Florida Group Health Insurance Blog

While this will not come as any great surprise, it is a bit disheartening given the current state of the U.S. economy. Americans who have health insurance through an employer will likely be taking on more of a financial burden health insurance wise this year.

There aren’t too many workers who passed on taking a closer look at their medical options this year during the annual “open enrollment” period at their companies. Most are now forking over more cash to cover a larger premium, paying higher out-of-pocket expenses and doing more self-care. There are a great number of these employees who have also gone to less expensive “catastrophic” coverage.

The state of the economy has become so desperate that those who still have work are readily accepting fewer benefits and paying lower contributions. This is a radical change in the system because it means employees are giving up HMOs or PPOs that used to provide them nearly unlimited access to physicians, with small co-pays for visits and prescriptions.

In many instances the subtle switch is now to high-deductible health plans with a health savings account or health reimbursement account, otherwise known as HSA

and HRA respectively. In part, this shift of choices on the part of workers is due to what they are being offered by their employers. This year virtually 46 percent made it a point to offer their employees some type of account-based health plan. It’s evident the trend will continue until the situation with the economy is sorted out.

Smart employers are combining things such as an HSA with a high-deductible health policy, in the bid to cut-back on the cost of insurance premiums. By implementing this type of coverage in the workplace, the employer and employees become partners in trying to reduce the costs of medical expenses. It will be interesting to see the long-term results of this new approach to cost effectiveness in managing health expenses.

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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Lately there are some interesting statistics being compiled which show that people who are in health plans and have health savings accounts or health reimbursement arrangements are more likely to get preventive care. This is opposed to those who happen to be in a conventional plan instead.

The people who participated in the web survey that offered up these latest figures were in the 21 to 64 year old bracket and privately insured. It appears, on first glance, that the numbers from 2007 indicate 2% enrolled in health account plans, a one percent jump from 2005. However the numbers do seem to be climbing steadily, which is a good sign.

Most conventional plans have an average satisfaction rating of about 64% compared to the health account numbers of roughly 47% expressing satisfaction. The 47% is up from 37% and again, the numbers do appear to be on the increase, albeit slowly. That is not unusual when it comes to something new. People always take time to get used to adjustments in their insurance plans, especially when it is something newer or more innovative.

There is reason to be upbeat about the slowly increasing numbers for another reason, and the reason is that health account plans are being viewed as a vehicle which will assist in keeping down the costs and broadening access to insurance coverage. In this day and age when more Americans need access to the health care system, greater access can only be a good thing.

While it may also be said that these plans are not yet solving the problems they were set up to tackle, the survey results do show (and encouragingly so) that the efforts of high-deductible health account plans, which are offering wellness benefits for a low or no deductible basis, are paying off.

Encouragingly, health account plan participants now seem to be opting for as much preventive care as those in a conventional health plan. In addition, they also seem to be using about the same amount of prescription drugs as those in conventional plans.

Any time that the figures for those seeking preventive health care start to climb, you know there is a major shift of attitude toward wellness going on. The survey figures are beginning to show increases in women going in more frequently for Pap smears, and men and women going for cholesterol testing. Evidently more people are also making regular wellness visits to their doctor’s offices, which can only be viewed as a good thing. Perhaps it’s time to consider a switch to a health account plan. Speak to your local health insurance broker.

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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The uninsured in Florida do have access to affordable health insurance plans thanks to the Cover Health initiative announced in January 2009. The question is whether this program will change now that the Obama bail out package has been announced.

The Cover Florida plan was designed to assist over 3.8 million people in the state that had no health insurance. The general idea was that six larger health insurance companies would offer 25 different plans and the cost of those plans would vary by county and whether a person chose a catastrophic or preventative plan.

The prices under this program could range from a low of $51 monthly to roughly $290 on a monthly basis, which is pretty good bucks all things considered in this particular economy. However even the lower end price of $51 may be impossible for the jobless and homeless – another frightening reality in the 21st century. It isn’t clear how this program would mesh, if at all, with the latest health insurance plans announced by the White House.

While the Cover Florida program is ideally about freedom and choices, the recent White House plan doesn’t seem to cater to the freedom or choices aspect of the Florida program. The two programs just might not fly together, as the national one may overtake and change the parameters of the Florida package.

As with every new or seemingly new plan there are things lurking in the wings, just under the fringe of the carpet. For instance, one major company’s deductible structure shows that a family who chooses a catastrophic plan would be paying a $3,000 deductible. This is hardly a plan that either the homeless or jobless will be able to consider.

The changes the new White House announcements will make to this plan are questionable at best, and unknown to say the least. While they may make the pricing structures more accessible due to the competition factor, there may still be a gap that low income and no income people are unable to cross.

The clock is ticking and the nation is watching where the latest developments in health care innovations will take Americans. The hope is that it will be to a place where everyone has reasonable health insurance coverage, and privacy and choices that suit their circumstances.

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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Offering the benefit of group health insurance is a good way to keep employees in Florida.

Group health insurance is a fairly common term and most people understand what it represents. They may have even had it at one time, or currently are enjoying the benefits of Florida group health insurance through their employer. While some Americans are fairly health insurance savvy, others don’t really know what health insurance means.

Simply put, health insurance is a form of group insurance. What happens here is that people pay premiums or taxes to cover themselves or their families for health care expenses. The way that premiums are figured out is by estimating the “risk” for health-related expenses for a year and then projecting a payment structure for premiums based on the assessed risk.

The fact that a person is paying for health insurance coverage over a period of the year means they have the coverage at their fingertips when it’s needed. In general there is a health insurance company that regulates the benefits and administers the health insurance policies. The policy is a contract between the insurance company and an individual.

When people are paying their health insurance premiums on a monthly or yearly basis, it means their contract with the health insurance company is renewed every time they make a payment. Payment may come in the form of co-insurance, a co-payment, a deductible or as a premium. Paying on the health insurance contract guarantees the insured health care coverage; a guarantee that is outlined in the contract along with what benefits the insured receives from that particular health insurance agreement. Some policies will also cover the cost of prescription drugs.

People with health insurance don’t always see bills when they go to a medical professionals office, as the doctors, etc. tend to bill the insurance company if the person signs an agreement that says they will pay any difference the health insurance company does not pick up.

To uncomplicate things, health insurance providers have set up networks of physicians they work with regularly. When insured individuals go to an “in network” doctor, that doctor takes the insurance payment for services rendered from the insurance company and waives anything above that billed out amount.

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/02179.pdf

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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http://www.healthink.com/florida/newsfr … tory2.html

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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A good summary of the new Cobra Laws .

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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Looks like a very large HMO to me .

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/ … 262009.pdf

I will stick to the healthcare part .
You can not raise the tax on venture capital and lower the deductibility of non-profit donations to fund health care .

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1235002 … #printMode

To learn more about Florida group health insurance, Tampa group health insurance, Sarasota group health insurance, Miami group health insurance, or Orlando group health insurance, visit Grouphealthflorida.com or call 1-800-873-5713.

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