LSM INSURANCE ASSOCIATES

A number of you have asked me about what I think about a National Health Care plan and I think that Congress is biting off more than it can chew.  Here is a video by ABC's John Stossel which points out a number of issues that aren't being addressed or discussed about the Obama program. Right now we have great medical care in the US as compared to other countries and we get to make our own choices. (yes I know we have problems but we don't have to make swiping changes to fix them)  Ask someone on Medicare how they feel about their healthcare plan and you will get a sense of how challenging a national health care plan might be for us Under 65'ers. Check out this video & make your own decisions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9GMKK_fWKg

If you feel like Congress is going the wrong way then go to my page ??? National Health Plan to find a link to telling your congressional representative how you feel.

The January 2010 BCBSNC rates have started arriving in mail boxes and so far, I have seen 12% renewals on average but I have also heard about some larger increases. With medical trend around 8% these are a little higher then expected.  I believe that the increase is being set based on what your current deductible is. The lower your current deductible is the higher your renewal increase will be.

When you look at your renewal options, you may want to consider a Health Savings Account. The key to using an HSA is that you need to understand how they work. When you add up your deductible, your maximum out of pocket expenses with the annual premium a HSA generally costs less then a PPO plan. However, the hard part of an HSA is that you have to be willing to give up your copay benefits which for some people will be really difficult. If you go to my Health Savings Account page you can find out the HSA limits for 2010 as well as look at other resources resources.

If you currently have BCBSNC Blue Advantage, be on the lookout for your annual renewal letter. It should arrive in October and you have the month of November to make changes. Per Blue Cross, the lower your deductible, the higher the rate increase will be. You should also be aware that with most individual carriers your rates are also affected by a change in your age band. What that means is that if you hit that 45th birthday, your rates move from the 40-44 age bands to the 45-49 age bands, etc. which makes your renewal is that much higher! Remember, you have options and we can help.