Tag Archives: health insurance

Although signed into law by President Obama two years ago, the Affordable Care Act is facing fierce resistance in states led by Republican governors. Just last week, the state House in South Carolina passed a bill declaring Obamacare “null and void,” criminalizing its implementation. Certain conservative politicians are openly waging an all-out battle to prevent health care reform. The Center for American Progress infographic below shows if implemented, how the Affordable Care Act will insure people. It explains what Obamacare …

A health insurance company rolled the dice with a Las Vegas jury and lost more than half a billion dollars. The HMO was sued by patients who were infected in a hepatitis C outbreak at colonoscopy clinics operated by a doctor who reused syringes and cut corners. The two patients, Helen Meyer and Bonnie Brunson, contracted the incurable virus that attacks the liver after undergoing endoscopic procedures at a clinic run by Dr. Depak Desai. The outbreak infected dozens of …

Waiting for Obamacare to bring affordable and comprehensive insurance to the masses? Consumers who enjoy the sweet, sweet drag of an American Spirit or Marlboro Red might be waiting in vain. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will mandate that nearly everybody carry health insurance starting next year, will allow insurers to charge smokers at a rate of up to 1.5 times what their non-smoking peers pay. The increased premium could mean that older smokers could see bills …

Healthcare flexible spending accounts are an employee benefit by which workers can set aside a certain amount of their salary, pre-tax, to use for healthcare costs. Some 33 million American workers currently take advantage of FSAs to save on their income tax bills. Contributions an employee makes to an FSA are deducted from the employee’s salary before federal, state or social security taxes are calculated. By using an FSA, you decrease your taxable income and increase your spendable income.   …

You lose a spouse in divorce, and you also stand to lose custody of children as well as property and possessions. But did you know you can also lose your health insurance? It’s an aspect of divorce that is often overlooked. And according to a study released in November by researchers at the University of Michigan, loss of health insurance via divorce is happening to more and more women.   Growing Problem for Middle Class About 115,000 American women lose …