According to the Census Bureau, the number of insured children under the age of 19 was just under 91 percent which is a record high. “To a surprising extent, the government has really stepped up to provide affordable coverage options for middle-class kids, along with their lower-income counterparts,” Jocelyn Guyer, co-executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University, told the New York Times. “It’s a success story.”

That means that close to ten percent of children, or seven million, don’t have insurance. But experts say more than  half could qualify for government insurance through programs like Medicaid and CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program). “Our biggest obstacle has been to convince families that don’t qualify for food stamps or other subsidies that they qualify for our program,” Cathy Kaufmann, administrator of the Healthy Kids program in Oregon, told The New York Times. Children in families of four with incomes of up to $44,100 qualify for certain government insurance programs. And if you live in a state like New York where the cost of living is higher, families of four can earn over $88,000 and still qualify.

Eligibility varies greatly depending on which state you live. But in a dozen states, even if you earn too much you still may be able to buy in to to more affordable CHIP policies. Finding out if you qualify is easy. Just visit InsureKidsNow.gov to find out about what’s available in your state. You can also visit the government’s new health insurance website Healthcare.gov to search for child-only policies. Plug in your child’s information and you’ll immediately have access to various policies at different price points so you can make an educated decision about keeping your child insured.

Government Programs Help Insure Kids is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

• You must have been uninsured for at least six months.
• You must have a pre-existing condition or have been denied health coverage because of your health condition.
• You must be a US citizen or be residing here legally.

This program is only temporary and will only be in affect until 2014 when access to affordable health insurance becomes mandatory. The programs are run differently in each state so you’ll need to research your state’s PCIP. However, funds are limited so many states are offering the program first come first served.

But if you are able to secure a place in the program you will receive benefits such as:

• Coverage for primary, specialty and hospital care as well as prescription drug coverage.
• Fair premiums that aren’t based on your existing condition.
• Premiums that aren’t based on income level.

Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan Kicks In is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

The study found that the average recent rate increase was 20 percent. Most are paying the increase, but some are switching plans or changing to a different company. “With people in the individual market being hit with average increases of 20%, the survey shows that the steep increases we have been reading about over the last several months are not just extreme cases,” Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman said in a news release.

The survey found that the average annual premium for someone paying for their own insurance is $3,606 while those with employer-sponsored coverage have annual premiums that are $4,824 on average. Typically older people say they’re paying higher premiums than younger people.  The survey questioned 1,038 people between the ages of 18-64 who pay for their own health insurance coverage.

Study: Individual Insurance Plans Increasing Over Last Year is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

Now, if insurance companies want to raise rates, they have to apply for approval first. “Before, health insurance companies could raise premiums as much as they wanted, and all we could do is check long afterward if, in fact, they were overcharging,” David Neustadt, spokesman for the New York State Insurance Department, told DOTmed News. “The current rates are increasing at a much faster rate than before [the file and use law].” This way governing bodies can make sure any increases are justified, and not just created by insurance companies so they can increase bottom lines.

The law will impact any rate increases set to take effect on or after October 1, 2011. “I applaud New York on its bold move to hold insurance companies accountable and prevent the kind of unreasonable rate increases that have made health insurance unaffordable for many American families,” said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement, according to dotmed.com. “This is the kind of action that, together with the Affordable Care Act, is shifting power back to consumers.”

New York Stops Unauthorized Health Insurance Premium Increases is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

A new jobs bill once held an extension of the COBRA payment plan, but it was removed. The bill is now in the Senate. Those who lost their jobs between September 2008 and May 31, 2010 could still apply for insurance assistance for up to 15 months. Their former employer would be responsible for paying health insurance costs plus a two percent administrative fee. Under subsidies provided by the economic stimulus package, premiums run $387 on average. Without the assistance, family premiums jump to over $1100 a month. For those who lose their jobs after June 1, the government will no longer pick up that $720 difference.

Families USA found that those laid off after June 1 would have to spend 84% of their monthly unemployment insurance checks on COBRA premiums in order to keep their families covered. Unemployment checks are about $1,313 on average. However in 11 states unemployment income actually would not be enough to cover insurance costs. ”It’s ironic that in a little over two months after health reform passed and is designed to achieve significant coverage improvement, in the short term we will go backwards,” said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, in a Wall Street Journal report.

Another option would be finding individual coverage which could be cheaper, as long as there are no preexisting conditions. “Cobra coverage is so expensive, but the alternatives are either going without coverage or having to go to the individual market,” Park said to the Wall Street Journal. “As long as there’s not a gap of 63 days or more in coverage, you’re guaranteed access to the individual market so insurers can’t deny you. But it may not provide the same comprehensive benefits.”

Another Sting Of Job Loss: No Help With COBRA Insurance is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

An array of insurance plans geared toward the restaurant industry will be unveiled by officials. Plans will be released first in Pennsylvania and Colorado, then expanded to California, Florida, Illinois, Texas and other states within the upcoming year. Eventually the plan will encompass the whole year. “Because of the narrow profit margins of the restaurant business, it has been an ongoing real challenge for our industry to find affordable [insurance] products they could offer to employees,” said Dawn Sweeney, chief executive of the influential restaurant group, which represents about 380,000 employers nationwide, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Officials from UnitedHealthcare say they’ve been working on the program for two years. “We hope that by working together, we can make inroads in covering the people who don’t have insurance,” said Austin Pitman, chief growth officer for UnitedHealthcare, according to the Nation’s Restaurant News. He says the program will also offer a 24-hour health care hotline and wellness programs. The NRA’s chairman of the board, Mike Gibbons believes that health care reform will put a huge burden on the restaurant industry, but this plan may alleviate some of that. “The cost of health care reform could be potentially devastating,” he said. “The alliance will give lower cost health care alternatives.”

The restaurant industry employs nearly 13 million people around the country, but has one of the lowest levels of health care coverage. Sweeney says that’s why identifying health care was identified as a top concern of the association. So what’s included in the plan? According to reports restaurant owners and employees will have a web portal dedicated to them to shop for UnitedHealth insurance products. Restaurant owners could use the site to find plans for their employees, and the site would also offer individual plans for workers whose workplace doesn’t offer the benefit of health insurance. A variety of employer-sponsored plans would be available including plans that offer coverage for preventative care, routine medical visits, catastrophic events and more.

Health Insurance May Be Easier To Get For Restaurant Workers is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

Soaring premiums have forced some healthier Americans to forgo insurance coverage altogether. Delaware’s Daily Times says that’s the case for resident Dequilla Hurt who canceled her insurance and won’t have any coverage until her probationary period ends at her new job. They interviewed Hurt for a recent report on the state’s rising health care costs. “I have this window of time where I have no health insurance. If something happens to me, if I go to the emergency room now, the total cost will be on me. Will I be able to afford the cost of an emergency room visit? That worries me,” said Hurt.

A Gallup poll found that the salary you bring in greatly impacts the likelihood of having insurance. Of young adults making more than $48,000 a year, 86 percent have insurance. But of those who bring in half that annually, less than $24,000, only 58 percent spring for a health plan.

Some are pointing to the insurance industry’s lack of competition as the reason why costs are increasing at such a fast rate. In just over a dozen years the industry has experienced more than 400 mergers and the number of choices for consumers has dropped by 20 percent which means fewer options for employers looking for the best deal. The Government Accountability Office says that the five largest providers of small group insurance control 75 percent or more of the market share in 34 states. In fact, one out of every nine Americans has insurance with WellPoint, which is the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield and Anthem.

Some say that while insurance companies can carry part of the blame for rising premiums, there are other sectors of the health care industry that are driving up costs for Americans. The Journal Sentinel in Wisconsin talked to a Harvard professor who believes part of the problem lies with consumers themselves. “The primary reason that health care costs and health insurance premiums are rising so rapidly is the amount of health care that we consume,” said Katherine Baicker, a professor of health economics at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Now, that is not to say there are no problems with the insurance industry.”

Family Insurance Premiums Could Double To $24,000 By 2020 is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

While health insurance is a must, it can be hard to reconcile these two points. If you are already self-employed then it is likely that you have already faced these challenges, but what if you are newly self-employed?

Before You Become Self-Employed

Presumably you hold a job and have health insurance at your current job before you make the leap to self-employment. If you know that self-employment is in your future then you will want to plan ahead for this life change. The more time you have the more planning you can do so take full advantage of this time before you make the change.

You will want to take any opportunity you have to change to your employer’s cheapest health plan, as long as it will still work for you, before you depart from the company. While you will need an open enrolment period to accomplish this feat, if you have then chance then you should go for it. It will make life a little less expensive in the next step.

Hold On To Your Health Insurance

Even when you leave your job, you can hold on to your health insurance through COBRA. This act allows you to keep the insurance that you have now for as many as 18 months at groups rates provided the company you were at meets certain criteria and you were not fired for reasons such as incompetence or gross negligence.

This will help you to hold onto your coverage but the price of maintaining coverage while you are self-employed will be steep. Know this ahead of time. It has been estimated that individuals who get their insurance through an employer end up paying around 28% of their health insurance costs. Now you will be paying it all.

Marriage Benefits

If you have a working spouse then your insurance concerns may be nonexistent. You can just get on your spouse’s plan. This will be the next most cost effective option after getting insurance through your own employer.

Find New Coverage

If you do not have a spouse who can have you on their health insurance plan then you will need to make other arrangements. Your time with COBRA is not a time to rest easy. This is your chance to investigate the options that you have for personal health insurance. You want to scramble to compare plans, rates, and coverage because your COBRA period will be over sooner than you think.

You will have to find a policy that offers the coverage that you need at a price you can afford. You can always consider lowering insurance premiums by raising your deductible. You need to make sure that you will be able to pay this higher deductible but if you can then this is an easy way to get your hands on affordable health insurance payments.

This is the best path to health insurance for the newly self-employed. You want to plan ahead, use COBRA to ease your transition, and use the time that you are given to secure new health insurance coverage. Being your own boss means that you are the one taking care of the details and health insurance is one of the first that you need to take care of.

The Best Path To Health Insurance For The Newly Self-Employed is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

A second look at the benefits of life insurance may show you why everyone says you need to have it.

Life Insurance Benefits Can Pay Expenses

To begin with, the money that your beneficiaries receive from your life insurance can be used to pay any expenses that crop up either around the time of your death or as a direct result of your death. These expenses may include death taxes, funeral expenses, legal costs, or any outstanding debts that you may owe. You do not want to leave your loved ones owing money after you pass on.

Life insurance benefits can also be used for day to day expenses. This money can help your loved ones to be financially sound in the days and even the decades following your passing. It can be used to pay the mortgage or to pay for educational costs for children now and in the future. Because these costs can be predicted, you can plan to have your life insurance cover them.

You Could Have A Policy With A Guaranteed Value

Depending on the life insurance policy you purchase, you could get a policy with a guaranteed value. This means that if you make the decision to cancel the policy at some point that you will still receive a predetermined amount of money known as a guaranteed value. This guaranteed value may also come into play if you keep the policy.

If you pass away then some policies will pay out your benefits and this guaranteed value on top of those benefits to your beneficiaries. This is always something to be aware in case you ever cancel your policy or if the guaranteed value is given to your beneficiaries. It could be a significant amount.

Life Insurance Is Cheap While You Are Young

Life insurance is cheaper while you are younger. While this is a conditional benefit it is important to note. Your state of health is a determining factor in how much you have to pay for life insurance and in whether you can get life insurance coverage at all.

Because you are likely to be healthy when you are younger, life insurance companies offer you lower premiums. They figure that you will live a long time and be paying premiums on your policy for a long time. They can make their profits by having you as a long term policy holder instead of by charging you more for your policy.

If you secure this cheaper life insurance when you are younger then you will also be guaranteed this coverage if you develop health problems later in life. These problems that could make life insurance expensive later in life or that could even prevent you from getting life insurance later in life will now be covered.

You may not have known all the benefits of life insurance. Some come with life insurance bought at any point in time and others are opportunities that must be seized while you have the chance. You should know these benefits of life insurance because a good life insurance policy may have more to offer than you thought.

What Are The Benefits Of Life Insurance? is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance