Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Recent Health Insurance News

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 01 Nov 2007 - 11:00 PDT

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Several newspapers recently reported on news related to health insurance. Summaries appear below.

• Benefits: Most workers with employer-sponsored health benefits "assume their coverage will remain intact" from year to year, but many companies engage in an ongoing process of re-evaluating their offerings, the Houston Chronicle reports. According to Hewitt Associates, only about 40% of U.S. workers change or reconfirm their employer-sponsored health benefits annually. Sara Taylor, Hewitt's annual enrollment leader, said some employers have started terminating coverage for workers who do not reconfirm their benefits, saying that "they want people to understand it and value it." Jill Watson, managing partner of Gallagher Benefit Services, said that some companies also have been evaluating the extent of dependent coverage and spousal coverage to cut health care costs (Cook, Houston Chronicle, 10/29).
  
  
• Health credit cards: Some health insurers are introducing credit cards that enrollees can use exclusively to pay for health care services, the Forth Worth Star-Telegram reports. Typically the cards offer low- or no-interest periods, but like other credit cards, they often come with fees and higher interest rates after the introductory period. Humana recently launched such a product, called the HumanaAdvance card, which has a $96 annual fee and allows users to pay off bills interest-free over six months through payroll deductions. Beth Bierbower, Humana's vice president of product innovation, said, "This is something for people in time of need." Some consumer advocates are concerned about the growing availability of such credit cards. Mila Kofman, an associate research professor at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute, said, "If you can't afford the deductible, then putting the deductible on a credit card -- adding in the fees and the interest -- is the worst thing you can do. That's not going to help you be able to finance your medical care. It's just going to get you further into debt" (Perotin, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10/29).
  
  
• Long-term care insurance: The average age of people purchasing long-term care insurance for the first time has fallen below 60 years old, according to a study released on Monday by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. According to the study, in 2007, the average age of first-time long-term care insurance purchasers was 58. It was 61 years old in 2000 and 69 years old in 1995, according to the study. The number of U.S. residents who have long-term care insurance increased about 60% to eight million, compared with less than five million in 2000. According to the study, 46% of long-term care insurance buyers were between ages 50 and 6, and 40% were older than 60. The remaining 14% were younger than age 50 (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 10/29).

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