Health Insurance Archives

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5 things about health insurance you only know if you have a broker (Like ME!)

You can’t just get individual health insurance any ‘ol time you want. You MUST enroll during Open Enrollment (which starts in November for coverage beginning in January). ORRRRR you can get a new plan if you have a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) that happened within the last 60 days. A QLE is something like involuntary… Continue reading 5 things about health insurance you only know if you have a broker (Like ME!)

PPO, HMO, or EPO? What’s in a name?!

What’s with the alphabet soup? What’s it all mean? How will it inform your choices? Understanding the differences is essential to understanding health insurance. HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) Say your toe hurts and you’re on an HMO. Where do you go first, the podiatrist? WRONG! With an HMO, you must get prior approval and referral to a… Continue reading PPO, HMO, or EPO? What’s in a name?!

Exactly what IS Long Term Care insurance and why should I care about it?

Like life insurance, LTC insurance gives you and your family choices (not expenses) when you need them the most. And here’s a super-simple cartoon shared by our LTC colleague Steve Cain of LTCI Partners. Easy to read, and a little entertaining too! It doesn’t even matter how old you are, at some point you’re probably… Continue reading Exactly what IS Long Term Care insurance and why should I care about it?

Is it possible to exercise your depression away?

Can exercise and depression go hand-in-hand? The Insurance Mom exercises six days a week, including some cardio, strength training and definitely Pilates! How often do YOU exercise? I know, I know, getting started is the hardest part. In the US, exercise is not counted as an initial form of treatment for depression. Nope, here in the… Continue reading Is it possible to exercise your depression away?

Medical Identity Theft

What is medical identity theft? Sounds scary, right?! It is!!! Medical identity theft is when your important info is used by someone else to get health insurance, health care services or procedures… YIKES! The Insurance Mom knows you’re one of a kind. BUT the bad guys can steal your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and sell it… Continue reading Medical Identity Theft

A new COVID ‘stimulus check’ on the way?

More COVID $$$$ could be yours… Rebates from your health insurance company! Goodie for you! For more information on how, why, and when you might get these rebates:

Freelancers & Independent Contractors! A new CA law could HURT your status!

If you’re a FREELANCER in CA (aka INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS) — read all of this to protect your $$$ ! The Insurance Mom wants to make you aware of a recent CA Supreme Court ruling. It could really HURT you as a FREELANCER. If you HIRE freelancers, this new state law could hurt you as a… Continue reading Freelancers & Independent Contractors! A new CA law could HURT your status!

Hey, CALIFORNIA… here’s info about your INDIVIDUAL health insurance for 2019

READ ME… ALL OF ME!! It’s time to talk about individual HEALTH INSURANCE for 2019 — OPEN ENROLLMENT is starting 10/15/18 Information is starting to roll in. BUT we’re still waiting for the FINAL RATES. What we know so far: There WILL BE rate increases — no, I don’t know how much yet There are… Continue reading Hey, CALIFORNIA… here’s info about your INDIVIDUAL health insurance for 2019

You think YOUR insurance company is bad?

You think your insurance company is bad?! Check out the latest bovine defecatory material about Aetna from CNN. We all know medical claims can be a nightmare to handle… How would you feel if something like this happened to YOU? The Insurance Mom says BE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE! Stay involved. Keep informed.

Truth or (do you) Dare About Medical Care?

Thank you for coming back! This is our final and MOST IMPORTANT segment for our medical care blog series, Are YOU ready for Single Payer? The whole reason we dove into this topic was because of SB 562, the Healthy California Act. On 6/23/17, CA Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) shelved the proposal saying it… Continue reading Truth or (do you) Dare About Medical Care?