http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:43:54 -0700 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:47:05 -0700 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m11d7-Medicare-for-all?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Do you remember when the Obama administration started and this Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano is suggested the T-word, terrorism, is too inflammatory and representative of old-fashioned "politics of fear."   She announc... mass health reform mass healthcare reform healthcare reform massachusetts healthcare reform mass health connector Public Option public option health care Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:47:05 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m11d7-Medicare-for-all?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m11d1-Public-option-CBO-estimates-way-off?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner In a Wall Street Journal article, the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) estimates by the year 2019, 30 million will be insured through the new government run insurance exchange, while 6 million of which will have the public option.&... mass health reform mass healthcare reform healthcare reform massachusetts healthcare reform mass health connector Public Option public option health care Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:17:17 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m11d1-Public-option-CBO-estimates-way-off?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d27-Mass-healthcare-changes-that-need-to-be-made?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Today I presented a client with his 28% increase but if he increased from the $1,000 deductible to the $2,000 deductible, the decrease would be 16%.  Exasperated, he asked me why!!   Wasn't the Mass HealthCare Reform suppose to ... mass health reform mass healthcare reform healthcare reform massachusetts healthcare reform Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:55:31 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d27-Mass-healthcare-changes-that-need-to-be-made?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d22-Deval-Patrick-legislation-to-reduce-health-insurance-costs-for-small-businesses?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Here is a link to a story detailing the plans unveiled by Governor Deval Patrick.  In essence it can be broken down into two parts. First, the bill would expand the state Division of Insurance's authority over health insurance premium... mass health reform mass healthcare reform massachusetts healthcare reform commonwealth care mass health connector Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:28:59 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d22-Deval-Patrick-legislation-to-reduce-health-insurance-costs-for-small-businesses?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Commonwealthcare-needs-to--be-audited?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Commonwealth Care is a program run by the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector. This program connects qualified Massachusetts residents with highly subsidized health insurance, if they do not have health insurance coverage.   C... mass health reform mass healthcare reform healthcare reform massachusetts healthcare reform commonwealth care mass health connector Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:26:23 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Commonwealthcare-needs-to--be-audited?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d8-COBRA-benefits-stimulates-layoffs?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner This week we have run into two employers, who wll take advantage of the  65% nine month COBRA subsidy from the Obama Stimulus Plan.  We would like to discuss both of them here today.  Scenario 1    Slow EmployerSmal... COBRA healthcare reform COBRA Benefits Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:23:11 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d8-COBRA-benefits-stimulates-layoffs?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d7-Obamas-COBRA-stimulates-layofffs?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner This week we have run into two employers, who wll take advantage of the  65% nine month COBRA subsidy from the Obama Stimulus Plan.  We would like to discuss both of them here today.  Scenario 1    Slow EmployerSmal... COBRA Obama COBRA COBRA Benefits Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:35:25 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d7-Obamas-COBRA-stimulates-layofffs?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d5-Massachusetts-affordable-plan?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is trying to start a new health plan through their general agency, the Connector Authority, called the Affordable Plan.    The plan would provide savings for small businesses (under 50 employees) by ca... mass health reform mass healthcare reform healthcare reform massachusetts healthcare reform Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:05:48 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d5-Massachusetts-affordable-plan?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d4-Insurance-Partnership?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has an entity known as the Insurance Partnership, which helps small businesses (2 to 50 employees) pay for health insurance for those that do not have it, including the self-employed.   It is not a ins... mass health reform mass healthcare reform massachusetts healthcare reform Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:43:40 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m10d4-Insurance-Partnership?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m9d20-WalMart-prescription-plan?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Recently I have seen more and more employees telling their employees to buy their prescriptions from Wal-Mart.  Currently Wal-Mart has a long list of prescrptions that they sell for $4 for a 30 day supply or $10 for a 90 day supply.The key thing... Health Insurance mass health reform mass healthcare reform healthcare reform Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:55:19 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m9d20-WalMart-prescription-plan?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m8d28-Massachusetts-health-reform-needs-reforming?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Recently State Senator Moore has filed legislation to create the “Affordable Health Plan” to help small businesses with their health care costs.   Every day of the week, we work with small businesses trying to control the cost o... mass healthcare reform Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:52:29 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m8d28-Massachusetts-health-reform-needs-reforming?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m8d5-Healthcare-reform-analogy?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Lets take a step back and make an analogy to what is going on with healthcare but replace it  with health clubs.  Tomorrow the government said that there is a health crisis and people were not working out enough and once they are out of sha... healthcare reform Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:54:42 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m8d5-Healthcare-reform-analogy?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m7d16-Massachusetts-health-reform-changes-that-need-to-be-made?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner In 2006, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts passed their landmark health care reform act effective January 1st, 2007.     The main component requires Massachusetts residents to obtain health insurance.  If a tax... mass health reform mass healthcare reform Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:36:49 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m7d16-Massachusetts-health-reform-changes-that-need-to-be-made?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m6d26-Massachusetts-Commonwealthcare?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts efforts to provide universal health insurance has included a program referred to as CommonwealthCare.   This plan enables individuals under a certain income limit (300% of the Federal poverty line)&nb... mass healthcare reform Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:17:55 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m6d26-Massachusetts-Commonwealthcare?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m6d21-Massachusetts-universal-health?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner             July, 2008 IssueRecently I was asked to sit down with three other Massachusetts brokers to have an interview with the Employee Benefit Adviser,  The topic was the Universal Healt... mass health reform Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:46:58 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m6d21-Massachusetts-universal-health?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m5d29-Life-insurance-for-the-uninsurable?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Recently I was with a business-owner reviewing his health insurance renewal, who expressed frustration that he was recently denied a request for $100,000 of individual life insurance.   The last ten years he has not missed one day of work, ... Group Life Insurance Fri, 29 May 2009 13:57:30 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m5d29-Life-insurance-for-the-uninsurable?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m5d25-Mass-HealthCare-Reform?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Three years ago the Commonwealth of Massachusetts required that all tax-payers have health insurance or they would be subject to a penalty.   Unlike anyone else that imposes a penalty, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would ... mass health reform mass healthcare reform Mon, 25 May 2009 16:21:54 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m5d25-Mass-HealthCare-Reform?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m5d3-Group-life-insurance-for-uninsureds?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Recently we were working with a client of ours on their Group Health Insurance, when the owner started complaining when about not being able to get any other individual life insurance.    It turns out that he had applied a couple years... Group Life Insurance Sun, 03 May 2009 19:57:57 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m5d3-Group-life-insurance-for-uninsureds?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m5d3-Group-life-insurance-for-uninsureds?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Recently we were working with a client of ours on their Group Health Insurance, when the owner started complaining when about not being able to get any other individual life insurance.    It turns out that he had applied a couple years... Group Life Insurance Sun, 03 May 2009 19:57:57 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m5d3-Group-life-insurance-for-uninsureds?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m4d23-COBRA-subsidy-still-confusing-employers?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner Every day when I see a client, they ask me a question on COBRA.    Here is the latest.We all know that if an employee did not elect COBRA between September 1, 2008 and February 17th, 2009, that they will need to be given a  2nd ch... Health Insurance COBRA Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:50:43 -0700 http://www.examiner.com/x-2823-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner~y2009m4d23-COBRA-subsidy-still-confusing-employers?cid=exrss-Health-Care-Industry-Examiner