As open enrollment continues under the health law, insurance columnist answers questions about issues affecting readers.
Prevention Programs For People Without Insurance Still Play Key Role
Although the health law could expand coverage to millions, many low-income people and others will not have insurance and will still have to rely on these programs for preventive care.
A Reader Asks: Can Adult Children With An Offer Of Family Coverage Instead Get Subsidies?
The answer: Yes, if their parents have not claimed them as tax dependents.
For Many Workers, It’s Time To Consider Insurance Options
Fall is generally the time when many people who get insurance through their job re-enroll. Higher deductibles and dependent care costs, and financial incentives for wellness activities, lead trends.
IHS services don’t meet the requirements of the law, but many Native Americans and Alaska natives are exempted from the individual mandate.
Rep. Ryan And CMS Chief Tavenner’s Exchange Muddles Subsidies For Young Adults
In a contentious House Ways and Means Committee hearing Tuesday about the problem-plagued launch of the federal health insurance exchange, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Marilyn Tavenner, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, managed to agree about one thing: Young adults who have access to their parents’ health insurance can’t get subsidies if […]
Short-Term Plans Can Skirt Health Law Requirements
Some consumers may be attracted to these policies, which can run several months or as long as 364 days, because the premiums are lower.
A Reader Asks: I Don’t Have Children, So Why Do I Have To Buy Pediatric Dental Insurance?
Insurance columnist explains that the essential health benefits that all new individual and small-group health plans must offer reflect a core package that experts thought everyone should have access to.
Readers Ask About HSAs, Infertility Treatment And The Consequences Of Not Buying Insurance
Consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers questions about the insurance landscape under the new health law.
What’s The Deadline To Avoid A Penalty For Not Having Insurance?
The simple answer is that under the health law’s individual mandate, American must have insurance by March 31. But unfortunately it’s not that straightforward.
Health Insurance Co-Ops Offer New Option For Some Marketplace Shoppers
The nonprofit “consumer oriented and operated plans,” or co-ops, are run by their members and were created under the federal health law to enhance competition on the exchanges.
A Reader Asks: My Coverage Is Intermittent. Can I Do Better On The Marketplace?
A contract worker looks for more consistent coverage.
Brokers and insurers can sell their traditional products, but they may also sell some plans available on the marketplaces that offer subsidies for customers.
A Reader Asks: If I Don’t Have Insurance, How Can I Pay For A Colonoscopy?
The health law expands coverage for preventive services, but it only applies to those who have insurance policies.
5 Things To Remember About Shopping On The Health Insurance Marketplaces
Consumers should start now thinking about their options and should weigh the total costs, not just premiums, as well as the network of doctors and hospitals associated with each plan.
Options For Young Adults: Stay On The Folks’ Plan, Move To The Marketplace Or Go Without
Children no longer “age out” of their families’ plans so quickly, but for some moving to the health law’s marketplaces will offer new options.
Start Your Exchange Shopping Early, But Don’t Rush To Buy
Health insurance is a complicated product. Understanding how the plans work and picking one that suits someone’s needs will take time.
A Very Quick Guide To Health Insurance Exchanges
For those who are uninsured, the key to satisfying Obamacare’s requirement to have health insurance could be the new online marketplaces, which are set to open Oct. 1. Here is a quick guide to what you need to know about them.
A Reader Asks: What Happens To My Coverage If I Move?
A move to a different area qualifies for a “special enrollment period” to buy a new policy.
Readers Ask: What Options Do Parents Have To Get Coverage For Their Kids?
Consumer columnist answers questions about getting insurance for children under the health law.
