This time of year is known as “open enrollment” for those who receive health benefits from their employers. It’s not really surprising that health insurance premiums, in general, are up. MarketWatch reports that premiums on family coverage are up by around 5%. In this economy, many families can’t afford that sort of an increase. Especially since, for many, health insurance was barely affordable before.
Bottom line: There can be health care reform all over the place, but without a viable public option health insurance companies will have no incentive to work efficiently, or reconsider the practices that somehow lead to CEOs …read more

Small business and health care is a hotly debated topic these days. If you’re a small business owner I’m sure you are keeping a close eye on the health care bills making their way through congress right now. I haven’t touched on it much here, but I want to share some of the results of a health care survey with you.
Today I have a sampling of a health care survey from TriNet, the survey covers more than 200 businesses from across the country, small businesses are weighing in on their opinion of health care reform. The survey found that …read more

One of the things that many people use in order to pay for health care costs is the heath savings account (HSA). There are many different rules governing these health savings accounts, and what they can be used for. Another type of account is a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). This type of account requires that you use expenses for health care by the end of the year. Interestingly, there are some rather unique products that qualify for use of FSA funds. Coppertone sent me an interesting list of four things that you can use FSA money to purchase:

Hand sanitizer
Cold medicines
Sunscreen
Gym …read more

One of the main causes of bankruptcy is medical bills. It’s nice to think that most of the people declaring bankruptcy are doing so because of credit card debt and out of control spending, but many of them are actually doing so because of medical bills. (Credit card debt probably has something to do with it, but $5,000 on credit cards is usually nothing compared to a $30,000 hospital bill.) A good chunk of those who have financially catastrophic medical bills have insurance. Or had insurance.
This state affairs illustrates the financial risk of losing health coverage. If you have health …read more

The Senate Finance Committee has just green lighted a version of a health reform bill that could end up costing you. One of the key elements of the legislation is that everyone will be required to purchase health insurance — or pay a penalty. Um, I guess that’s one way to get universal health care coverage. Both parties are to blame on this one, since it’s clear that the people crafting this legislation are not really interested in offering true solutions to the problem of health care that is rapidly becoming unaffordable for more and more people. (They are too …read more

In a time when you might be squeezed for cash, paying out the nose for health care can be a depressing. This is especially true if you are looking for things like dental and vision, that are not usually included in most health insurance plans. This is coverage that you may have to purchase separately, and that can be expensive. The good news is that you might be able to get a cash discount.
Asking for a cash discount
My dentist offers a 10% discount if you pay cash at the time you make an appointment. In many cases, the charge for …read more

Former United States vice president nominee and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has been hard to find lately. She said she wanted time away from the spotlight and most of her interaction with the outside world has been via Facebook, the social networking website.
However, this week Palin appeared in Hong Kong. She reportedly got a lot of money to give an hour and a half speech at a conference that focused on investments. During her speech, Palin reported touched on a number of issues including health care, the global financial situation and the relations between the United States and China.
Although …read more

President Obama prepares to try and convince the country that prudent, simple regulations can protect us from another major financial meltdown.

Rescission, an increasingly common practice from companies, can financially devastate you.

5 ways to save money on health care costs.