soon come to an end, thanks to health reform regulations that prohibit rescissions except in clear cases of fraud.

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Maternity health coverage long overdue - But reform will deliver coverage to individual plans

Arlene Karidis — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:26:36 +0000

A 2009 study of individual health plans in the U.S. found nearly 90 percent of them don’t cover maternity care. For the millions who need the coverage, reform is long overdue.

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Self-employed health insurance deduction - Entrepreneurs need to keep an eye on changing tax code

Jan Greene — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:14:48 +0000

It's important for the self-employed to know all the ways they can save a few dollars here and there. One obvious place to look is on their tax forms, but one look isn't enough: federal deductions...

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Women and health insurance - Is gender by itself a pre-existing condition?

Arlene Karidis — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:08:33 +0000

In years past – and until health reform's provisions take effect in 2014 – women's lack of access to affordable health insurance has been disappointing and sometimes, deadly.

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Dental insurance vs. dental discount plans - The 'tooth' about options for grinding down dental bills

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:11:00 +0000

Dental patients have two distinct coverage options: dental insurance and discount dental plans. Folks who've chosen either option tend to get more treatment and keep more teeth.

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How a health savings account (HSA) works - Health coverage plan combines tax-advantaged account with high-deductible health insurance policy (hdhp)

Glenn Tornell — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:35:23 +0000

A health savings account is a tax-advantaged savings account combined with a high-deductible health insurance policy to provide an investment and health coverage.

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Health insurance and the LGBT community - LGBT community making gradual gains in access to health insurance coverage through employers, private market

Steve Anderson — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:59:51 +0000

Advocates have long sought legislative action to remove barriers to health insurance coverage for LGBT populations. And, in recent years, there have been signs of progress.

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Health care and health coverage abroad - Medical tourism: your passport to affordable health care?

Glenn Tornell — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:10:18 +0000

Looking for affordable medical care, by highly skilled physicians, and maybe a vacation to boot? Here’s an option to consider.

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Support health reform - Continue to support the President on historic health care and health insurance reform

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 23:02:07 +0000

President Obama succeeding in passing an aggressive package of health insurance reforms that will make it easier for you to buy and keep health insurance.

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Health care reform - America's historic health reform legislation: What you can expect – and when to expect it

Steve Anderson — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 22:22:10 +0000

The ACA's reforms take huge steps toward removing obstacles to quality, low-cost health insurance for millions of Americans.

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Self-employed health insurance - Answers about health insurance for the self-employed

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:35:22 +0000

The self-employed face a set of unique challenges in finding and keeping health insurance. We've provided answers for a few of the most commonly asked questions.

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Lower your health care costs - The best way to keep health insurance affordable

Chuck Smith-Dewey — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:30:31 +0000

"Why are my health insurance costs going up at a rate that is so much higher than inflation?" Experts say there are no easy answers, but there are straightforward explanations.

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Private health insurance - The American way for nearly 100 years

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:28:29 +0000

Private health insurance continues to dominate the U.S. health care landscape. The majority of Americans under 65 continue to get their health care from private insurers.

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Health insurance companies - How to evaluate insurance carriers for the best fit

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:25:46 +0000

Before you start seeking health insurance quotes, it's prudent to take a look at the health insurance companies and their potential service to you as a consumer.

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Health insurance scams - How consumers can protect themselves from the latest insurance fraud schemes

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:22:22 +0000

The recently passed health reform law was created to protect consumers, but ironically, scam artists are using confusion about the law to prey on consumers.

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Reducing the number of uninsured - How can you help get more people covered?

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:19:28 +0000

For many Americans, getting off the rolls of the uninsured is a simple matter of getting information about coverage that's already available to them.

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Individual health insurance - Coverage for those without an employer-based plan

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:14:18 +0000

If you are self employed, or if your employer does not offer health insurance, you'll likely turn to the private market to purchase an individual health insurance plan.

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Group health insurance - Appeal of employer-sponsored plans is obvious

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:09:44 +0000

Of Americans who have health coverage, the vast majority secure that coverage through group health insurance, and then, typically, through an employer-sponsored health plan.

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Student health insurance - Required reading for college-bound

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:02:27 +0000

Before college starts, students and their families need to ensure that their health coverage will continue uninterrupted - and that it will earn more than a passing grade.

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Short term health insurance - short-term medical fills tall order for "in-betweens"

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 22:25:20 +0000

Short-term health insurance policies provide coverage for consumers who need one to six months of coverage as a safety net.

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COBRA health insurance - Understand the strengths and weaknesses of this federal safety net

Steve Anderson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:44:54 +0000

COBRA allows the newly unemployed to extend the health coverage they had with their employer while they seek new coverage, but COBRA may not be right for everyone.

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Term life insurance - Coverage offers simplicity, flexibility

Steve Anderson — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:03:13 +0000

Term life insurance covers you for a "term" as short as a year or as long as 30 years and serves one purpose: to provide a death benefit if you die during that time period.

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