The different brands of social conservatives make up about 20%; secular, anti-war liberals make up about 17%. The political landscape in both parties is actually quite diverse, but lately the Democratic party tends to foster more public debate within the party while the Republican campaign agenda has pretty much been ruled by the religious loony-tunes in the last ten years -- that "majority" is silent no more.
I've always wondered why McCain lets a bunch of red-necks in South Carolina decide the fate of the party. Nation-wide, the supply side Republicans probably out-number the values police. He just needs to get them engaged in the primaries. The backlash against the evangelical branch of the party is coming -- just look at what's happened in Kansas politics in the last couple years.
Your employer should get a better insurer. The Blues, Aetna, and Kaiser have pretty good systems in place, where the claim is deducted directly from the HSA. I have one, and I have yet to write a check. It's all done automatically.
"(keeping in mind that you have to use all the money in a year or lose it)"
You are confusing an HSA with an FSA or HRA. HSAs allow you to keep money from year, and in most policies, keep the money after you leave the plan for another one. You must have a high deductible account to contribute to it tax-free.
If you cannot swing individual coverage PPO or HMO rates (or if your dealing with lousy HMO networks and need a PPO-Type product), I highly recommend that you look into a high deductible plan. It provides a few things at relatively low cost:
1) Purchasing power: even if you have a 5K deductible, you can often make up for the cost of your premium in the discounts you receive for services. Providers often charge the uninsured 3X to 10X more for services compared to the rates that insurance companies negotiate with providers. Think of it as a Sam's Club membership for health care.
2) Tax free out of pocket: The HSA is a way to make your "out-of-pocket" medical expenses pre-tax (not sure if you can pay premiums pre-tax, though). Even better, you can keep unused money in the account at year-end, and take the account with you if you leave the plan. If you don't use a lot of services/drugs, you can put the unused money in a money market and let it grow tax free. This accumulation can be used as a rainy-day health fund, or give you flexibility to raise your deductible and lower your premiums.
3) Catastrophic coverage: When shopping, be sure to look at the maximum out of pocket, in addition to deductible, benefits, etc. This is a way you can have some piece of mind that you will not be hit by more than $X in out of pocket expenses in a given year. Note: this is not your deductible. After your deductible, you still pay co-insurance or co-pays.
When shopping for a Plan, your state insurance commissioner is a good source of information regarding complaints, litigation, etc. Organizations like NCQA and URAC also provide 3rd party quality ratings for insurers and providers.
This is a great point. Not only form a technical perspective, but from a legal perspective. Why should I be liable for a credit balance that I did not physically open? If someone is caught opening an account in my name, they should be responsible for the debt. Why is the burden of proof on the consumer to prove that they did not open the account. If the burden went the other way, banks would be much more diligent about making sure the person opening the account is really who they way they are.
That sucks. A few things you should look into:
Out of network, maximum out of pocket: Are you in an HMO or PPO? PPO's will usually pay a % of the balance between the allowable rate and the bill if it's out of network. They also often have an out of network maximum out of pocket that is higher than their in-network out of pocket, but still caps your costs. Make sure you are not getting screwed out of your benefit.
Do not pay a cent directly to the hospital until you know you have exhausted your benefit. Keep sending your bill back with insurance info and call your insurance company to make sure you know exactly what you owe, and to whom. Many times hospitals will "balance bill" you to get list prices for their services -- keep in mind that no one (except the uninsured) really pays list price for anything. If you pay the hospital directly, you will never see that money again if you have to get it back after a corrected claim.
If all else fails, ask for an itemized bill and seek mediation for the balance of your bills. Often times hospitals will lower their prices after mediation shows that their list prices are a nothing short of price gouging.
You are still not interpreting the concept correctly. Think of health insurers as a wholesale club for medical care. You pay a subscription fee to get access to significantly cheaper medical costs compared to what you would pay for services if were uninsured -- this is particularly the case for Rx drugs, where retail prices are astronomical in the US. The Commonwealth does not negotiate these prices for you -- their insurer does. In addition to these discounts, you get catastrophic coverage.
Medical insurance also provides collective bargaining on your behalf. As an individual, you are in a crappy position to negotiate the dollar costs for a life saving/preserving service: you pay, or you die/have a much lower quality of life. This is compounded by the fact that you do not even see the prices for the services before you get them, and doctors want your care dictated by effectiveness rather than cost.
Example: I had an emergency room visit earlier this year, where I did not have my insurance information when I was admitted. I received the invoice, and sent it back with my insurance info. The difference between what Hospitals charge uninsured patients and what they negotiate with insurers is huge. My original bill was $4K; the plan-negotiated bill was $1K. Even though I have a high deductible/HSA plan, these savings more than made up for the premiums I pay in a year.
Couldn't power companies get into the business of leasing the roof-top systems? The pricing structure could be based on how much power the customer consumes. The power company could also sell the surplus power through the grid.
This is not always the case. Many times relatives put just as much, if not more, sweat into a family business over their life time as thier parents did. They should't have to give up nearly half thier business because the principle dies. The assets should be taken into consideration. Cash and business assets should not be treated the same.
Slashdot Mirror
It's not that simple. The laws also guide dependent rights for things like employer benefits, insurance beneficiaries, trusts, etc.
The different brands of social conservatives make up about 20%; secular, anti-war liberals make up about 17%. The political landscape in both parties is actually quite diverse, but lately the Democratic party tends to foster more public debate within the party while the Republican campaign agenda has pretty much been ruled by the religious loony-tunes in the last ten years -- that "majority" is silent no more.
I've always wondered why McCain lets a bunch of red-necks in South Carolina decide the fate of the party. Nation-wide, the supply side Republicans probably out-number the values police. He just needs to get them engaged in the primaries. The backlash against the evangelical branch of the party is coming -- just look at what's happened in Kansas politics in the last couple years.
Your employer should get a better insurer. The Blues, Aetna, and Kaiser have pretty good systems in place, where the claim is deducted directly from the HSA. I have one, and I have yet to write a check. It's all done automatically.
You are confusing an HSA with an FSA or HRA. HSAs allow you to keep money from year, and in most policies, keep the money after you leave the plan for another one. You must have a high deductible account to contribute to it tax-free.
1) Purchasing power: even if you have a 5K deductible, you can often make up for the cost of your premium in the discounts you receive for services. Providers often charge the uninsured 3X to 10X more for services compared to the rates that insurance companies negotiate with providers. Think of it as a Sam's Club membership for health care.
2) Tax free out of pocket: The HSA is a way to make your "out-of-pocket" medical expenses pre-tax (not sure if you can pay premiums pre-tax, though). Even better, you can keep unused money in the account at year-end, and take the account with you if you leave the plan. If you don't use a lot of services/drugs, you can put the unused money in a money market and let it grow tax free. This accumulation can be used as a rainy-day health fund, or give you flexibility to raise your deductible and lower your premiums.
3) Catastrophic coverage: When shopping, be sure to look at the maximum out of pocket, in addition to deductible, benefits, etc. This is a way you can have some piece of mind that you will not be hit by more than $X in out of pocket expenses in a given year. Note: this is not your deductible. After your deductible, you still pay co-insurance or co-pays.
When shopping for a Plan, your state insurance commissioner is a good source of information regarding complaints, litigation, etc. Organizations like NCQA and URAC also provide 3rd party quality ratings for insurers and providers.
Gingrich is not "in charge" of anything in the US government. He holds not elected office. He's just a talking head/political operative.
But in most cases you still have to pay for a pre-installed MS OS on your new machine.
This is a great point. Not only form a technical perspective, but from a legal perspective. Why should I be liable for a credit balance that I did not physically open? If someone is caught opening an account in my name, they should be responsible for the debt. Why is the burden of proof on the consumer to prove that they did not open the account. If the burden went the other way, banks would be much more diligent about making sure the person opening the account is really who they way they are.
That sucks. A few things you should look into: Out of network, maximum out of pocket: Are you in an HMO or PPO? PPO's will usually pay a % of the balance between the allowable rate and the bill if it's out of network. They also often have an out of network maximum out of pocket that is higher than their in-network out of pocket, but still caps your costs. Make sure you are not getting screwed out of your benefit. Do not pay a cent directly to the hospital until you know you have exhausted your benefit. Keep sending your bill back with insurance info and call your insurance company to make sure you know exactly what you owe, and to whom. Many times hospitals will "balance bill" you to get list prices for their services -- keep in mind that no one (except the uninsured) really pays list price for anything. If you pay the hospital directly, you will never see that money again if you have to get it back after a corrected claim. If all else fails, ask for an itemized bill and seek mediation for the balance of your bills. Often times hospitals will lower their prices after mediation shows that their list prices are a nothing short of price gouging.
You are still not interpreting the concept correctly. Think of health insurers as a wholesale club for medical care. You pay a subscription fee to get access to significantly cheaper medical costs compared to what you would pay for services if were uninsured -- this is particularly the case for Rx drugs, where retail prices are astronomical in the US. The Commonwealth does not negotiate these prices for you -- their insurer does. In addition to these discounts, you get catastrophic coverage.
Medical insurance also provides collective bargaining on your behalf. As an individual, you are in a crappy position to negotiate the dollar costs for a life saving/preserving service: you pay, or you die/have a much lower quality of life. This is compounded by the fact that you do not even see the prices for the services before you get them, and doctors want your care dictated by effectiveness rather than cost. Example: I had an emergency room visit earlier this year, where I did not have my insurance information when I was admitted. I received the invoice, and sent it back with my insurance info. The difference between what Hospitals charge uninsured patients and what they negotiate with insurers is huge. My original bill was $4K; the plan-negotiated bill was $1K. Even though I have a high deductible/HSA plan, these savings more than made up for the premiums I pay in a year.
You know, it's like squirting pictures through the internets tubes.
Couldn't power companies get into the business of leasing the roof-top systems? The pricing structure could be based on how much power the customer consumes. The power company could also sell the surplus power through the grid.
All your OS are belong to browser?
If more people did this, the RIAA would have to shift legal resources to defence cases. Think of it as disributed litigation.
I would hope that at least the plumbers would know how all those tubes on the internets work.
"...your heirs didn't earn it."
This is not always the case. Many times relatives put just as much, if not more, sweat into a family business over their life time as thier parents did. They should't have to give up nearly half thier business because the principle dies. The assets should be taken into consideration. Cash and business assets should not be treated the same.