Dozens of patients cut from state's high-risk insurance pool

With premiums that can top $20,000 a year, patients don't exactly clamor to join the state's high-risk health-insurance pool — a public insurer of last resort for patients with cancer, AIDS and other serious diseases.

Yet since the high-risk pool was created two decades ago, the first-ever mandatory check to verify that current members are eligible for the highly subsidized coverage has ended with dozens of them getting purged — including some who may simply have been too ill or too distracted to turn in their paperwork.

Since Jan. 1, a third of the 82 members of the Washington State Health Insurance Pool whose coverage was terminated have been reinstated after they belatedly provided proof of eligibility.

Until 2008, the health plan mailed annual eligibility forms but did not take action against people who did not comply. Now its administrators find themselves in an unaccustomed position of stripping coverage from some of Washington's sickest residents. Some whose coverage was canceled may not realize it until they show up at a pharmacy or a doctor's office, said Kären Larson, executive director of the high-risk pool.

It's possible, though unlikely, Larson said, that patients may be unable to fill their prescriptions or receive treatment until their information is sorted out.

Jeanne Sather, a Seattle writer and blogger who has advanced breast cancer, said she lost — then regained — her coverage because of a paperwork snafu. Sather said she twice had to send proof of her Medicare coverage but still ended up receiving a cancellation notice.

A seasoned patient's advocate, Sather fired off e-mails to both the high-risk pool and the state Insurance Commissioner's Office. She quickly got her coverage restored — but not before she worked up a fury.

"You have to remember that people like me are sick," Sather wrote in one e-mail. "So making trips to Kinko's to make copies uses up precious energy and time. I deeply resent being asked to do something like this."

By law, the high-risk pool is open only to residents of the state. It also must ensure that members who have dual coverage with Medicare tap those federal benefits first. Last year, a state audit recommended that the pool obtain proof of eligibility from all its 3,300 members.

Larson said cutting off coverage for people who may be gravely ill wasn't done lightly. The health plan until now had been more lax about confirming eligibility, she said, because it wanted to avoid needless cancellations.

"All health plans have trouble staying in touch with their members," Larson said. "People move. They get new phones and they don't tell you."

Larson said the latest termination notices came only after repeated attempts to contact members proved fruitless.

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"We bent over backward to make sure" policies weren't improperly canceled, she said. But if members didn't respond to four letters and a telephone call, "we didn't really have any choice but to terminate them."

Larson said members who submit proof of eligibility by Jan. 31 can have their coverage reinstated with no interruption in coverage. After that, members must go through a formal appeals process to be reinstated.

The high-risk pool provides coverage for people who can't buy individual insurance from Regence BlueShield, Premera Blue Cross, Group Health Cooperative and other commercial insurers. Washington permits insurers to screen out the sickest 8 percent of the applicants. In return, the insurers pay a subsidy — totaling nearly $40 million last year — to help offset the cost of operating a separate pool.

Premiums for the high-risk coverage start at $151 a month and can be as much as $1,917 a month, depending on a member's age, disability status and coverage type.

But as pricey as they might be, the premiums cover only about 30 percent of the patients' medical and prescription expenses. The cost of subsidies from commercial insurers is borne indirectly by everyone in Washington who buys an individual or group policy from them, said Pete Cutler, special assistant to the insurance commissioner.

Cutler, who sits on the high-risk pool's board, said he was surprised to hear about the volume of cancellations.

Still, he defended the verification attempts, saying that the state needs to ensure that it's "not providing subsidized coverage for those who are ineligible for it."

Nine Ways To Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost

Article Entitled: Nine Ways To Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost

NINE WAYS TO LOWER YOUR AUTO INSURANCE COSTS

You may not realize it, but the insurance rates you pay for your car can vary dramatically depending on the insurance company, agent or broker you choose, the coverage you request and the kind of car you drive. Listed below are a number of things you can do right now to lower your insurance costs.

1. COMPARISON SHOP.

Prices for the same coverage can vary by hundreds of dollars, so it pays to shop around. Ask your friends, check the yellow pages or call your state insurance department (phone numbers are on back page). You can also check consumer guides, insurance agents or companies. This will give you an idea of price ranges and tell you which companies or agents have the lowest prices. But don’t shop price alone.

The insurer you select should offer both fair prices and excellent service. Quality personal service may cost a bit more, but provides added conveniences, so talk to a number of insurers to get a feeling for the quality of their service. Ask them what they would do to lower your costs. Check the financial ratings of the companies too. Then, when you’ve narrowed the field to three insurers, get price quotes.

2. ASK FOR HIGHER DEDUCTIBLES.

Deductibles represent the amount of money you pay before you make a claim. By requesting higher deductibles on collision and comprehensive (fire and theft) coverage, you can lower your costs substantially. For example, increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision cost by 15% to 30%.

3. DROP COLLISION AND/OR COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGES ON OLDER CARS.

It may not be cost-effective to have collision or comprehensive coverage on cars worth less than $1000 because any claim you make would not substantially exceed annual cost and deductible amounts. Auto dealers and banks can tell you the worth of cars.

4. ELIMINATE DUPLICATE MEDICAL COVERAGES.

If you have adequate health insurance, you may be paying for duplicate medical coverage in your auto policy. In some states, eliminating this coverage could lower your personal injury protection (PIP) cost by up to 40%.

5. BUY A 'LOW PROFILE' CAR.

Before you buy a new or used car, check into insurance costs. Cars that are expensive to repair, or that are favorite targets for thieves, have much higher insurance costs. Write to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 1005 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22201 and ask for the Highway Loss Data Chart.

6. CONSIDER AREA INSURANCE COST IF YOU ARE MAKING A MOVE.

Costs tend to be lowest in rural communities and highest in center cities where there is more traffic congestion.

7. TAKE ADVANTAGE Of LOW MILEAGE DISCOUNTS.

Some companies offer discounts to motorists who drive fewer than a predetermined number of miles a year.

8. FIND OUT ABOUT AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT OR AIR BAG DISCOUNTS.

You may be able to take advantage of discounts on some coverage if you have automatic seat belts and/or air bags.

9. INQUIRE ABOUT OTHER DISCOUNTS.

Some insurers offer discounts for more than one car, no accidents in three years, drivers over 50 years of age, driver training courses, anti-theft devices, anti-lock brakes and good grades for students. See the following page for a guide to these and other discounts.

INQUIRE ABOUT DISCOUNTS FOR:

COMPANY A COMPANY B COMPANY C

$500 deductible _______ _______ _______

$1,000 deductible _______ _______ _______

More than 1 car _______ _______ _______

No Accidents in 3 Years _______ _______ _______

No Moving Violations in 3 Years _______ _______ _______

Drivers Over 50 Years of Age _______ _______ _______

Driver Training Course _______ _______ _______

Anti-Theft Device _______ _______ _______

Low Annual Mileage _______ _______ _______

Automatic Seat Belt _______ _______ _______

Air Bag _______ _______ _______

Anti-Lock Brakes _______ _______ _______

Good Grades for Students _______ _______ _______

Auto and Homeowners Coverage with the Same Company _______ _______ _______

College Students Away From Home Without a Car _______ _______ _______

OTHER DISCOUNTS:

_______________ _______ _______ _______ _______________ _______ _______ _______ _______________ _______ _______ _______ _______________ _______ _______ _______

YOU CAN REACH YOUR STATE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT AT:

AL: 205-269-3550 AK: 907-465-2515 AS: 684-633-4116 AZ: 602-255-5400 AR: 501-686-2900 CA: 800-927-4357 CO: 303-894-7499 CT: 203-297-3800 DE: 800-282-8611 DC: 202-727-8002 FL: 800-342-2762 GA: 404-656-2056 GU: 671-477-5144 HI: 800-468-4644 ID: 208-334-2250 IL: 217-782-4515 IN: 800-622-4461 IA: 515-281-5705 KS: 800-432-2484 KY: 502-564-3630 LA: 504-342-5900 ME: 207-582-8707 MD: 800-492-6116 MA: 617-727-3357 MI: 517-373-9273 MN: 800-652-9747 MS: 601-359-3569 MO: 314-751-2640 MT: 800-332-6148 NE: 402-471-2201 NV: 800-992-0900 NH: 800-852-3416 NJ: 609-292-5363 NM: 505-827-4500 NY: 212-602-0203 NC: 800-662-7777 ND: 800-247-0560 OH: 800-686-1526 OK: 405-521-2828 OR: 503-378-4271 PA: 717-787-5173 PR: 809-722-8686 RI: 401-277-2223 SC: 803-737-6117 SD: 605-773-3563 TN: 800-342-4029 TX: 512-463-6464 UT: 801-530-6400 VT: 802-828-3301 VI: 809-774-2991 VA: 800-552-7945 WA: 800-562-6900 WV: 800-642-9004 WI: 800-236-8517 WY: 307-777-7401

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL THE NATIONAL INSURANCE CONSUMER HELPLINE (NICH) AT 1-800-942-4242

$1,000,000 Worth Of Life Insurance-No Cash

Article Entitled: $1,000,000 Worth Of Life Insurance-No Cash

GET UP TO $1,000,000 WORTH OF LIFE INSURANCE WITH NO CASH

Contact: BRIDGE CAPITAL CORP., 140 MINEOLA BLVD., MINEOLA, NY 11501. This firm claims that they can place life insurance policies with nationally recognized companies - you pay NO cash, but exchange your surplus inventory or services or unregistered stock, furniture, different products, services, etc.

How To Get Free Life Insurance & Pension

Once you have formed your own non-profit organization, you merely place in your corporate charter the provision that life insurance and pension be paid by the organization of which you are a member. The organization, if set up properly, would obtain its money through donations and grants which you should actively seek. Thus, your life insurance and pension costs nothing.