Posts Tagged ‘pre-existing’
Thursday, November 24th, 2011
Recently, the autism insurance reform bill was passed, and SB 946 will be signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. This means that as of July 1, 2012, services will be subject to the mental health parity law and require that health plans subject to this bill provide coverage for treatment to “develop or restore, to the maximum extent practicable, the functioning of an individual with pervasive developmental disorder or autism.” Such programs that will fall under behavior health treatment are applied behavior analysis, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Benefits for such therapies cannot be subject to age limits or dollar limitations.
Much of this is thanks to the organization called Autism Speaks, as they have been a strong force in pushing legislators to bring the law to fruition. While many families were faced with paying for medical care and much needed therapies out of their own pockets, this bill will help them get the care they need. Visit Autism Speaks to learn more, and urge Governor Brown to sign this bill as quickly as possible.
Permanent link to this post (177 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)
Tags: added benefits, health care costs, health insurance, pre-existing
Posted in Federal, General, Laws, Resources, State | No Comments »
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Alarming trends show that almost half the United States population will be obese by 2030. In California, rates have doubled in the last 20 years – resulting in over 20% of the State’s residents falling under the category of obese. With increasing size comes increasing health problems, such as diabetes and heart conditions. In 2009, obesity related medical costs were 15.2 billion in California, which is the highest in the country. The rest of the country in not far behind, however, and only further demonstrates a need for change.
According to a CDC report:
- Obesity rates were higher among people ages 50 and older (most likely due to an aging population)
Tags: Chronic Condition, health care costs, pre-existing, preventative care
Posted in General, Individual, Resources, Tools | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
Shocking reports show that over one tenth of elective angioplasty procedures are not necessary, causing undue danger to the patient and extensive damage to their wallets. While a much needed help to those with urgent medical needs, for those with less severe conditions (many with mild or no symptoms at all) over 12% were found to be “inappropriate” as a means of treatment. Instead, treatment with medication may have been a better route to go.
Tags: Chronic Condition, health insurance, pre-existing
Posted in General, Resources, Tools | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
In Governor Jerry Brown’s (D) revision to the budget plan, he addresses earlier cuts made to health and social service programs. Though these cuts were intended to shrink California’s deficit, many children, low income, or elderly residents face losing assistance. As lawmakers managed to move $2 billion dollars from mental health services and childhood health programs, Brown’s budget plan revisions reflect the lack of funding due to such lawsuits. Some examples are as follows:
• A merging of Healthy Families — California’s Children’s Health Insurance Program – with Medi-Cal
• A 10% reduction in Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rates.
This is a preview of
California State Programs Face Massive Cuts
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Read the full post (259 words, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)
Tags: children's health, health insurance, pre-existing
Posted in Family, General, Resources, Tools | No Comments »
Thursday, January 27th, 2011
As the number of uninsured children increases, a new study shows that many of these children have the added stress of an emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorder which is going untreated due to lack of access to medical care. Low income families tend to have children with higher rates of these conditions, such as ADD, autism, or depression, but do not have health coverage to assist with the mental health services they need – including counseling and medication. According to such reports as the one done by the Health Resources and Services Administration:
This is a preview of
Many Children Going Without Mental Health Services
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Tags: children's health, health care costs, health care reform, health insurance, mental health, pre-existing
Posted in Employees, Family, Individual, Resources, Tools | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
The COBRA subsidy program remains in limbo, and as a result many enrollees are choosing to discontinue coverage altogether. This program, which was intended for anyone terminated from September 1, 2008 to May 31, 2010, offered a 65% subsidy for up to 15 months. The subsidy, however, would be less for anyone whose modified gross income exceeds $125,000. While this is of great assistance to COBRA enrollees, anyone who has exhausted their 15 months or is newly unemployed, relief seem to be nowhere on the horizon.
This is a preview of
Expired COBRA Subsidy Leads to Coverage Lapses
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Tags: COBRA, health care costs, health insurance, pre-existing
Posted in Employees, Federal, Group, Laws, Resources | No Comments »
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Startling news shows that one in five California residents (under the age of 65) have a “pre-existing” condition, which could render them ineligible for coverage, or offered premiums at inflated rates. Though health care reform promises all Americans coverage by 2014, this still leaves many without the coverage they need for years. What is considered a pre-existing condition? Pretty much anything you have been treated for, or are currently under treatment for prior to applying for coverage. While not all conditions will result in your denial for coverage, it can result in an increase in the monthly premiums from 20% – 100% higher. If you had a lapse in coverage, but are approved for coverage on a new plan, there may be a waiting period of 6 months before anything relating to your pre-existing condition will be covered by your insurance plan. The good news is as of September of this year, children under the age of 19 cannot be denied coverage due to their pre-existing conditions.
This is a preview of
Pre-existing Conditions and California Residents
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Read the full post (223 words, estimated 54 secs reading time)
Tags: health insurance, individual health, pre-existing, premiums, underwriting
Posted in Individual | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Health Care Reform promises to ensure that all Americans have access to medical coverage. The most pressing concern is the fact that many children are without coverage and the care they need now, so the bill states that by September 23rd, 2010, no child can be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. While this is well needed, it does bring to light the fact that there is an increasing shortage of Pediatric Specialists. With an influx of new patients entering the system, and the demand for both medically necessary and non-medically necessary treatments rising, will there be enough physicians to handle the load?
This is a preview of
Lack of Pediatric Specialists a Growing Concern
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Read the full post (222 words, estimated 53 secs reading time)
Tags: children's health, health insurance, pre-existing, Universal Health Care, wellness
Posted in Family, General, Individual, Resources, Tools | No Comments »
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Though some fine tuning will be taking place, the plan for implementing the Health Care Reform Bill during the first year will (most likely) look something like this:
- Dependent children will be eligible to stay covered under their parent’s plan until their 26th birthday. The House is still pushing to make this coverage last through their 26th birthday.
- Insurers can no longer impose exclusions on pre-existing conditions in children. Children are considered exempt from this until their 19th birthday
- Lifetime maximums on benefits and annual limits on coverage will be discontinued
This is a preview of
The First Year for Health Care Reform – Step One
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Tags: doughnut hole, health care reform, health insurance, pre-existing, preventative care, Universal Health Care
Posted in Federal, General, Government Run Health Plan, Laws | No Comments »
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
No one really knows! It seems that revisions are made by the hour, and nothing is quite set in stone as of yet. Also (as of this hour) 11 states have filed lawsuits stating that the bill is unconstitutional, in that it forces people to pay for coverage or face financial penalties. Does it promise to cover all Americans? Supposedly, by 2014, after spending the next few years inching towards this goal by means of guaranteed issue policies, no lifetime maximum amounts, the cessation of policy rescission’s, etc. Once this is in place, individual policies would be purchased via an exchange:
This is a preview of
Health Care Reform is here! What does this mean for you?
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Read the full post (298 words, estimated 1:12 mins reading time)
Tags: health insurance, individual health, pre-existing, underwriting, Universal Health Care
Posted in Federal, Government Run Health Plan, Laws, Resources, Tools | No Comments »
