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COLUMBUS — Complications with the federal health insurance exchanges have created challenges for some consumers who have not yet received proof of their insurance coverage. As a result, many consumers are unsure if their medical treatments are covered and are unable to provide their proof of coverage.

“Since open enrollment began on Oct. 1 the federal exchange has struggled to process applications and enroll consumers in coverage,” Ohio Lieutenant Governor and Department of Insurance Director Mary Taylor said. “These delays are making it more difficult and confusing for consumers to use the health insurance plans they have purchased through the federal exchange.”

If you recently purchased a plan, but still haven’t received proof of insurance from your insurance company, Taylor offers these tips.

Contact the Company

The first thing you should do is contact your insurance company to verify that you do have insurance coverage. Ask your insurance company for proof of coverage, such as an insurance card or identification numbers. Take detailed notes of conversations and include the representatives names, and date and time they took place. Keep copies of written communication you received from your insurance company such as emails or letters. You may need these materials later.

You should also verify that you have paid your first premium on time. Some insurers have permitted late payments for coverage that is retroactively effective to Jan. 1. Ask your insurer for their deadline and keep any records that can serve as proof of payment.

If you are about to buy coverage from the federal exchange, print any paperwork or confirmations that you receive during the enrollment process.

Payment Options

You may need to get a prescription filled or see your doctor before you receive your insurance card. Your provider (hospital, doctor, pharmacy) may be able to verify your coverage by contacting your insurer directly. If verification of coverage cannot be obtained, you still have options. One option is to pay for expenses out of pocket.

Once your insurance coverage is effective, your insurance company should reimburse you to the extent that the service or medication is covered under your policy. You may also be able to work with your doctor’s office, hospital or pharmacy to delay payment or set up a payment plan until they can verify that you’re insured.

Keep your receipts and any bank statements that show that you’ve paid for the services.

Contact the Ohio Department of Insurance

If you are still having difficulty obtaining proof of coverage from your insurance company, call the Ohio Department of Insurance consumer hotline at 1-800-686-1526 for assistance. Insurance information is available at www.insurance.ohio.gov. You can follow the Department on twitter @OHInsurance and on Facebook.

http://www.westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/blog/tips-for-those-waiting-to-receive-proof-of-insurance-coverage/

Making the right insurance choices can have significant impact on the small business owner’s operation costs. With that in mind, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Ken Kobylowski offered some basic tips for small businesses for purchasing or updating their insurance coverage.

There are different types of policies available to small business owners that range from life insurance options to mandatory workers’ compensation.

Commissioner Kobylowski said small business and home-based business owners potentially have several different policies that can provide necessary protections.

“Small businesses should annually review their insurance policies to verify that their coverage meets their needs,” Commissioner Kobylowski said. “This could include workers’ compensation, commercial auto, business property and liability, group health and disability as well as group life and key-person life insurance.”

Commissioner Kobylowski offered the following tips:

What steps should a small business owner take?

• Shop around – Examine rates from several companies, being sure to compare plans providing identical coverage.

• Protect yourself – Stop. Call. Confirm. Verify with the Department that the companies quoting coverage are licensed by the State of New Jersey by calling 1-800-446-7467 or by checking online at www.dobi.nj.gov. Then use the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Consumer Information Resource (CIS) at https://eapps.naic.org/cis/ to compare a company offering coverage to other firms in the industry using their consumer complaint ratios.

• Review Annually – Small business insurance needs change as a company grows. Additional machinery purchased for a manufacturing plant or expansion to a larger facility could require an increase in property limits. Additions to an auto fleet could mean changes in a commercial auto policy or sales growth could result in the need for more business continuation coverage.

Commissioner Kobylowski reviewed the following policy options a small business owner might want to consider:

1. Workers’ Compensation. State law requires that all New Jersey employers, not covered by federal programs, have workers’ compensation coverage or be approved for self-insurance.

Typically, workers’ compensation covers the employee’s medical expenses, rehabilitation costs and lost wages if he or she is injured on the job. If an employer does not have workers’ compensation and an employee is injured on the job, the business may be liable for any medical expenses that individual incurs. The company might also face fines and penalties for noncompliance.

2. Property. Property insurance protects small business owners from losses due to damage to physical space or equipment and as a result of theft. For insurance purposes, a business’ property includes the physical building in which it resides, as well as its other assets.

All of the following, owned or leased, can be considered business property: the actual building; inventory; furniture, equipment and supplies; machinery; computers and other data processing equipment; valuable papers, books and documents; artwork and antiques; television sets, VCRs, DVD players, and satellite dishes; signs, fences and outdoor property not attached to a building; and non-tangible items, such as trademarks and copyrights.

3. Flood Insurance. Flood is not a covered peril in a standard business property insurance policy. Business owners can purchase flood coverage from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), administered by FEMA. Flood insurance policies have a 30 day waiting period before going into effect. To find out more about the NFIP consumers can go to www.floodsmart.gov. If the flood insurance property limits from the NFIP are inadequate to cover a business, owners can check with an insurance agent or carrier representative about additional coverage options.

4. Ordinance or Law Coverage. This pays for rebuilding a destroyed property so that it will meet the current building codes. Older structures damaged may need upgraded electrical, heating, air conditioning and plumbing units based on current municipal codes. This covers the additional cost to upgrade due to new codes.

5. Business Interruption/Continuation. This type of insurance covers lost earnings due to a loss covered by one of the property insurance plans purchased, such as a fire or theft that shuts down a business for an extended period of time. Business interruption/continuation insurance covers expenses associated with running a business, such as payroll and utility bills, based on the company’s financial records.

Business interruption/continuation coverage can be added to a property insurance policy or purchased as part of a package insurance product.

6. Liability. This insurance product covers workplace risk, for example, if an individual falls while visiting a business premises, or a customer is hurt by a product a business sells, the business owner can be held responsible. Standard policies do not provide protection against sexual harassment, professional liability or commercial auto or truck claims.

7. Commercial auto. All motorized vehicles, whether used for personal or business purposes, need auto insurance. Automobile liability insurance – required by most states – covers medical expenses for injured persons and damages to the property of other individuals as a result of a motor vehicle accident caused by the insured’s negligence.

While the types of coverage provided by personal and commercial auto insurance policies are essentially the same, there are important distinctions. Typically, commercial auto insurance policies have higher liability limits, for example $1 million. They also may have provisions that cover rented and other non-owned vehicles, including employees’ cars driven for company business.

Several factors related to ownership and use of vehicles determine whether a personal or commercial policy is appropriate. These include: who owns or leases the vehicle –individually or the business as an entity; who drives the vehicle – owner or employees; and how the vehicle is principally used – for example, transporting people, delivering packages or carrying hazardous materials.

8. Umbrella Insurance. This coverage provides protection for an individual or business above the limits for a primary policy. It is recommended for a business with a value above its primary limits for various policies selected. It is also a smart purchase for high net worth individuals. A policy can cost relatively little for the protection it provides.

“Small business owners should discuss these insurance matters with a licensed insurance professional at an agency or carrier,” said Commissioner Kobylowski. “A life and health insurance professional should also be consulted to make sure every aspect of a small business is protected.”

Source: New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance

According to her friends, Cynthia McGee Bryant was a religious woman who owned her own insurance agency, worked hard and didn't have enemies.

But on Monday, someone shot McGee Bryant, 53, to death inside her office at 400 W. 25th St., police said.

Few details were released by the investigators however they did not mention if the motive was robbery.

Officers received a 911 call about 12:15 p.m. and found Bryant's body a couple of minutes later at McGee Insurance and Financial Services, Police Department spokeswoman Shannon Cordingly said.

Detectives were hesitant in revealing where in the office Bryant's body was found or what part of the body she was shot in and whether anyone witnessed the crime.  They would not even say who was responsible in calling 911.

McGee Bryant's former husband, Reginald Bryant, said his ex-wife was focused on her job and on evangelical work.  She was a longtime member of Livingston Street Church of God in Orlando.

"She was a God-fearing woman," Bryant said.

McGee Bryant, who lived near Lake Mary, was from a small town in Georgia and also lived in upstate New York before moving to Central Florida to be near extended family, her ex-husband said.

She was named Allstate agent of the year in her territory in 2005 and started her own Allstate agency in Sanford in 2007, according to her website.

She started her current business in 2009.  Her business is selling personal and business insurance.  Her motto was "Integrity. Commitment.  Dedication.  Loyalty.  Respect.  Responsive."

Bishop Antonio Richardson, whom Bryant recruited a few months ago to be spiritual leader at Livingston Street Church of God, described McGee Bryant as "a very soft-spoken, giving person" who sometimes paid clients' premiums when they could not afford to, ministered to the homeless and handed out money on the street if she saw a needy person.

She as well was a licensed minister who was about to become outreach director for her congregation.

"It's a shock," Richardson said.

McGee Bryant's former mother-in-law, Edith Passmore Bryant, said she knew of no one who would want to harm her.

"I never heard her speak negatively about anyone," Passmore Bryant said. "She believed in helping people wherever she could."

Reginald Bryant said his ex-wife owned a Hummer and a Cadillac CTS and while Seminole County Sheriff's Office and Sanford police vehicles were outside the insurance office several hours after the killing, and a black Hummer H3 was towed.

The couple were married briefly in the mid-1990s and remained on good terms, he said. They had no children.

http://westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/

Connecticut learns less is more with state health insurance website

Tuesday, November 12, statistics put out by Connecticut demonstrate that its website is the only one to sign up more folks for private insurance than for Medicaid.

Angel Medina, 21, went to talk to an Affordable Health Care act navigator in Hartford. Medina was dropped from his mother's health insurance two years ago.

"I have really bad eyes. I like to get them checked often, but since I don't have health insurance, no doctor's going to really want to take a look at me," he said.

He found out that he may qualify for Medicaid, which was long-drawn-out under Obamacare.

So far, 9,123 have enrolled over Connecticut's ultimate goal is to sign up 275,000 people.

Kevin Counihan, chief executive officer of Connecticut's health exchange, says he's not discouraged by the number of people signing up for private health insurance.

"Buying health insurance is expensive and it's expensive and it's confusing and it's complicated. So no, I am not disappointed by it. However, we clearly have a strong goal to meet by March," he said.

Counihan look forward to have 100,000 people enrolled by the end of March.  He credits the state's computer system with the smooth even out.

"Number one is, less is more. Do fewer things well than try to do more things inconsistently. Two is test the heck out of the system and make sure that before you go live, you are pretty darn confident that you know what is going to happen. And three is hire the best people that you can," he said.

Counihan was implicated with Massachusetts' health insurance rollout in 2006.  He says that taught him people don't buy insurance like they do a book or car.  They usually consider the options an average of 18n times before making up their minds.

He foresees a sprint of people signing up between Thanksgiving and Dec. 15, which in case is the deadline for coverage beginning on Jan. 1.

http://www.westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/blog/westhill-consulting-insurance-connecticut-learns-less-is-more-with-state-health-insurance-website/

Is 'Obamacare' like Canada's health-care system? 'Not even close,' according to critics  

The first major U.S. health-care reform passed in nearly 50 years is the Obamacare but regardless of critics passing judgment on "Obamacare" as "Canadian-style" health insurance, critics note that major differences between the two systems persist.

 

The U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which went into effect earlier this week, is "not even close" to the Canadian system says McGill University Professor of Political Science Antonia Maioni.

                                       

"Obamacare keeps in place the basic principle of health care in the United States which is: if you want to get access to care you need to buy insurance coverage," she told CTV News Channel on Friday.

"Obamacare is trying to make it easier for people to be able to buy that insurance coverage and, if you are very poor, to be able to qualify for a government program. But it doesn't have the same principle as in Canada, where if you are a legal resident, you are automatically enrolled in a provincial or territorial health plan."

 

In an op-ed published in the Globe and Mail, Maioni said the major differences between "Obamacare" and Canada's health-care system include:

 

"Obamacare" is not a single-payer system (where one entity, usually the government, pays all costs)

Care depends on the type of insurance coverage you buy

Insurance coverage varies by state

Wait times are based on the level of insurance coverage

Obamacare" faces challenges in cost control

 

Maioni said that while "Obamacare" was passed, in part, to address American spending on health care – the highest in the world at nearly 18 per cent of GDP, or $3 trillion – the act remains "problematic."

 

"There's nothing in it that speaks to really serious cost control," she said.

 

She furthermore said that while Canada also spends a lot on health care, there are mechanisms that the provinces can use to contain spending.

 

"Governments can negotiate fees with providers, governments can set global budgets for hospitals," she said. "There's a lot of politicking and controversy around that, but at least there's some measures of control for the government. In the United States, those measures are not there."

 

While "Obamacare" does try to better regulate insurers and provide ways for the government to tighten Medicare – the government program for the elderly and the disabled -- "there's no real facing up to the cost wall," she said.

 

She added that while the act will make it easier for Americans to buy affordable insurance, there are still "prevalent" gaps in the system.

 

http://www.westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/blog/is-obamacare-like-canadas-health-care-system-not-even-close-according-to-critics/

A few persistent Iowans manage to buy health insurance on crash-plagued Obamacare exchange

There were at least five strangely determined Iowans have dealt with signing up for health insurance on the government’s balky new online marketplace.

They were the Hardy Handful.  It seems that they were eager to wait through endless holdups and to try, try again after constantly being booted off the system.  They had enrolled in insurance plans sold on the public marketplace by CoOportunity Health.

“They threaded the needle and got in,” said Cliff Gold, the insurance carrier’s chief operating officer. “It’s like when a radio station says, ‘If you’re the 20th caller, you’ll win something.’ These people were the 20th caller.”

Two of the unidentified purchasers are from Iowa City, two are from Glidden and one is from Clive, Gold said.

Also called exchanges, the health-insurance marketplaces are a key part of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.  Since they opened Oct. 1, they have been plagued with technical problems.  Iowa’s exchange is using a federal website, healthcare.gov, which has been beset with delays and crashes.  Federal officials have blamed the glitches on an unexpected surge of millions of consumers trying to use the system at once.  But some computer experts have said the problems are at least partly due to technical flaws in the site.  Federal officials are pledging to fix the issues as quickly as possible.

Gold said he is encouraged by the fact that a few people are getting through. He likened the situation to trying to start a care on a frigid winter morning. “At first, it just turns over. Then it kicks in,” he said. “Well, it’s kicked in, but it’s still cold inside the car.”

CoOportunity Health is one of two carriers selling individual policies throughout Iowa on the new exchange.  Gold said the company confirmed today that at least five Iowans and nine Nebraskans had selected its policies via the new system.  The other statewide Iowa carrier, Coventry, declined to say whether it had sold any Iowa policies on the new system.

Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart said CoOportunity’s news was encouraging. “Hopefully the system issues will begin to subside as more Iowans go online to enroll in the coming weeks,” he said.

They are the only place to buy insurance policies that qualify for new federal subsidies; this is one of the main attractions of the exchanges.  The subsidies will aid Americans with moderate incomes pay premiums.  A lot of officials have been advising consumers to hang around another week or two before trying to get on the systems, so the bugs can be worked out.  Consumers have until Dec. 15 to sign up for policies that will take effect Jan. 1, and they will have until March 31 to buy policies that will count toward the new requirement that most Americans obtain health insurance for 2014.

http://westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/

http://www.westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/blog/westhill-healthcare-a-few-persistent-iowans-manage-to-buy-health-insurance-on-crash/

How to Find AffordableFamily Health Insurance

Take advantage of free quotes:

Who doesn’t like free, it a great price!  There are many health insurance websites where you can find lot of sites with free family insurance quotes.  You must take advantage of these.  Not every policy is going to fit for everyone because every family is different.  To know the best one for you and your family, use these quoting tools to gather prices and service offerings.  And do not think about it as a waste of time, after all it is a free look into the company.  It is free yet well worth the time it takes to fill out the questionnaire or quoting application.

 

Know your priorities:

You should know and you must be well aware of all your priorities regarding your health care.  Are you satisfied with your current doctor or are you open to find new ones?  If you are unsure, sit down and take some time listing of your top five most important things when looking for a new policy or health insurance company.  This will help you narrow down exactly what you only need and what your looking for.

Ask for help if you need it:

It is all known to us that understanding the ins and outs of health insurance policies and coverage could sometimes be very frustrating.  This is more common to those who are just new to it.  Do not hesitate to ask questions if you need to ask questions, ask your questions to the health insurance company representatives.  You can even ask your husband, your wife, your dad, your mom, or even your friends.  But if you feel that you are not satisfied with the answers you got, don’t be frightened to enlist the help of an insurance broker.  They can help you find the best rates available, can explain the inner workings of the policy, and know what places are reputable and which ones are not.

 

Know your budget: 

It’s time to sit down and take a close look at your budget if you don’t know what you can spend.  Be tough on numbers and better be sure that you not only know what you can spend, but what you are willing to spend.  Be sure that you nail this down and know your budget as well as possible because what you can spend and what you’re willing to spend might be two different figures.  This will assist when you are shopping because you can contract the super high quotes that you get back from companies, and right away put the quotes that are in your price range into a spread sheet and begin comparing the positives and negatives.

 

When it comes time to compare health insurance, consider your family and what you want and need for them.

Make sure that a policy that works through the natural changes of a growing and changing family is very important because these young families are often growing and changing and you don’t want have to go out and find new healthcare every time something happens with them.  With the help of these tips, you should be able to compile the best rates quickly and easily, giving you the tools you need to make a well-informed decision.