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.
A Reader Asks: How Can We Be Sure To Get A Policy That Covers Maternity Care?
Currently many plans sold on the individual market do not provide maternity coverage. But that will change under the health law.
For Workers Leaving Their Jobs, Health Exchanges Offer Insurance Choices Beyond COBRA
The health law’s new online insurance marketplaces will create new opportunities for people who lose their jobs and their employer-based health coverage, but consumer advocates worry they may not realize this and lock themselves into pricier coverage than they need.
Consumers With Serious Medical Problems Need To Carefully Assess Total Plan Costs
The price of premiums isn’t the only expense to consider when evaluating policies from the insurance marketplace.
A Reader Asks: When I Retire Can My Husband Get Coverage On The Marketplace?
Consumer columnist says he likely can, but the bigger question is whether he will qualify for subsidies to help defray costs.
Complex Personal Issues May Cloud Decisions About Buying Insurance
Even the people trained to help consumers navigate the new online marketplaces may not have all the answers.
Some Hospitals Turn To Post-Discharge Clinics To Help Hold Down Readmissions
A study finds that a third of adult patients discharged from a hospital don’t see a physician within 30 days — and experts say this is a key reason so many of them need to come back in.
A Reader Asks: I Get Coverage Through My Estranged Husband. Can I Choose To Go To The Marketplace?
Consumer columnist offers caution about the financial implications of that switch.
Consumer columnist answers questions about marketplace operations.
New Online Markets For Small Businesses May Offer Some Workers Greater Choices
The SHOP exchanges are intended to make it easier for small businesses to offer their employees a variety of good plans, but that option is being delayed for a year in 33 states.
Supreme Court Decision On Same-Sex Marriage Leaves Many Couples Awaiting Federal Rules On Insurance
The recent ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act didn’t address question of tax implications for health care for couples who live in a state that doesn’t recognize marriages.
Many Consumers With High-Deductible Plans Are Concerned About Health Law Changes
Many policy holders are not aware that the plans, which generally have low premiums and can have high out-of-pocket costs, don’t meet the standards set in the health overhaul.
Benefits On Health Marketplace Plans Will Be Similar But Costs Will Vary
In response to readers’ questions, columnist explains that all policies offered on the online exchanges must cover 10 “essential health benefits,” but the plans will be classified according to the proportion of costs that consumers will be responsible for paying.
Patient Advocates Seek A Gentle Transition From High Risk Pools To New Exchange Plans
Many states had special programs to provide insurance to people with medical problems. Some of those programs will disappear after January when the federal health law offers guarantees of coverage.
A Handful Of State Marketplaces Opt Not To Charge Smokers More For Premiums
The health law allows insurers to charge smokers 50 percent higher premiums than nonsmokers but some states have decided not to allow that distinction in plans sold on the new online exchanges.
Tax Break Can Help With Health Coverage, But There’s A Catch
There are two kinds of financial help for people planning to enroll in the online health insurance marketplaces that will open this fall. One could put people at risk of having to pay some of the money back, while the other won’t. That’s one big difference between tax credits and subsidies, both of which are intended to […]
