President Biden, in his first weeks in office, implemented some major policies meant to offer relief during the coronavirus pandemic. One of the things he did was open a COVID-related Special Enrollment Period that is allowing Americans to enroll in Marketplace health insurance plans or change their plans without experiencing a qualifying life event. The Special Enrollment Period began February 15 of this year, and was initially set to end May 15, but the Biden administration announced at the end of March that the Special Enrollment Period is being extended until August 15.
Hoping To Get More People Insured
The American Rescue Plan Act, which President Biden signed into law in March, made ACA health insurance plans more affordable to millions of Americans. The plan lowered monthly premiums, and even eliminated premiums for many by offering more federal subsidies. “With the American Rescue Plan and the Affordable Care Act, millions of families will be able to sleep a little bit more soundly at night because they don’t have to worry about losing everything if they get sick,” Biden said.
Thanks to the subsidies provided by the American Rescue Plan Act, millions of Americans will save an average of $50 per person a month and $85 per policy a month. In order to allow more people to take advantage of these new subsidies, the White House is extending the Special Enrollment Period, giving people 3 additional months to find a new plan, or upgrade their current plan to one that will save them more money and get them more coverage.“Through this Special Enrollment Period, the Biden Administration is giving the American people the chance they need to find an affordable health care plan that works for them. The American Rescue Plan will bring costs down for millions of Americans,” said newly appointed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement.
Finding A Plan
With the extension of the Special Enrollment Period, you have the opportunity right now to upgrade your Marketplace plan (or get a new plan) with lower out-of-pocket costs and premiums. The best way to do this is by working with an insurance agent. EZ’s licensed agents work with the top-rated insurance companies in the nation and can compare plans in your area in minutes. There is no obligation or hassle, just free quotes. To get free instant quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above or to speak to an agent, call 888-350-1890.
Did you know that nearly half a million people are infected with Lyme disease each year? In fact, Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the country, according to the CDC. One of the reasons for the skyrocketing case numbers is that research into combating the disease is chronically underfunded. And, while a large number of people are infected with Lyme disease each year, many are unaware that they have the bacterial infection because the symptoms resemble that of a cold or the flu. Because of the widespread nature of Lyme disease – there have been infections reported in all 50 states, particularly in the Northeast – it is important to understand how you get the disease, the symptoms, and how to treat it before it gets worse.
What Is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease occurs after getting bit by a deer tick.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, and is passed to humans through the bite of an infected black-legged or deer tick. The tick needs to be on the skin for at least 36 hours in order for a person to become infected with Lyme disease. This, unfortunately, is not a problem; most people are unaware when they are bitten by a tick because the bite does not hurt and is not itchy. These ticks are small, so you might not see it if it is attached to you, meaning it can easily stay hooked onto your skin for several days.
Who Is At Risk?
People who live in wooded areas or have dogs that go into wooded areas are at a higher risk of getting Lyme disease. The tick can latch onto the hair of a dog or cat and then fall off in your home or onto you without you knowing. They often attach to your body in hard-to-see areas such as your groin, armpits or head. Tick bites normally happen during the warmer months when wildlife and people are outside more. But they can be present during the fall and even winter if the temperatures are high enough.
Signs & Symptoms
Early symptoms of Lyme disease start about 3-30 days after an infected tick bites you. It is important to recognize the symptoms early on, because, if left untreated, infection can spread to the joints, heart, and nervous system. Early symptoms include:
If Lyme disease is not treated, then swollen knees are one of the symptoms that can occur.
A round of antibiotics will help treat Lyme disease.
Early detection and treatment is the best way to avoid Lyme disease. Unfortunately, most people never recall being bitten and less than half ever develop the bullseye rash. But if you experience any of the above symptoms, speak with your doctor right away. Your doctor will want to do blood work to check for antibodies. Because your body does not create antibodies for the disease for several weeks, you will have to take more than one test, as the initial one might not show antibodies.
Treatment works best in the early stages of the disease: the earlier you are treated, the better your chances of recovering quickly. Once the disease is detected, antibiotics will be prescribed for 10-14 days. For those who develop Lyme arthritis, which is a late-stage symptom, oral antibiotics will be prescribed for 28 days. Some people will still experience symptoms after being treated; this is normal and can linger for several months.
Prevention
Lyme disease is not contagious, but there are some things that you can do to help prevent it. When hiking, try to avoid bushy areas and grass. If you live in a wooded area, use an insect repellent with DEET in it, and always check yourself, your children, and your pets daily for ticks.
If you suspect Lyme disease, get tested; if it turns out that you do have it, it can be treated with antibiotics. Having a good health insurance plan will keep the cost of bloodwork and medications required to treat it down. If you are looking for an affordable plan or want to find a better plan than your current one, EZ can help! Our agents are highly trained and work with the top-rated insurance companies in the country. We will compare plans in minutes and provide you with quotes, as well as guidance, at no cost to you.To get free quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak with a local agent, call 888-350-1890.
The coronavirus pandemic has changed almost everyone’s life and finances. It has also changed the insurance industry. Many insurance companies switched to handling all of their day-to-day operations online, including handling claims, receiving payments and selling plans. While all of this has been happening, insurance scammers have seen an opportunity to steal information from innocent people. Unfortunately, if you do not use a trusted company that protects your information, you could end up the victim of insurance fraud. You need to work with a trusted company like EZ; we make sure to protect your information with state-of-the-art technology.
Types of insurance fraud to watch out for:
You can fall victim to insurance fraud from illegitimate chatbots offering insurance quotes that steal your information.
Bot quotes: Many companies have chatbots ready to answer your questions, with some even providing insurance quotes! Be careful with giving any information to these bots, though: some websites will use them to take out fake policies using your information stolen from lead generators. It is always best to use trusted websites and to speak with a licensed agent on the phone. This way you know you are giving your information securely. EZ not only secures our website so that your information is 100% safe, but our agents are your advocates and are highly trained to handle your information securely.
Fake insurance companies and agents: Some scammers create fake insurance companies trying to sell you bogus health insurance plans. The General Accounting Office found 144 fake insurance companies that were pulling this scam, selling bogus health insurance plans to more than 200,000 policyholders, resulting in more than $252 million in unpaid claims. In addition to fraudulent insurance companies, there are also people who pose as agents and promise low premiums to get your attention. These fake agents will take your information and your money, pay the carrier, but then cancel the policy and keep your money.
Identity theft: In addition to stealing your money, scammers who pose as agents will also steal your information, including your social security number. Some will use your personal information to collect benefits and payments under your name without you even knowing, until after the damage has been done.
Avoiding These Scams
In order to avoid these scams you have to be aware of them. Keep yourself safe by never giving out your personal information to any company that contacts you unsolicited. Most importantly, you need to work with a reputable company, like EZ.Insure. EZ values you and is committed to keeping your identity secure, which is why we promise to protect your information against scammers with the best fraud prevention software. EZ’s website is 100% secure and you will always know who you are speaking with: after you fill out our form, we will give you your dedicated agent’s name and picture so you are familiar with them.If you are in the market for health insurance, EZ’s agents will get you covered, securely. You will speak to a live agent after filling out our form, and we will assess your needs and find you a budget-friendly plan that checks off everything on your list. Because our agents work with the top-rated insurance companies in the nation, we will be able to compare plans in minutes and find the right plan for you and your family. To get free instant quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak directly with a licensed agent in your area, call 888-350-1890.
President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, was signed into law on March 11, and Americans have already started receiving their stimulus checks. But that is not the only benefit Americans are going to receive from the American Rescue Plan Act. The law includes a provision to expand healthcare coverage and lower healthcare costs by boosting subsidies for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans. The new lower-priced insurance plans will be accessible to Americans starting on April 1.
The Cost of Insurance Is Too High For Many
The ACA has been going strong since 2010, providing access to quality health insurance for millions of Americans. However, many Americans earning over the income limit required to qualify for a subsidized plan are still finding health insurance too expensive, and have been opting out of purchasing plans.“There has been considerable discussion over the fact that while the ACA clearly increased affordability of and access to insurance coverage for millions of people, many people still find the premiums and out-of-pocket costs they face to be high and sometimes too burdensome,” says Linda Blumberg, a health economist at The Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit social and economic research organization. With the American Rescue Plan Act, the Biden Administration hopes to change all of this by making more people eligible for subsidies.
The Subsidies Broken Down
Before this new law, you could only qualify for a subsidized health insurance plan if your modified adjusted gross income was between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. For 2021, that’s between $12,760 (100% of the federal poverty level) and $51,040 (400% of the federal poverty level), for an individual. So before the American Rescue Plan Act, if you earned above those amounts, you would have to pay full price for a Marketplace health insurance plan.
But the American Rescue Plan Act allows those who earn over 400% of the federal poverty level to receive subsidies to purchase health insurance through the ACA Marketplace. It also requires that Americans pay no more than 8.5% of their income on health insurance premiums, and provides a larger tax credit to people who already receive financial assistance.
Cheaper Premiums
Biden’s new plan will reduce health insurance costs for millions of Americans, helping them save more.
The Biden administration estimates that ACA premiums will decrease by about $50 per month. One administration official emphasized that 4 out of 5 people enrolling “will be able to purchase a plan for $10 or less per month.” This could make a huge difference in the lives of the 14.9 million people who are currently not insured in the U.S.
With the new law:
An individual making $19,000 or less will not have to pay a monthly premium for health insurance.
Couples who earn more than $70,000 together will save $1,000 per month on their health insurance monthly premiums.
A family of 4 with an income of $90,000 will pay about $200 less in health insurance premiums.
Anyone buying their own health insurance through the ACA Marketplace will be able to receive the tax credits beginning April 1. Comparing plans is the best way to find an affordable plan that provides the right level of coverage for you. Before you start doing the work of comparing on your own, come to EZ. We will make the process quicker and easier by comparing available plans in your area in minutes. Our licensed agents work with all the top-rated insurance companies in the nation and can go over your budget and needs, and find the best plan for you and your family. We compare plans and offer guidance at no cost to you. To get free quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak directly with an agent, call 888-350-1890.
There’s no doubt about it: women have extraordinary abilities, including an intense sense of smell and the ability to see more colors and use more brain function than men. However, with the good comes the bad, which can include being diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer, going through menopause, and experiencing more gastrointestinal issues than men do. In fact, women are more likely to get bloated and experience discomfort and irregularity, and are twice as likely to have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). There is no clear explanation as to why women are at higher risk, but scientists believe it could be due to hormones.
Abdominal pain and cramping are common signs of IBS.
IBS Explained
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is not something that even doctors can clearly explain, because there are so many different variables and symptoms. It is a chronic disorder that includes a collection of symptoms that have been going on for at least 6 months, and occur at least 3 times in a month. Symptoms include:
If you meet the criteria for IBS, your doctor might refer you to a gastroenterologist. In some cases, depending on your symptoms and other factors, your provider may recommend a flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, which will allow them to examine your colon in more detail. Both procedures will require a scope to be entered into the rectum to view the colon.
Different Types Of IBS
There are 3 different types of IBS:
IBS with constipation (IBS-C): Most of your stool is hard and lumpy.
IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D): Most of your stool is loose and watery.
IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M): You have both hard and lumpy bowel movements and loose and watery movements on the same day.
Although researchers and scientists don’t know exactly what causes IBS, there are a few reasons why they think IBS is more common in women. For one thing, according to the American Psychological Association, women tend to be more stressed than men, which can throw off the balance of their gut health. Hormones could also be to blame, and women with IBS might find that symptoms flare up during their periods.
In addition, some studies have shown that the gastrointestinal (GI) system behaves differently in women because of sex-related features in the brain. According to a study conducted in 2015 by Tanja Babic, a researcher at Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, “Women are more likely to develop gastrointestinal disorder than men, but very little research has been done to investigate the reasons behind this. Females also show differences in brain structure and function compared to males, including higher levels of GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid), an inhibitory neurotransmitter.”
Babic explained, “Since GABA influences the activity of neurons that control digestion, I wanted to investigate whether GABA activity in these neurons is different in males and females. If we can selectively change the activity of these neurons in females, we would have a potential therapeutic target for better treatment of GI disorders in women.” To investigate her theory, she used rats to measure nerve signals in the brain and the nerves’ responsiveness to the signals. She found that the female rats in her study received more signals that suppressed the intestinal movement of food than the males did.
Eating small meals at regular hours can help relieve some IBS issues.
Treatment Options
Although there is no real treatment for IBS, if you are experiencing symptoms, there are some things you can do to help reduce flare-ups and manage your condition. Lifestyle changes that can help manage IBS include:
If all else fails, your doctor may prescribe medication to help relieve symptoms like constipation or diarrhea.
The Cost of Treatment
If you need to see a specialist, like a gastroenterologist, need a colonoscopy to make sure nothing serious is going on in your colon, or need to get medication to manage your IBS symptoms, you will need a good health insurance plan. If you don’t have one, all of this could cost you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars out-of-pocket. This will only lead to more stress, which could make your IBS symptoms worse. Having the right insurance plan will help you better manage your condition, and not have to worry about the costs.
If you’re looking for a plan, or want to upgrade your current plan, come to EZ. EZ.Insure works with the top-rated insurance companies in the country, and our licensed agents can compare plans in your area instantly at no cost to you. Affordable health insurance is possible when working with an EZ agent. We will go over your medical and financial needs, and we guarantee to find you a plan that suits your needs. To compare free quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak with one of our licensed agents, call 888-350-1890.
In order to keep your health insurance plan active, you need to pay an insurance premium every month. Premium prices depend on variables such as your age, the area where you live, and the amount of coverage you choose. But what actually happens to the money you give to your insurance company every month? How is it broken down and used?
Medical Expenses
Health insurance works on a risk-sharing model: insurance companies collect premiums from all of their customers so that they have enough money to pay any claims made. What they do with that money is regulated by the government. The 80/20 rule, also known as the medical loss ratio, is a law created by the Affordable Care Act that requires insurance companies to spend a set amount of the money they collect from customers on medical care. It was meant to make insurance more affordable for everyone, and encourage insurance companies to put more money towards improving care. According to the rule, 80% of each dollar you pay per month has to go towards healthcare costs and quality improvements. The other 20% can be used to cover the health insurance company’s administrative and marketing costs.
How Is Each Premium Dollar Broken Down?
The 80/20 rule requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% of the money they take from premiums on healthcare costs and quality improvement, and the other 20% can go towards administrative, overhead, and marketing costs. According to Healthcare.gov, the breakdown of the 80% and 20% is as follows:
The 80% is broken down per dollar in the following way:
Insurance premiums are broken down by a 80/20 rule.
21.5¢ for prescription drugs, which include outpatient, physician- and self-administered medications.
22.2¢ for inpatient hospital costs and emergency room costs.
19.8¢ for outpatient services, like ER care, labs, imaging clinics, physical therapy, urgent care, etc.
12.1¢ for doctor visits.
6¢ for other outpatient care.
The 20% is broken down per dollar in the following way:
17.8¢ for operating costs, including cost containment, taxes and business expenses, quality improvement, data analysis and other activities.
3¢ of every dollar is profit for the insurance company.
If your insurance company does not meet its 80/20 targets for the year, then you will get a rebate on some of the premium dollars that you paid.
Lowering Your Monthly Premiums
Insurance companies tend to raise their monthly premiums every year, which can become a bit too much sometimes. But there are ways to lower your premiums, such as choosing a high deductible plan with lower monthly rates. You can also come to EZ and let us help you find a new plan that can offer more coverage for less.
Don’t get stuck paying more money for the same amount of – or even less – coverage. EZ can help you find a plan with more coverage and flexibility for less money. We have highly trained, licensed agents who work with the top-rated insurance companies in the country. We have access to hundreds of plans that we can compare for you in minutes. Let us do the hard work for you and save you money. There is no obligation, just free quotes. To get free instant quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak directly with one of our agents, call 888-350-1890.
“Through this Special Enrollment Period, the Biden Administration is giving the American people the chance they need to find an affordable health care plan that works for them. The American Rescue Plan will bring costs down for millions of Americans,” said newly appointed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement.
