Health insurance 'mandate' deemed best value for money
THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Doing away with the U.S. health care reform act's requirement that all Americans must have health insurance would not dramatically increase the cost of buying policies through new insurance exchanges, but would significantly reduce the number of people who get insurance, according to researchers.
The findings from the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, are based on estimates created using a computer model. The investigators found that eliminating the so-called "individual mandate" would increase a person's cost of buying insurance by 2.4 percent and reduce the number of Americans who would get new health coverage in 2016 from 27 million to 15 million.
"Our analysis suggests eliminating the individual mandate would sharply decrease coverage, but it would not send premiums into a 'death spiral' that would make health insurance unaffordable to those who do not qualify for government subsidies," study lead author Christine Eibner, an economist at RAND, said in a news release from the organization.
The analysis also found that repealing the individual mandate would greatly increase the amount of government spending for each person newly enrolled in a health insurance plan. The cost would more than double, to $7,468 per person.
"The individual mandate is critical not only to achieving near-universal health care coverage among Americans, but also to yielding a high value in terms of federal spending to expand coverage," Eibner said. "Without the individual mandate, the government would have to spend more overall to insure a lot fewer people."
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in March about the constitutionality of requiring all Americans to obtain health insurance.
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The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality explains how to get good value when choosing a health plan .
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Purchasing Health Insurance Policys - News
16 (HealthDay News) -- Doing away with the US health care reform act's requirement that all Americans must have health insurance would not dramatically increase the cost of buying policies through new insurance exchanges, but would significantly reduce
By Chelsea Conaboy, Globe Staff The state has approved a plan by the Retailers' Association of Massachusetts to create a small business cooperative for buying health insurance plans as a group, giving the employers access to less expensive plans.
a key part of health care reform that requires all Americans to have health insurance would sharply lower the number of people gaining coverage, but would not dramatically increase the cost of buying policies through new insurance exchanges.
“While it's a nice thing to be able to surf the Internet and find instant health insurance quotes, all the information you need is 'not' on the websites you visit. There is far too much information about health insurance and the various policies to be
Can't we limit the health insurance we are all required by federal law to purchase to financially ruinous, actual medical problems? No, that is not in the cards. Just as liberals have turned the Constitution into a vehicle for achieving all the
Make Buying Health Insurance Easy With These Great Tips « 888 ...
Being covered by health insurance can save you money in both the near term and longer range future. When you are thinking about purchasing health insurance, you must research independently and then have a good question and answer session with your insurance agent. This article contains the basics of what you need to know to make good decisions about health insurance.
Take a look at health care savings plans to see if they’ll work for you. Any funds you dedicate toward this account are pulled from pretax income and also save you dollars off of your medical expenses. You can purchase medicine and other things with money from these accounts, but there are disadvantages to them. For this reason, be sure to research all sides before opening such an account.
Whenever you are looking into catastrophic health insurance as a coverage option, you must be sure to do your homework. Make sure it covers the events that are of concern. If you purchase catastrophic health insurance, be sure to set up an account called: Health Savings Account. You must then make regular deposits. This will enable you to pay your deductible in the event of a catastrophe.
It might be possible for you to get a medical discount card that lets you purchase your insurance at a lower rate. With this discounted card you can visit doctors inside the company’s network, and receive reduced cost healthcare if you have a low income. You can make use of a tax-exempt Health Spending Account too for prescriptions and other medical supplies, and use your discount card for care. This will cost you less out-of-pocket for medical care, and cost you less each month in premiums.
If your credit is good, you have a better chance at getting lower premiums. If your credit score is unfavorable, you may actually pay higher premiums. An insurance company can even reject you flat out and refuse you coverage. Try to clean up your credit, and then get a better health plan.
Ask your insurance company or doctor if they are providing your medical records to the Medical Information Bureau as mandated. If they do, it is possible to get a complimentary copy of your medical records one time per year.