My Other Pre-Existing Condition: Unstable Insurance
After bouncing through seven insurers in 13 years, a freelance writer hopes the system will keep him covered for good.
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After bouncing through seven insurers in 13 years, a freelance writer hopes the system will keep him covered for good.
Some consumers may be attracted to these policies, which can run several months or as long as 364 days, because the premiums are lower.
"You are definitely enrolled," the director was told after a lengthy signup process. But she is still awaiting confirmation from Independence Blue Cross.
A subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, which built the federal data hub, will oversee the fixes.
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.
Mom-and-Pop shops give way to large group practices that often accept discounted rates from insurers.
Despite the president's urging that frustrated consumers use call centers, advocates say they're not "a realistic alternative" for comparing and selecting coverage.
The health law gives consumers until March 31 to sign up for health insurance, but it may be weeks before coverage begins. So the administration says it will not penalize anyone who signs up by that date.
Websites like eHealthInsurance.com that were planning to start selling new, subsidized Obamacare policies on Oct. 1 still can't offer them to customers.
Using health law subsidies, many will be able to afford health coverage for the first time. But the insurance they'll be buying comes with caveats.
Consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers questions about the insurance landscape under the new health law.
"Nobody is madder than me" about the problems consumers have had with the federal insurance marketplace, Obama said in a Rose Garden speech, "which means it's going to get fixed."
Insurers say the old policies fail to meet the law's requirements, but some consumers complain about being forced to buy more expensive policies.
In Washington state, nearly 25,000 residents have signed up for coverage in the exchange's first two weeks, whereas in Oregon, no one has been able to enroll through its website, although low-income residents have been able to sign up for Medicaid without the site.
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.
A reader asks: Can COBRA health insurance coverage be extended beyond 36 months?
It may not be as fun as planning that backpacking trip around Europe, but buying health insurance will soon be its own rite of passage. Here's what you need to know.
This little-known provision of the health law has been --at times -- in the Senate negotiations on the budget.
Costs, coverage details of different Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plans can vary significantly, so beneficiaries should weigh their options and consider switching plans for a better deal.
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.
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