The Insurance Mom, brought to you by Alison Gordon Insurance Services, Inc, CA Lic. 0780178

Remember when you were a kid and your mom took you to the doctor every year for a check-up before school started?  No?  Well, maybe you’ve blocked it out.   Don’t you remember getting that lollipop on your way out of the doctor’s office?

Now, because of the federal health care reform, you can start going to the doctor again every…

The Insurance Mom wants you to stay healthy!  When you stay healthy then you don’t have to go to the doctor, get all kinds of expensive tests and treatments and worry about the high deductible on your health insurance plan.

Here’s a great little article about how we can easily take care of ourselves.   And, with the new federal…

As confusing and aggravating as the new health care reform laws are, in CA there is actually some good news starting 1/1/11.

Shortly after the reform law was enacted on 3/23/10, the insurance companies stopped accepting applications for children only (the explanation is long and boring, but if you want to know the back story send The Insurance Mom an…

That’s how my brains feel!   It’s been several months since I’ve been here, but there has been SO much going on in the wacky world of health insurance and health care reform I’m having trouble keeping up with it.    I’m having even more trouble filtering it all down so that I can make some sense of it for you.    I…

If you’re in California, then please sit up and pay attention ’cause this one’s for YOU!

The new federal “stealth” care reform laws specify that by 1/1/14, health insurance “exchanges” in every state must be implemented.  The exchanges will allegedly be designed as a health insurance online mall, giving consumers better tools to compare and buy individual health insurance plans.…

Some politicians would like to drive health insurance brokers out of business and replace them with distant government bureaucrats or, even worse, off shore customer (dis)service reps.   These critics claim that removing agents from the plan-choosing process would trim the administrative costs of insurance without significantly impacting ordinary consumers.   They’re wrong, wrong, wrong!

Although there is great deal…

“They” say that today, September 23, 2010, is a milestone in health care reform, or as I’ve affectionately been calling it, Stealth Care Reform.   Some of the new federal mandates go into effect today, but will affect only some of you:

1.   Removal of pre-existing condition exclusions for minors up to age 19.  But, the law does NOT state that…

The Insurance Mom loves her colleagues around the country… they are a very smart bunch!  Especially Ric Joyner, a benefits specialist in Madison, WI, who writes an excellent benefits blog.      If you value your hard-earned money, I really want you to take a few moments to read how health care reform will impact your life and your money.

The…

Please… sit up straight and pay attention class, elbows off the desks.   If you currently have an individual (not group) California health insurance plan with either Anthem Blue Cross OR Blue Shield, prepare for rate hikes heading our way October 1, 2010.

The rate hikes range from 14% to 20% with Anthem Blue Cross, and 19% to 29% for Blue…

ObamaCare — aka Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — aka PPACA — aka PeePeeCaCa — is about to launch the first round of big changes in health insurance plans in every state, every insurance company, every plan, every one.

No later than 9/23/10, there can be no lifetime limits on health plan coverage.  This will apply to new policies…