Much has been written about the Affordable Care Act in advance of the opening of the exchanges scheduled for October 1, 2013. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal provides a terrific overview of what it will be like to buy health insurance after the exchanges open for business on October 1, 2013. Here are some key points from the article, the full text of which you can read
Policies Sold in the Health Care Exchanges May Offer Fewer Providers
Mandatory health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for most Americans starting on January 1, 2014 will cause a flood into the market of previously-uninsured individuals and those needing to get new coverage. Coupled with the fact that insurance plans will be required to cover a comprehensive list of essential health benefits, insurance companies and government officials are trying to find ways to hold down medical costs. Renegotiating
Like Your Health Care Policy? You May be Losing It!
In the spirit of full disclosure, the title of this post comes directly from an article published recently by the Associated Press, the full text of which you can read here. While we don’t want to be alarmist, we like the title because it really sums up the gist of what we may be seeing in the not-too-distant future. Some individuals who buy their insurance privately, as well as some
Four Months and Counting to the Insurance Exchanges
Is anybody else as focused on October 1 as we are here at Virginia Medical Plans? Tomorrow, June 1, will start the four-month countdown to the opening of the health insurance exchanges (also known as the marketplace) created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Staying abreast of the latest news about ACA is almost like watching a race — a months-long race to a finish line that presents us with
What is a Health Savings Account (HSA)?
(This post was originally published in May 2013 and was updated in Nov 2016, Oct 2017, May 2018, Aug 2018, Nov 2019, May 2020, June 2021, May, 2022, and September, 2023) When you have insurance coverage through a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), you may establish a Health Savings Account (HSA). An HSA is an account into which you deposit money to pay for medical-related costs. There are many benefits of
What is a High-Deductible Health Plan?
(This post was originally published in May, 2013 and was updated in Nov 2016, Oct 2017, Aug 2018, Nov 2019, May 2020, June 2021, May 2022, and September 2023) A high-deductible health plan (HDHP) is just what the name implies. It is a health insurance plan that has a higher deductible than traditional insurance plans. An HDHP also has lower premiums than traditional coverage. In plain English, when you’re covered
Health Insurance – Daily News Briefings
Every day brings new developments in the health insurance and related industries. As you can imagine, it is almost a full-time job to keep up with everything! At Virginia Medical Plans, we rely upon a daily news briefing published by the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) to give us the highlights of what’s happening on any given day. We publish these NAHU updates every day, Monday through Friday, so
Virginia Medical Plans — Keeping a Watchful Eye on Unfolding Health Reform
One of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is for Americans to be able to obtain health insurance regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. However, when ACA was signed into law in March of 2010, it was still nearly four years (until January of 2014) until insurance companies would be required to cover people with pre-existing conditions. As a transition for affected individuals who had been uninsured for at
Helping Businesses Navigate Health Care Reform
If you are a business owner or manager involved in your company’s group insurance process, check out a terrific new resource that we think will really help you understand and navigate the Affordable Care Act. We’ve added the document to our Resources page which you may want to bookmark so you can refer back often! As always, give us a call if you have any questions. We will be happy
Why Do I Need an Insurance Agent?
People often ask this question. And with just cause. After all, it seems pretty straightforward to go online, click a few boxes, and purchase health insurance. Or, if your employer offers group coverage, you simply read the employee handout and make your selection. But, without professional advice, can the average person really understand all of the provisions of an insurance plan and navigate an often-complicated claims process? Sometimes, it takes
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