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Want a lollipop?

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 year for your check-ups, and it won’t cost you a thing.  But only IF your health insurance plan started after

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Ladies, this one’s for you!

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 health reform laws, chances are your health insurance company is giving you these annual check-up services for free.  We like free!

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Children, children, children… Pay Attention!

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 e-mail and I’ll fill you in).   If you wanted to insure a child on an individual policy, then a parent

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Scrambled Eggs and Mashed Potatoes!

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 go to meeting after meeting to listen to the (alleged) experts and come away with mounds upon mounds of mind

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Can I Exchange This?

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. In California, there are currently 2 bills pending in Sacramento — AB1602 and AB 900 — which will establish the

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I’m Here and I’m Yours! At Least For Now

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 of support from both sides of the aisle, it would help to have some more solid evidence that agents and brokers do

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Today’s The Day in Health Care Reform

“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 insurance companies must issue a policy to a child.  It only says that IF a policy is approved, all pre-existing

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The Other Side Of The Story

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 Wall Street Journal is saying that insurers are adding costs to health insurance premiums to pay for health care reform measures.

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Take A Hike!

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 Shield customers.  Most of you will be affected by the hikes.   However, if you bought your individual policy recently, you’ll

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Change Is The Only Constant

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 you buy which go into effect 9/23/10 or later.  For existing policies — the ones you bought before 9/23/10 —

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