beauty and health

Posts Tagged ‘COBRA’

No Health Insurance Plans, No College? More Universities Mandate Coverage

Recently, more public universities have chosen to enact a mandate on their students. It is not a requirement that students keep their grade point averages above a certain level, or a code of honor that forbids cheating. Rather, they are forcing all of their attendees to have health insurance plans! Health insurance and studying don’t normally seem like related topics. However, many university officials have pointed to scientific studies, which show that students in good health are better able to concentrate on their courses. As a result, they earn higher grades than those in bad health. While having health coverage doesn’t necessarily improve a person’s health in and of itself, it allows one to use affordable preventative care services that catch illnesses before they worsen. If a student’s condition is not cared for properly, it can become serious enough to make them withdraw out of school altogether.

The majority of college students are covered through the health insurance plans of their parents. These plans are usually employer-sponsored, and the recession has seen an increasing number of people laid off from their jobs. COBRA family health insurance plans can cost over ,000 in premiums each month, so many families are forced to drop their insurance. College-age children lose their insurance, as well, when that is the case. A parent’s coverage of a university student as a dependent also expires when a full-time student reaches their 24th or 25th birthday; this affects many individuals who have chosen to return to school or switched majors. Students who receive health insurance through jobs of their own are also susceptible to either layoffs or cutbacks in hours that make them ineligible for employer-sponsored plans.

Despite most students already having health insurance, slightly over a quarter of college students are estimated to be uninsured. There are several reasons for this; many young adults believe they are invincible and in generally good health, so they believe health insurance is unnecessary. Also, the cost of student health insurance is daunting-even to those who recognize the need for insurance. Most colleges offer voluntary student health insurance plans, but relatively few individuals partake in them. In general, a large portion of this demographic doesn’t realize how important health insurance plans are until they are in a serious accident or diagnosed with a major illness. This is part of the reason health insurance mandates have been enacted in over a third of public four-year colleges, with 22 other state systems looking towards doing so.

There are several advantages to college students having health insurance. Most importantly, it will increase the physical and mental safety of students on campus. In addition, health insurance plans assist with significant medical expenses that would otherwise come out of the student’s own pocket. Since most college students are not flush with cash, many will either skip essential treatments or be saddled with thousands of dollars in medical debt for years. Medical debt is the #1 cause of bankruptcy, and having student loans on top of that doesn’t help. Quality health care allows students to finish a degree in a reasonable period of time, without as many health-related distractions; this helps save money on tuition. Other universities are also concerned with the burden uninsured students put on local hospitals surrounding the campus.

On the other hand, there are significant drawbacks to mandating health insurance plans among students. The most prominent concern is that health insurance will force students to pay yet another fee, which many can ill afford as tuition rates continue to rise. Higher education will be further out of reach for some college students. Although health insurance plans have long been mandatory in many private universities, most public universities tend to have a less affluent student body that will feel the brunt of such mandates. To counteract this problem, state universities are pointing to the fact that they will be able to use the sheer volume of enrolled students to buy lower-priced health insurance plans from one company. For example, the University of North Carolina claims that they are able to provide health insurance that used to cost over ,100 in premiums per year (at least 15% of annual tuition in some states) for just 0.

Massachusetts, known to be a leader in healthcare reform among states, has required all students-with either full- or part-time status-to have health insurance plans since 1989. In most cases, the mandates have come from the universities themselves. Several prominent university systems, including those in California, Montana, and Minnesota, also have the mandate. Other states, like Florida, are using a pilot program in one state university to test the concept. California is set to expand the health insurance mandate to graduate students next year. Most current mandates apply solely to undergraduates, and some only apply to incoming freshmen and transfer students; however, graduate study often entails long work weeks of research and teaching lower-level courses, leaving no time to take a full-time position. In exchange, graduate students receive a small stipend but no health benefits, which leaves them in situations similar to uninsured undergraduates.

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COBRA Subsidy Expires: Less Affordable Health Insurance for Unemployed

Finding affordable health insurance is one of the primary concerns for people who have recently become unemployed. If your job offered health insurance benefits, the premiums were heavily subsidized by the company. Moreover, the cost of underwriting policies is spread among the entire workforce. This makes employer-sponsored health insurance relatively inexpensive. Since the risk is also distributed evenly among employees, you are virtually guaranteed to recieve health insurance, regardless of any pre-existing conditions you may have.

However, the situation changes when you lose your job; your former employer will no longer pay part of your health insurance premium, so you will be responsible for the entire amount yourself. COBRA, also known as the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, lets former employees retain the health insurance coverage from their last job. It won’t necessarily be affordable health insurance, but it’s there nonetheless. Keeping your health insurance policy (whether it is an individual health insurance policy or through COBRA) current is very important, since uninterrupted insurance will help protect you from future coverage exclusions.

Unemployment obviously makes covering the cost of a COBRA health insurance premium difficult. This recession has resulted in millions of Americans becoming out of work and in danger of losing their health insurance. As part of last spring’s stimulus package, President Obama and Congress enacted a 65% subsidy of COBRA health insurance premiums. Qualified ex-employees-those who were let go as a result of a layoff or downsizing between September 2008 and December 2009-were able to take advantage of affordable health insurance made possible by the government’s subsidization. This type of health insurance is still more expensive than insurance provided by an employer, but paying only 35% of the cost of health insurance frees up money for other consumer spending able to stimulate the economy.

Unfortunately, the subsidies only last for nine months. After that, health insurance rates will triple for many people, as they are again forced to shoulder the full cost of a policy. Without an extension of this provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, affordable health insurance options for the unemployed will decrease. Congress doesn’t seem to have any plans to address the issue in overarching jobs legislation or separate legislation any time soon. Economic recovery is occuring at a slow pace, which means that a significant percentage of the unemployed remain so after that length of time. Health insurance costs eat up a large portion of state unemployment benefits. COBRA enrollment has doubled since the subsidy was enacted, meaning that quite a few people feel an unwelcome shock at the cost of next month’s premiums.

There are multiple steps a person can take if they are worried about the cost of purchasing a health insurance plan. Affordable health insurance is available for both individuals and families on the open market. In many cases, these policies cost less than retaining a unsubsidized COBRA policy (when paying 102% of the premium’s cost). It is important, however, that a person doesn’t drop their COBRA coverage until another health insurance plan has approved him or her. When a person has pre-existing conditions, buying affordable health insurance becomes more difficult. However, most states have high-risk health insurance pools as supplements. There are also Children’s Health Insurance Programs run by each state that kids may qualify for if their family is earning below a certain income level. No matter what, there are solutions to the affordable health insurance crisis available.

Online Health Insurance Quotes

Online Health Insurance Quotes Advantages and Disadvantages of Individual further Group Health

Switching from bunch up to regular health insurance is a transform many people are currently unrelated. There can be some big differences between the two types of insurance besides their cost. Becoming natural with some of those basic differences will help you to know what to expect.

Group health insurance

Group health insurance is purchased by your employer from a health insurance company. Everyone who is eligible responsibility receive coverage under the plan.huddle health insurance is less admired than individual health insurance, for you presuppose the buying might of the accumulate. The insurance company bases the premium upon a calculation of how vastly insurance the group as a unabbreviated commit use. However, if you are buying individual health insurance, the scheme of your premium is not based on a group, it’s based on you alone. That is why individual health insurance can show therefrom expensive.

Individual health insurance

Individual health insurance is health insurance that you hold from an insurance company on your own, and not through an employer. You can gather coverage for either yourself or your self further your family, fixed policies often provide less coverage than get together policies dispatch. Under an individual plan, some services such over substance abuse constitution may not stand for covered.Another important difference between group and individual health insurance is that with group insurance, the law requires the insurance company to cover everyone who works whereas that employer. With individual health insurance, companies are not required to surface you a arrangement. This can exemplify hugely alarming as people who have pre-existing conditions. If you have recently lost your job, it blame be awe-inspiring to jewel out that stable though you have been covered under a convene plan, adept is no assurance that you entrust be able to obtain marked health insurance coverage.In some states, health insurance companies are allowed to loom policies to kinsfolk with pre-existing conditions, but they are issued ensconce an exclusionary rider. That aspect that any services now the pre-existing element are not cloaked. Each state has its own laws overseeing how individual health insurance is administered. Therefore, plans constraint very a great deal from communicate to state.Plans duty also vary from one insurance company to another. exemplify sure to acknowledge around and compare quotes again plans from various other companies before forming a decision.

COBRA as an option

One of the choicest options presented to kin who have off-track their health insurance coverage is COBRA. COBRA stands through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget adaption Act and it allows you to perdure on your employer’s health insurance plan as up to 18 months after losing your career. However, there are contrastive situations in which employees would not exhibit eligible for COBRA coverage cognate as, if the company busy less than 20 people and went out of business, or if it dropped its assemble health insurance or went suspicion bankruptcy. by oneself of the drawbacks of COBRA is the expense. Under COBRA you have to pay the unexpurgated amount of your health insurance coverage. over when you were employed, your employer paid a portion of your benefits. One recent evolution that will sell for beneficial to COBRA recipients is that after March 1, 2024 recipients will only have to cabbage 35% of the cost of the swindle sheet premium and the federal discipline will pay the remainder for up to nine months.

If you credit recently lost your group health insurance, switching to individual health insurance will cause the cost of your health insurance to increase.Understanding the different types of insurance and how they work, will aid you to inaugurate. If you count on pre-existing conditions and are concerned about accord individual health insurance coverage, canvass COBRA further find out if legitimate is an choice. Also, check with several different health insurance companies and compare the costs before you occasion a decision.

Employer based Health Insurance

When looking for health insurance, the first question you should ask is, “Does my employer offer a health insurance plan?” Most companies provide health insurance as a benefit, and larger firms are required to provide health insurance. If your employer has a health insurance plan you should take the time to look into the costs and benefits. Very often employer-based health insurance is less expensive than comparable individual coverage.

Employer-based health insurance is cheaper for a number of reasons. Number one is your employer bears some of the cost for your health insurance. Another key reason employer-based health insurance can be less expensive than individual health insurance is rates and qualification requirements are typically lower. You can also save additional money with employer-based health insurance. One way is to have your employer pay the premium on a pre-tax basis to lower your overall taxable gross pay. Another way to reduce your taxable income is to participate in your employer’s flexible spending plan to save money for out-of-pocket health insurance expenses such as co-pays, some medications and certain medical devices.

COBRA benefits

A concern you might have about employer-based health insurance is what happens to your health insurance when you change jobs, are released by your employer or otherwise become unemployed? A government program called the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives you the right to carry your employer-based group health insurance coverage with you for up to 18 months. While COBRA will allow you to remain insured, you will have to pay the entire premium for your group health insurance. Previously both you and your employer contributed to the cost of your health insurance. If you find yourself requiring COBRA benefits make sure to fill out the appropriate forms available from your previous employer’s benefits department within 60 days of leaving the job. Otherwise you could be denied COBRA health insurance coverage.

No employer-based health insurance? No problem!

What if your employer doesn’t offer health insurance? Not a problem, you can always buy an individual health insurance policy. And it’s possible, if you are member of an organization or group that offers group health insurance, to retain the benefit of employer-based health insurance in terms of lower rates and qualification requirements.

Whether your employer offers health insurance or you are just looking for an individual health insurance policy, be sure to take your time and compare health insurance quotes to find a policy that best fits your family’s health insurance needs and saves you money. It pays to shop around for your health insurance policy.