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Cheap Auto Insurance for Teens

Prom dresses. Football camp. School uniforms. Cell phone bills. Birthdays. Specifically, 16th birthdays. The upkeep of teenagers’ expenses can be financially disheartening. Fortunately, quality auto insurance is one purchase that parents can find in the bargain bin. Yes, it is possible to find cheap auto insurance if the shopper is looking in the right places. Today’s consumer has many online options to find whatever he or she is looking for, including auto insurance, and can comparison shop with the click of a button.

AHIP Proposes Independent Review of Policy Cancellations

In response to some of the recent controversy surrounding policy rescissions, America's Health Insurance Plans has started circulating a proposal to create independent state review boards to review policy rescissions. Under the proposal, the review boards would be staffed by health care professionals and lawyers, and their decisions regarding policy rescissions would be final. The proposal has drawn praise from Consumer's groups and activists, and will be considered at a meeting of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners next month.

Health Spending to Double in a Decade

According to a new study in Health Affairs, national spending on health care will double by 2017 to $4.3 trillion, assuming health spending continues to increase annually by 6.7 percent. As a result, estimates place per capita health spending in 2017 at $13,101, up from $7,026 in 2006. Because the study's authors project increases in health spending to outpace national economic growth, they suggest that by 2017, health costs will total 19.5 percent of the GDP.

Hospitals to Tear up Bills for Medical Mistakes

A horrible mistake on an operating table in Bellingham in 2003 left Dennis "Rocky" Rockenbach with such severe burns to his throat and vocal cords that he spent a month in intensive care.

Later, he got bills for $66,000.

Does your Home Insurance Cover Your Needs?

Believe it or not, many people think that their home insurance policy covers them for anything and everything that has to do with their property. While you may get a very good level of coverage, this is simply not true. And if you get caught thinking that home insurance will cover every aspect of your property, it is safe to say that you could end up losing a lot of money in the long run. It is always a good idea to know what you are paying for, and what you are not covered for. This will make it much easier for you to get along.

Coalition Developing Medical Credit Score

Tenet Hospitals, Fair Isaac, and several other groups have partnered to develop a medFICO score that will rate a consumer's ability to pay for health related expenses and could be in some hospitals by the summer. To avoid violating privacy laws, the medFICO score report will not list the reason an individual was in the hospital and it will also capture when individuals have a history of paying medical bills on time-something not currently captured under traditional credit reports.

A Link Between Having Insurance and Surviving Cancer

Having or not having health insurance can affect more than just your financial health. A study released today from the American Cancer Society finds that people diagnosed with cancer are much more likely to die if they don’t have insurance than if they do. The reason: They’re more unlikely to get screened early. By the time they are finally screened, it’s often already too late.

Hospitals Rewarded for Infections

On the heels of news that Medicare will stop reimbursing for medical errors, The New York Times notes a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finding that Medicare pays hospitals more money for patients who get infected in hospitals than for patients who make it in and out of the hospital without complications.

Reforms Target Individual Insurance Market

America's Health Insurance Plans released a series of reform proposals to improve the individual insurance market. The proposal advocates that states create "Guaranteed Access Plans"-which would function similarly to high risk insurance pools-and in exchange, insurers would agree to cover anyone whose expected annual health costs do not exceed twice the state average. The proposal, which can be read in full here, would also require insurers to offer better coverage for pre-existing conditions and limit the ability of insurers to rescind policies.

Don't Buy Any Dental Insurance Plan Until You Read This

Have you been shopping around for a good dental insurance plan lately? If so, there are a few things that you should probably be aware of before you buy a plan. Have you ever had a dental insurance plan before for either yourself or your family?

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