Focus on the Candidates – Ben Carson

This blog is part of the series that focuses on the candidates who are running for President of the United States in 2016. This blog focuses on Ben Carson. Ben Carson is a former pediatric neurosurgeon who worked at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. He is known for the first successful separation of craniopagus twins that were joined at the back of the head in 1987. In 2001, he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 “Living Legends”. Ben Carson does not have a political background. Health Care On his official website, Ben Carson calls Obamacare … Continue reading

Focus on the Candidates – Carly Fiorina

This blog is part of the series that focuses on the candidates who are running for President of the United States in the 2016 election. This blog focuses on Carly Fiorina. According to her official website, Carly Fiorina earned a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. In 1999, she was recruited to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard (1999 – 2005). She was the first woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. In 2010, Carly Fiorina ran unsuccessfully for United States Senate in California against … Continue reading

The Sequester Will Affect Insurance

The sequester will cause a bunch of automatic funding cuts to programs that help thousands of Americans, beginning on March 1, 2013. This can only be prevented if Congress manages to come to an agreement about how to stop it from happening. At the time I am writing this blog, that agreement does not appear to be likely. Here’s how the sequester will affect the insurance that covers you and your family. Unemployment Insurance Benefits People who are laid off, who worked for companies that went bankrupt and closed, or who lost their jobs through no fault of their own … Continue reading

Insurance and the State of the Union Address

The State of the Union address is something that the President of the United States gives once a year. President Obama recently gave the 2013 State of the Union address. The topics can be about anything that the President feels is important. This year, some of the speech related to insurance. The State of the Union is an annual speech that the President of the United States presents to the United States Congress. It has several purposes. The State of the Union address is a report on the condition of the nation. The speech allows the current President to outline … Continue reading

Fewer Young Adults Lacked Health Insurance in 2012

Gallup does polls about all kinds of things. They ask people specific questions, and keep track of the answers. According to Gallup, fewer young adults in the United States lacked health insurance coverage in 2012 than that age group did in previous years. In 2010, a specific provision of the Affordable Care Act went into affect. As of September 23, 2010, young adults who were between the ages of 18 and 26 were able to be covered by their parent’s health insurance policies. Previous to this health reform law, insurers were only allowing parents to include coverage for their children … Continue reading

The Affordable Care Act Glossary

By now, you have undoubtedly heard of the Affordable Care Act. When it is discussed, people tend to use jargon and phrases that you might not entirely understand the meaning of. Fortunately, there is an Affordable Care Act Glossary at HealthCare.gov that can help you. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also know as the Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare”) was signed by President Obama in 2010. It is a series of health reform laws and regulations that are designed to help consumers find affordable health insurance coverage. There are a whole lot of terms that people use when … Continue reading

Does it Make Sense to Charge Smokers More?

Health insurance companies tend to charge a higher premium for people who smoke. Employers may impose a higher premium on workers who are smokers than they do for workers who are non-smokers. Does this make sense? This is a question many are asking right now. It is a rather controversial concept. Should people who smoke, or people who are obese, pay more for their health insurance premium than people who are healthier? Is it fair to impose a higher rate on a group of people who are less healthy than the others? Does the penalty really influence people to change … Continue reading

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself

As a mother it is natural to put our children’s needs above our own. While there is nothing wrong with this, it is important to remember to take care of your needs as well. Your kids need a healthy mommy to take care of them, which means like it or not, you can’t push your needs aside anymore. You have to take care of yourself, so you are still around to take care of them in the future. As a woman yearly exams are crucial. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how healthy you think you may be, there’s … Continue reading

Kansas Law Restricting Coverage for Abortion Goes to Trial

This is a court case that has been going on for a very long time! A judge has ruled that a Kansas law that restricts private insurance companies from offering plans that include coverage for abortion will go to trial. The purpose of the trial is to determine of the law poses a substantial obstacle to women who are seeking an abortion. First, a little history. In 2011, the state of Kansas passed a law that prohibited private insurance companies from including coverage for abortions as part of a general health insurance plan. The only exception to the law would … Continue reading

Time to Review Your Homeowners Insurance Policy

Did you get something big and expensive this Christmas? That new item is probably not specifically covered by your Homeowners insurance policy. Start off the new year by visiting with your insurance agent, and making sure that all the goodies that Santa brought you are covered. A good time to sit down with your insurance agent to review your homeowners policy is right now. Christmas is over, and you will want to make sure that the new, expensive, items that Santa brought you and your family will be covered by your policy. This is especially true if you got new … Continue reading