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More Same-Sex Couples Offered Health Insurance Than Ever

With President Obama’s recent declaration that he thinks gay marriage should be legal, the press has been buzzing about the rights of same-sex couples more than usual – and that’s saying something. We love a hot, controversial topic, as long as it ties into the hottest topic of them all – health insurance!

You might be surprised to find out that as of last year, 52 percent of employers already offered domestic partner health benefits. This is up from 31 percent in 2010. These statistics are derived from a recent survey conducted by Mercer, a benefit consultant group. Apparently, employers tend to feel that by offering domestic partner health insurance, they will be able to attract a wider pool of talent interested in staying on board for longer periods of time.

It would appear that the times, they are a changin’.

It should be noted, however that percentages of businesses offering group health insurance that cater to domestic partners varies greatly depending on what region of the country you work in. In the West, 79 percent of large companies extend this benefit, while only 28 percent do in the South.

Here are some more interesting facts surrounding the issue:

In 1982, The Village Voice newspaper in New York City was the first private employer ever to offer domestic partner benefits to their employees.
In 1995, Vermont became the first state to offer domestic partner benefits to state workers.
58 percent of Fortune 500 companies currently offer domestic partner benefits.
Same-sex partners of federal workers are still not eligible for domestic partner benefits due to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. There is plenty of opposition to this law and it is likely that the issue will be brought before the Supreme Court.

Check out the original source here.

GoHealth in the News: Student Health Insurance

At GoHealth, we make it our mission to help individuals and families find the right health insurance – by any means possible! We blog about it, tweet about and dream about, of course. But lately we’ve become health insurance missionaries, spreading the gospel about finding health insurance coverage across the nation.

This past weekend, our Vice President of Consumer Marketing, Michael Mahoney, traveled to the fair city of Charlotte, North Carolina to visit their local CBS news station, WBTV. Consumer reporter, Kristen Miranda interviewed Michael about health insurance options for recent graduates and how GoHealthInsurance.com can streamline the process of obtaining it.

Check out the original source here.

Health Reform Means Positive Shifts for Latinos

In a little over a month, we will finally know the Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA). As we wait patiently, GoHealth continues to keep the conversation about health reform going. Today, we focus on one segment of the American population that would benefit greatly by health care reform – Latinos.

Latinos make up the highest number of uninsured people in the country. Assuming the health reform laws go through, about nine million Latinos in America will be have more control over their own health care than ever before. For extensive information on how health care reform could potentially affect all Americans, visit HealthCare.Gov. Let’s take a look at how things would change in ways specific to Latinos.

Access to Preventive Care

Due to lack of health insurance, Latinos are less likely to seek out preventive care. Under reform, proactive approaches to staying well and preventing the spread of illness and disease are considered top priorities. Any preventive care is exempt from co-pays and deductibles.

Changes in Latino Health Disparities

Research will be conducted to learn more about the disparities in health care quality in Latino communities throughout the country. Using this information, initiatives are planned to increase ethnic diversity amongst health care professionals and build cultural training programs among health care providers.

A New Focus on Minority Health

The National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities will transition from a “Center” to an “Institute” with much broader scope and purpose. Also, the Office of Minority Health within the Department of Health and Human Services will elevate practices to monitor health, trends, and quality of care among minorities to evaluate the success of minority health initiatives.

Medicaid Funding for Puerto Rico and the US Territories

$6.3 billion in new Medicaid funding will be available to Puerto Rico and the Territories. Puerto Rico may develop a Health Care Exchange to make the process of comparing health insurance rates and plans more clear cut.

Check out the original source here.

Is the U.S. Doomed to Be Obese?

In the past few weeks, America’s obesity epidemic has been making the news more than usual. A new study released by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine indicates that more than 42 percent of Americans will be obese in 2030. As for people considered to be “severely obese,” the number is expected to more than double between 2010 and 2030.

Among children, obesity rates are staggering. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. If a parent is obese, it is 3 times more likely that their child will be.

The health problems associated with obesity have a significant economic impact on the U.S. health care system. The most recent information totaled the medical cost of obesity to about $190 billion. This figure is derived by looking at both direct and indirect costs related to obesity.

An example of a direct cost would be receiving medical treatment due to your weight problem. Indirect costs are the value of income lost from things such as decreased productivity, absenteeism and bed days.

As GoHealth has reported in a previous blog, the cost of health insurance coverage also increases dramatically when one is overweight or obese. Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more. People with a BMI between 25 to 29.9 are considered to be overweight.

Under the current law, health insurance carriers are allowed to raise rates based on a high BMI. In some cases, it can increase your monthly premium payment by over $500. If your BMI is too high, an insurance company will likely deny you health insurance coverage altogether.

As disconcerting as the recent predictions about obesity in America are, let’s not just surrender to the inevitable. We have the power to fight obesity and determine our own healthy futures. Here are just a few wise things to consider entering into your rotation:

Check out the original source here.

Out-of-State Health Insurance Companies in Georgia

During the health care debate leading up to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) many argued that consumers should be able to purchase health insurance across state lines. Basically, if you live in New York you could purchase health insurance from an insurer in New Jersey.

Proponents of purchasing health insurance across state lines thought this would make health insurance rates more competitive across the country and would allow consumers to save money by purchasing more affordable plans.

Currently there are three states that have passed laws intending to allow out-of-state health insurers to offer policies to residents including Rhode Island, Wyoming and Georgia.

Georgia passed the law almost exactly a year ago and many are considering it to be a failure.

Why?

Not one out-of-state health insurer has requested to offer plans in Georgia since the law was passed in 2011. Instead of health insurers flooding to Georgia to offer plans in the state, many aren’t jumping to the opportunity.

Reasons for the lack of interest could mainly be due to the fact that many health insurance companies are waiting until the Supreme Court makes a decision on health care reform. Instead of acting, many health insurers seem to be in a waiting pattern.

Another issue could be that health insurers are not interested in joining the market, spending money on advertising in a state they don’t have presence in and trying to maintain certain Medical Loss Ratios (MLR) as defined by the ACA. This all requires a lot of work and planning at a time when many health insurance companies are just trying to keep up with ACA regulations and deadlines.

While the experiment in Georgia is an interesting one, Georgia may have enacted the legislation at the wrong time. Either way, maybe health insurers will join the market in the future and provide Georgia residents another source for health insurance.

Check out the original source here.