Texas Health Insurance Plans Online in 2 Minutes!

Breaking News!!–Are you a UNICARE Health Insurance customer in Texas?  UNICARE has decided to pull out of the state of Texas and will no longer write group or individual health, dental, or life insurance effective immediately.  UNICARE has a transition plan for the customers to a similar plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.  Customers of UNICARE should start to receive letters from UNICARE in the very near future of this change.  What if you do not want the Blue Cross plan UNICARE is going to offer?  You can stay on your current UNICARE plan until June 2010 and then you have to choose another plan or go with Blue Cross.  We have posted the letter that was sent to us below from UNICARE and there are numbers you can call with questions but we know their phone are going to be flooded with calls and we recommend you call your broker or call us at Texas Health and Life at 1-800-371-2015 or 512-246-9955-you can also email us at justin@texashealthandlife.com or tamara@texashealthandlife.com to determine your best strategy moving forward!

UniCare has made a difficult strategic decision to exit commercial health insurance markets in Texas. Following a transition period, UniCare will no longer provide health benefits in Texas.

BCBSTX will be in contact with you soon to discuss an offer to transition your customers’ health benefits. In the meantime, if you have questions regarding UniCare’s decision, please use the below contact information:

• For questions regarding Large Group, contact your UniCare Account Manager or BCBSTX Sales Representative
• For questions regarding Small Group and Individual, contact your UniCare Agent Support team at 877-864-2468

If your customers also have dental, vision, group life or disability coverage through UniCare, the BCBSTX offer will also include that coverage.

Thanks for reading and be well!

To learn more about health insurance, visit http://www.texashealthandlife.com.

Embattled health insurance companies are taking a page from Goldlilocks. Last week, a 4-month-old child was denied insurance for being too heavy (the company has since changed its mind). Now the Web is buzzing about a toddler who was denied coverage for being too small.

On Wednesday morning, “The Today Show” covered the story of 2-year-old Aislin Bates. Though she weighs just 22 pounds (in the third percentile range for kids her age), her doctor has described her as being perfectly healthy, never having been sick with anything more than a cold. Still, United HealthCare didn’t buy it, saying that the child didn’t meet height and weight standards. So, no insurance for Aislin.

The story has inspired a slew of searches. After the segment aired on NBC, queries on young Aislin surged from zilch into triple digits. United HealthCare is wisely responding to what could be a PR crisis. In an article from Denver’s ABC affiliate, a company spokesperson for United HealthCare said the company’s height and weight requirements “are based on several medical sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, and are well within industry standards.”

Still, Aislin’s case, as well as the previous incident of the obese 4-month-old, have highlighted the difficulties some parents face when trying to get coverage for their children. Aislin’s father Rob was quoted as saying that even though he doesn’t support universal health care, this battle over insuring his daughter has made him want insurance companies to have more “legitimate reasons for denying coverage.”  

NBC medical expert Dr. Nancy Snyderman, who appeared with the Bates family, was more pointed in her criticism: “This is just so bogus. A pre-existing condition for a child this age is birth, let’s be real….. This is why things have to change.”

-As seen on the front page of Yahoo Thursday October 22, 2009

This is the very reason the public needs knowledgeable insurance brokers.   When an individual is looking for coverage, they need to contact a broker. An individual needs to look at the Agency’s website to make sure that the Broker is able to provide them with the services needed.  For example, does the agency quote all the major insurance companies in the state in which the individual resides in?  Rates fluctuate with each carrier.  It is important to make sure the individual is getting the best coverage at the lowest price.  Does the agent offer customer service to assist the individual with problems such as claims through out the year & at renewal when an individual needs to revisit all the insurance carriers in the state to make sure the premium is still fair?   

Last, to be able to help individuals like Aislin’s family find coverage.  Even though United Healthcare would not write Aislin at first, there are insurance carriers that would.  Each insurance carrier has different guidelines they abide by, and these guidelines can fluctuate dramatically.  Where agents might find conservative guidelines with one carrier, they can find very lenient guidelines with another carrier.  An agent can also assist an individual in overturning a decision or a rider that may have been put on the policy. This is why it is so important to have a knowledgeable Broker on your side.  Brokers / Agents are meant to go to bat for individuals, and they work as a counselor for your insurance needs. Best of all their services are at no cost you. The costs of the insurance plans are at the same cost as if an individual were to go directly to the insurance carrier. In other words, their services are free to you with out extra cost being added to the plans. There are answers and solutions to every problem that Texas Health & Life has came across.  

To learn more about health insurance, visit http://www.texashealthandlife.com.

If you are planning to get pregnant in the near future, you need to check on your current policy and ask to add a maternity rider to your policy or change your policy to an insurance carrier that offers maternity coverage.  Currently, in the state of Texas, there are only two carriers that currently offer maternity coverage to be added to your individual policy. Maternity coverage can only be added before you become pregnant. Once you are pregnant, insurance carriers consider it a preexisting condition and will not allow you to purchase additional coverage.  In fact, while you are pregnant, you cannot switch from your current insurance carrier.  Insurance carriers will not insure you or you family while you are pregnant, but a few carriers will offer to cover children.  So before you plan a child, make sure your current individual plan offers maternity or otherwise find an insurance carrier that does.

Most individuals in the state of Texas are unaware of the guidelines until it is too late.  What is a expecting mother to do if she currently has coverage but does not have maternity coverage or is uninsured all together?  First, Contact Texas Department of State Health Services to see if you qualify for any of their programs that provide assistance. Second, be very careful of scams.  This is a wonderful time for you and your family and it should be enjoyable without the worries of financial burdens.  Texas Health & Life is here to help keep you informed and help in any way.

Texas Department of State Health Services
1100 West 49th Street, Austin
Texas 78756-3199
Phone: (512) 458-7111 or 1-888-963-7111
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) Relay Texas: 1-800-735-2989

To learn more about health insurance, visit http://www.texashealthandlife.com.

HSA’s are quickly becoming the most preferred consumer-driven health plan.  Texas Health and Life loves HSA compatible plans because participants typically save on premium expenses and take greater control of their health-care spending, not to mention benefit from triple tax advantages.  Are you one of the many Americans that have a high deductible health insurance plan?  Do you have a Healthcare Savings Account that you taking advantage of with that plan?  You need to see the upcoming changes below to make sure you are getting the most out of your health insurance and your HSA.

IRS 2010 maximum contribution levels:

$3050 for individual and $6150 for a family

Thanks for reading and be well!

To learn more about health insurance, visit http://www.texashealthandlife.com.

Texas Health and Life talks a lot of customers that want to know what a pre-existing condition is considered when it comes to health insurance.  A pre-existing condition is any physical or mental illness or injury for which a member has received medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment during the six-month period immediately preceding the member’s effective date.  Most health insurance companies will not provide coverage for the treatment of pre-existing conditions for the first 12 months following the date of coverage unless the applicant has prior medical coverage that reduces or eliminates the exclusion period under applicable law.  We work with all of the major Texas health insurance carriers and help you determine which carrier will best cover your condition.  If you are looking for coverage and are unsure about having coverage for a pre-existing condition give us a call or shoot us an email.

Thanks for reading and be well!

To learn more about health insurance, visit http://www.texashealthandlife.com.

Are you concerned about the contracting the H1N1 virus or do you know someone that has already?  Would like to get the vaccine for either yourself or someone in your family but not sure if it is covered on your health insurance.  Most group health insurance plans are covering the H1N1 vaccine with no copays, deductibles or coinsurance fees.  Most individual health insurance plans are covering the H1N1 vaccine under an office copay if your plan has office copays.  Be sure to call the 800 number on the back of your health insurance company ID cards though before you go to the doctor to get your H1N1 vaccine so that you will know for sure how it is covered by your health plan.

Thanks for reading and be well!

To learn more about health insurance, visit http://www.texashealthandlife.com.

What do these 3 terms have in common you ask?-A lot!  We talk to seniors every week at Texas Health & Life that are in a dilemma on what to do about health insurance coverage about a year before they become Medicare eligible.  In lots of cases with senior couples they are currently on former employer’s health insurance plans and one spouse is eligible for Medicare when the other is not–what do you do in this situation?  We recommend that the spouse that needs coverage for a year or so before Medicare gets onto a short term health insurance plan if they are looking to save money and not worried about pre-existing conditions.  If they need coverage for pre-existing conditions we work with several carriers that will cover the spouse and the conditions at an increased rate.  In most cases we are able to find a much more afforable health insurance for any senior in this situation.  If you know anyone in this situation give them our website or have them call us.

Thanks and Be Well!

Are you between jobs and without health insurance, just graduated college and off of your parents health insurance plan, or are you just looking for more affordable health insurance coverage?  Texas Health & Life works with some of the top carriers for short term health insurance in Texas.  Short-term health insurance is really not full blown health insurance with office co-pays and prescription co-pays but it does offer you very affordable health insurance coverage to help you bridge the gaps between your permanent insurance coverage.  Some carriers we work with even allow individuals to buy coverage to up 12 months.  Give us a call or shoot us an email to see if short term health insurance is right for you!  Using Texas Health & Life as your agent does not cost you anything extra than going straight to the carrier to purchase this type of health insurance coverage.  In most cases if you can qualify medically by answering NO to 8 simple questions you are approved the next day.

Go to www.texashealthandlife.com to request more information

Thanks and be well!

Texas Health and Life wants our customers and potential customers to be informed about the changes that being proposed to our current healthcare system.  Does something need to happen to make healthcare and health insurance more affrodable–YES! but we must be careful and knowledgable on what we are being offered.  We found an excellent site that offers up to date news on what is happening with healthcare reform www.heatlhcareexchange.com .  This site even has prepared form letters that allows you to send to your congressman and senators on your position with healthcare reform.

Knowledge is Power and we hope that you enjoy the site!

You can also keep up date with healthcare reform by visiting our Facebook page Texas Health & Life by clicking on the link on our homepage at www.texashealthandlife.com

Take care and Be well!