KCAL Insurance Agency

Extend jobless benefits

President Obama signed a $33.9-billion package of legislation on July 22 extending unemployment benefits for 2.5 million jobless Americans. The California Employment Development Department immediately announced that it would begin processing benefits for more than 400,000 unemployed people, retroactive to May. State workers will be on duty throughout the weekend to

Posted Date :2010-07-27

Reviews of health insurance rate hikes

Actuary David Axene, a state consultant who found errors in Woodland Hills Anthem Blue Cross' rate filings, is expected to deliver his findings by mid-August to the California Insurance Commissioner on two of its competitors, Aetna Inc. and Blue Shield of California. Axene is trying to determine whether the insurers spend at least 70 cents of every dollar they collect

Posted Date :2010-07-16

Health Tests at No Cost

The White House on July 14 issued new rules requiring health insurance companies to provide free coverage for dozens of screenings, laboratory tests and other types of preventive care. The rules stipulate that no co-payments can be charged for tests and screenings recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of scientific exper

Posted Date :2010-07-15

Federal Flood Insurance Up for Vote Again

Insurers are urging the House of Representatives to pass legislation today that would extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years. The measure, HR 5114, the "Flood Insurance Reform and Priorities Act of 2010," is expected to be voted upon later this afternoon. This year alone, Republicans has allowed the NFIP to lapse three times. During these la

Posted Date :2010-07-15

California budget impasse

Health clinics that serve hundreds of thousands of California residents face the prospect of not being paid as the state lurches toward a third week of a budget stalemate - despite assertions by the state controller and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration that providers of healthcare for the poor would be immune from missed payments. Without a spending plan

Posted Date :2010-07-14

Unemployment benefits

In the coming weeks, the Senate is expected to resume its debate about whether to extend the emergency jobless benefits that were passed in response to the steep increase in unemployment caused by the recession. But some who have suffered the longest in the downturn, will not be part of that conversation. They are among the 1.4 million workers who have been unemployed

Posted Date :2010-07-13

HealthCare.gov

People who don't have employer-provided insurance coverage have options, ranging from individual insurance policies to government-funded programs. But information about these plans and programs is often fragmented and confusing. Now, the Department of Health and Human Services has launched a website, HealthCare.gov, that's designed to help consumers identify sources

Posted Date :2010-07-13

Increasing Privacy Liability

Billing companies, customer service contractors and other businesses regularly handle private health records, but currently, they are not liable for information breaches. U.S. companies that partner with hospitals and other health providers could face steep fines if they disclose private patient information under a new federal rule proposed on July 8. The proposed rul

Posted Date :2010-07-09

Blue Shield accused of overcharging for safety-net insurance

Amalia Lample, 64, of Los Angeles seeks class-action status in her July 7 suit of Blue Shield of California, accusing the health plan of knowingly exceeding maximum insurance rates set by the state and falsely reporting to regulators that the charges stayed within official guidelines, thus overcharging thousands of policyholders who bought safety-net insurance for peo

Posted Date :2010-07-08

Health insurance rate review

Gov. Schwarzenegger moved on July 7 to implement a major element of the new national healthcare overhaul, seeking a $1-million federal grant to strengthen the state's review of health insurance rates. Much of the money would pay for actuaries to evaluate premium hikes sought by insurers. Schwarzenegger also wants insurance companies' planned increases to be posted on

Posted Date :2010-07-08

Small Business Advice

A common trick targeting small businesses that scammers hope are too busy or disorganized to keep track of is business documents renewals. Phishing schemes, which involve official-looking letters or e-mails, may claim that you owe money, are getting a refund or are about to be audited. Never send money or your financial account numbers in response to any of these s

Posted Date :2010-07-05

Premium for high risk pool

President Obama's new health coverage for uninsured people with health problems won't be cheap -- monthly premiums as high as $900. There are going to be meaningful premiums that are going to be required to stay in this plan ... in the hundreds of dollars. Family members may be able to help with premiums. Prices will vary by state and type of coverage from a low of

Posted Date :2010-07-02

Eliminating Workers' Comp Insurance Monopoly

A campaign to end the state of Washington 's monopoly on workers' compensation insurance appears to have enough support to qualify for the November ballots. Initiative 1082 supporters submitted stacks of petitions this week with an estimated total of more than 340,000 voter signatures. That's well above the roughly 241,000 required to earn a spot on the fall ballot,

Posted Date :2010-07-02

High Risk Pool Medical Insurance Program

The Obama administration and some state governments will begin accepting applications July 1 for new insurance programs designed to cover people who have been denied insurance because they have preexisting medical conditions. A tanning salon tax also takes effect. These so-called high-risk pools were included in the new healthcare law to provide relief for some of the

Posted Date :2010-07-01

Treating Workers and Customers

You should treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers. In order to be effective we need to be of good character. And good character entails a high standard of integrity and follows good ethics. A decline in our character results in a decline in quality of work and loss of customers. In other words, how effective your business and employ

Posted Date :2010-06-30

California Launches Disaster Corps

In the aftermath of the 2007 Southern California Wildfires and Cosco Busan Oil Spill, thousands of disaster volunteers poured into affected areas to assist with evacuations, sheltering, cleanup and a host of other activities supporting response operations. Gov. Schwarzenegger said he recognized the need to more effectively integrate and coordinate disaster volunteer e

Posted Date :2010-06-28

More young adults on parents' health insurance policies

More than 30% of young adults nationwide are without insurance. They earn less, on average, than those who are older, and have higher rates of unemployment. They account for about one-fifth of the nation's uninsured. One of the first provisions of the federal healthcare overhaul - allowing young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26 -

Posted Date :2010-06-24

Health insurers boost customer service

Folks are confused now about health insurance, and it's going to get more confusing with reform before the tide turns. As a result of the new healthcare-reform law, more insurance carriers are removing jargon out of their communications as they prepare to compete for millions of new customers starting in 2014. That's the year health insurers will be barred from refusi

Posted Date :2010-06-24

House passes flood insurance extension

The House of Representatives passed HR 5569, another temporary extension of the National Flood Insurance Program, until Sept. 30, 2010. The program has been suspended from issuing new policies since May 31. Reauthorization provisions have been embedded in controversial legislation on jobless benefits and tax breaks that has been twice voted down by Republicans in the

Posted Date :2010-06-24

Hiring cheap is a mistake

You still get what you pay for. That's the message compensation experts have for small-business owners looking to pluck top talent at bargain rates from today's crowded job market. They warn that job hunters willing to take positions for meager salaries are likely to jump ship once the recession ends. And in the meantime, they may harbor resentment. You have to pay pe

Posted Date :2010-06-23

Electronic health records

Electronic health record systems likely will soon become a fixture in medical settings. Advocates claim they will reduce health care costs and improve medical outcomes, which could be critical since the new health care reform law increases access for millions of Americans. At first glance, a quick transition to digital heath records seems a normal, even overdue part o

Posted Date :2010-06-23

Changing health insurance

Many small-business owners are caught in a bind created by the federal health-care overhaul that has made choosing health-insurance plans for their workers a trickier calculation. Companies whose health plans are up for renewal are seeing sharp increases for the coming year. In years past, they could simply seek other bids. But this year, the new health-care law compl

Posted Date :2010-06-23

Premium hikes for health insurance

About 14 million Americans under age 65 receive health insurance through the non-group or individual market. In contrast, about 157 million U.S. residents get their coverage through an employer. According to a new survey from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, people who buy their own health insurance had recent premium hikes for individual coverage that averaged

Posted Date :2010-06-22

Obama gives insurers a warning

President Obama plans to sternly warn industry executives at a White House meeting on Tuesday against imposing hefty rate increases in anticipation of tightening regulation under the new law. Attendees will include top executives from 13 leading health insurers, as well as the president of America�s Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade group. Five state insuranc

Posted Date :2010-06-22

Healthcare dilemma

The nation's existing health system is continuing to fray, raising the prospect that the country could experience a crisis before the law establishes a new safety net in 2014. Three months after President Obama signed the law, state governments struggling with budgets savaged by the recession are contemplating further cuts in healthcare aid for the poor, despite the p

Posted Date :2010-06-22

Medicaid eligibility

The Medicaid look-back rules are designed to prevent trying to hide assets from the government by transferring them away from the potential Medicaid recipient. Medicaid recipients are supposed to have exhausted their assets before they apply for benefits. Any transfers made within five years of applying for Medicaid will delay eligibility. Source:
Posted Date :2010-05-05