Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Covered California has estimated that 112,000 individuals will lose the health insurance subsidy under the proposed Republican budget reconciliation bill now under consideration in Congress. Language in the bill would prevent lawfully permanent residents in close to 40 categories from receiving the Advance Premium Tax Credit subsidy to lower health insurance premiums. Republican bill to […]
Except for a few qualifying life events, you have a 60-day special enrollment period window to enroll in health insurance from the date of the event. The qualifying life events listed below are of May 2025. Proposed rule changes by the Trump administration may mean some events are no longer eligible for the special enrollment period.
The management of websites, especially as large and complicated as Covered California, requires professionals that understand all the code, trackers, cookies, and tags. It is surprising that the Covered California IT team missed the tag that was gathering personal information and sending it to LinkedIn.
President Trump has instilled fear and caution in consumers applying for health insurance. Some consumers are skipping over optional questions that pertain to ethnicity and gender identity fearful their responses may be used against them in the future by the Trump administration. I agree with them.
Central to Altman’s response, and threads through eleven-page letter, is that Covered California’s success is a function of the flexibility the state had to implement innovative strategies to help consumers enroll in health insurance. The new CMS rules are based on a one-size-fits-all concept when each state’s population is different.
All health, dental, and vision insurance plans will have mechanisms that have the plan member pay a certain portion of the provided services. When you know how the different parts of the member cost-sharing work overtime, it is easier to predict future costs.
A similar conduit of water happens when a layer of algae or moss develops across the tightly woven filter. All of the pollen, dirt, dust, and organic matter from the roof gets directed to the gutters. Not all the organic matter passes through the filter and creates a petri dish-like environment. I had to brush the filter clear to get the drizzle of water from dripping on to sidewalk.
In my review, I have budgeted $12,000 for cremation and a small celebration of life. This amount is high, but I was trying to factor inflation if I live a long time. Next, I estimate it will take $10,000 to clear up all of my outstanding debts and business expenses. This dollar figure is inflated as I may die after I retire and no longer have business expenses or quarterly estimated tax payments. I am hoping that my small $5,000 in savings will be easily accessible to pay for the final expenses.
The explanation of the rule changes by CMS is peppered with terms like “protect consumers”, “stable marketplace”, “reduce adverse selection”, and “improve risk pool.” However, the individual and family market has been very stable for many years. I have not heard of any California health plans getting sick, going bankrupt, or dying because they could not get health care.
Overall, we would both select engineered hardwood again even with the marginally higher cost. No blog post or video can capture the work that you must do to prepare for the new flooring or the subsequent return of all the furniture into the residence. Similarly, it is hard to capture the entire installation process and how it will disrupt your life.
