Savings opportunities abound for 2018 DC health plans despite premium increases from 2017. On average, premiums for health insurance in the individual market increased 15.4% from 2017. These increases, however, mask the variation in the rates among insurers and among plans. Some premiums will rise by 8.0% from 2017 while others will rise 25.2%. The increases […]
Carefirst’s 2018 health plan premiums for DC Health Link plans are unnecessarily high, discriminatory, and likely to distort consumer decision-making. The expected number of buyers of the plan, and not the plan’s features, drives the proposed premium increases. DC should review Carefirst’s 2018 premiums with an eye towards how consumers buy health insurance. Consumers view […]
You have to decide whether to renew your high deductible health plan during this year’s open season. Use these four factors to decide whether to renew your high deductible health plan: Your expected health care needs next year, The premium savings of a high deductible plan, Your anticipated Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions, and Your current […]
The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI) is having a rare Open Season the month of September. This is the first FEGLI Open Season since 2004. If you are a Federal employee eligible for FEGLI, you can increase your coverage without medical underwriting. The lack of medical underwriting means you won’t have a medical […]
Personal liability umbrella policies can protect you from a disastrous lawsuit. Insurance agents love to sell these policies by citing our litigious society. But do you really need one? Like many issues in financial planning, it depends. Personal liability umbrella policies provide additional personal liability coverage on top of the coverage provided by your homeowners […]
Patient experience data can help you choose a new physician. I found myself recently in a situation in which I needed a new primary care physician and an eye surgeon. I hunted for patient experience quality information to help guide my choices. I changed my health plan in 2015 to a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) to […]
These three financial planning tasks can make your snow day very productive. After shoveling the walk and building the snowman, try to complete one or two of these tasks. You know you’ve put them off. So why not take advantage of the snow day to get them done once and for all. 1. Obtain and […]
I often advise clients on how to set financial goals. One technique I use is to ask “how much by when?” Answering this question is a good way to put meat on the bones. It makes your financial goal concrete. The technique also provides an easy way to check whether you achieved your goal. One […]
Use these six tips to decide whether a high-deductible health plan is good for you. These plans have an accompanying Health Savings Account (HSA) that you can use to save for medical expenses that you will have to pay before the plan begins to pay its share. High-deductible health plans are worthy of consideration by the healthy […]
A recent proposal by Medicare reinforces the importance of advance directives for all – both young professionals and those in or near retirement. Medicare has proposed to compensate physicians and other health care providers, when asked, to explain and discuss long-term treatment options and advance care planning for chronic diseases. The reimbursement would also cover […]
