‘Uncategorized’ Archives
Brown Seeks Special Session on Health Care Reform
Gov. Jerry Brown has told California lawmakers that he intends to call a special legislative session on health care reform at the end of the year. The Democratic governor told legislative leaders that many of the provisions of the new federal health care law cannot be implemented without further guidance from federal officials. His chief health [...]
Single-Payer Champions
Paul Ryan, an arch enemy of the Affordable Care Act, may push President Barack Obama‘s health care reform into the center of the 2012 political ring. Dr. Diljeet K. Singh, who is a board member of Physicians for a National Health Program claims that research shows that private insurance bureaucracy and paperwork consume 31 percent of every [...]
Health Startups Promise Enormous Payouts in Silicon Valley
Healthcare is becoming a new star in Silicon Valley. Driven by the promise of enormous payouts, entrepreneurs are using the latest technology and design to help save lives, and make money. "It's risky," said Nate Gross, co-founder of San Francisco, California-based Rock Health, an incubator for healthcare startups. "You have a few more cards [...]
Standards Open Exchange Doors for Qualified Health Plans
The California Health Benefit Exchange board wants insurers to participate while allowing some flexibility for health plans to alter benefit designs. But, at the same time, the exchange needs to keep a lid on the way insurers offer coverage plans. The push and pull between the health plans' need to earn money and the exchange's need to [...]
State Insurance Commissioner Says Affordable Care Act is Good Medicine.
Californians pay about $500 apiece in extra health insurance premiums to cover the uninsured who get more expensive care through hospital emergency rooms. Each family is pays approximately $1,400 per year extra. Medical providers shift a substantial portion of those uncompensated costs to health insurers in the form of higher reimbursement [...]
Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform
Medical malpractice costs are a flash point for physicians and malpractice trial lawyers with each side claiming that their solutions would avoid disaster for patients and our health care delivery system. The issue is a distraction, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be addressed. The topic obstructs discussion of the higher impact reforms that [...]
Smart Tax Planning for the Gap Years
Many families seek financial planning advice specifically for retirement. But if they wait too long, they miss an important tax-planning opportunity. A great strategy is to take advantage of the time between retirement and Social Security at age 70, the so-called gap years. With some planning for this gap, you can move income into the lower tax [...]
Retirement Income Market – A Significant Growth Opportunity for Life-Annuity Insurers
The retirement income market represents a unique opportunity for insurers to realign their solutions to meet an evolving consumer need, according to a new study by Conning Research & Consulting. Life and annuity insurers have been helping individuals amass assets in preparation for retirement. At the end of 2011, for example, individual and [...]
Tuning In To Our Annual Dental Survey–July 2012 California Broker
Tuning In To Our Annual Dental Survey Welcome to Part I of California Broker’s 2012 Dental Survey. We’ve asked the top dental providers in California to answer 28 crucial questions to better help you, the agent, understand their benefits, features, and services. Look for Part II in the August issue. Read the responses and sell accordingly. [...]
Employees Still Uncertain about Retirement
A recent survey shows that employees’ proactive focus on retirement planning was sustained in the first quarter of 2012. Yet, despite a strong market rebound over the past couple of quarters, employees remained uncertain about their investing decisions and ability to retire. This appears to be a result of employees continuing to realize they are [...]
