“Ask Nancy: Where can I find health insurance if I have a pre-existing health problem? - ConsumerReports.org (blog)” plus 1 more

Ask Nancy: Where can I find health insurance if I have a pre-existing health problem? - ConsumerReports.org (blog)

Posted: 18 Jan 2011 01:52 PM PST

Q. I now have good health coverage for my family and myself through my employer. I want to start my own business, but I'm worried about being able to purchase health insurance since I have high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. I tried once in the past and no insurance company would offer me coverage because of my pre-existing conditions. Will health-care reform help?

A. Yes, but not until Jan. 1, 2014, when the Affordable Care Act is—finally!—fully implemented. Starting then, it will be against the law for insurers to turn you down or charge you more on the basis of your health condition. You can give up your current job free of that worry (and may even qualify for a subsidy to help your new small business buy coverage for employees).

In the meantime, you have lots of company. Up to half of Americans 65 and younger—129 million in all—have health conditions that could cause them trouble buying insurance on the individual market, according to a study released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The timing of the report's release on the same day that House Republicans begin consideration of a bill to repeal the health reform law is no accident, said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a press conference. "We're using it as an opportunity to remind people of what's at stake," she said.

In fact, right now, you have literally no chance of buying private health insurance in California (where you said you live) on the open market at an affordable premium. There and in most other states, insurers automatically turn down people with type 2 diabetes, even if they have their condition under control and follow proper diet and exercise habits.

Until the reforms kick in, you do have a few options, though they're going to be more expensive than what you have through your employer. (Thanks to the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute's invaluable state health insurance guides for the details to follow.)

• If your current employer has 20 or more workers, you can quit your job and maintain your current coverage through COBRA for 18 months, but you'll have to pay the full premium yourself.

• Once your COBRA runs out, you can extend it another 18 months through Cal-COBRA, provided that your former employee plan was fully-insured and not self-insured (your employee benefits office can tell you what kind you have). Again, you'll be paying the entire tab. If you work for a company with fewer than 20 workers and are therefore ineligible for regular federal COBRA, you can take Cal-COBRA for 36 months.

• If you're not eligible for Cal-COBRA, you can switch to a private plan after your federal COBRA runs out under a provision of the federal HIPAA law that more people should know about. It guarantees people leaving employer group coverage the right to buy designated private plans without excluding their pre-existing conditions. The catch, and it's a big one, is that the insurer can and undoubtedly will charge you considerably more if you're not in perfect health.

• You can also obtain coverage from California's state high-risk health insurance pool, MRMIP, but it's likely to be more expensive than what you have now and has an annual benefit cap of just $75,000. If your wife and children are in good health, you might consider getting MRMIP coverage for yourself and a regular individual policy for the rest of the family.

—Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor

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Steve Jobs taking medical leave from Apple to focus on health - Chicago Sun-Times

Posted: 18 Jan 2011 04:15 PM PST

Steve Jobs taking medical leave from Apple to focus on health

Staff and Wire Reports Jan 18, 2011 05:43AM

In an Oct. 20, 2010 file photo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. | File

NEW YORK — Apple CEO Steve Jobs says he's taking a medical leave of absence so he can focus on his health.

Jobs has a history of pancreatic cancer and underwent a liver transplant in 2009.

Jobs announced his leave to Apple employees in the following e-mail:

"Team, At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company. I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple's day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011. I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy. Steve"

He says he will continue as CEO and be involved in major decisions but has asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all day-to-day operations.

Jobs says he loves Apple and hopes to be back as soon as he can. He says he and his family would appreciate respect for their privacy.

Cook took the company reins when Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, went on medical leave from January through June 2009.

It was Cook's second stint leading Apple. Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, ran the Cupertino, Calif.-based company for two months in 2004 while Jobs recovered from surgery for pancreatic cancer. His performance then won him the promotion to chief operating officer in 2005.

Analysts credit Cook with solving problems that Apple was having with inventory management. Many people consider Cook as Jobs' logical successor.

Under Cook's direction in 2009, the company kept cranking out well-received products including updated laptops with lower entry-level prices and a faster iPhone with many longed-for features. Apple sold more than a million of the new iPhone 3GS during its first three days on the market.

Health and Beauty

Tuesday, January 18, 2011