Colorado Health Insurance Brokers Blog 

April 26th, 2008 - People might be surprised at my level of concern about healthcare costs in America.  I see first hand how the increasing costs affect people and their household budgets.  At 6.9% of the country's GDP, Healthcare costs are becoming a drag on our already struggling economy. If the industry does not evolve on its own then one might say that it deserves what it gets. I just hope whatever political solution emerges that we don't sacrifice quality and that we provide better access to the economically disadvantaged.   Next - energy costs.

April 24th, 2008 - This month, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield was kind enough to give Colorado Health Insurance Brokers its designation as a Premier Partner, based upon our production and commitment to providing high quality services to our clients.  Of all the carriers we work with, I must say that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield really seems committed to communicating with Agents and actually using our feedback in order to "do the right thing" for the individual, small group and large group markets here in Colorado.  For such a large carrier, I am impressed with the entrepreneurial spirit of their managers and executives.  At the end of the day, if you have talented and committed people with a mission they believe in, they will be successful. 

March 25th, 2008 - I've been reading Barack Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, and I must say that he seems to have some very promising ideas and a sincere effort to make meaningful changes in America while preserving what makes this country so great.  I've always been a fan of smaller government, but there is no denying the role that government must play in protecting the overall well being of our populace.  I hope he's able to strike the right balance and be a catalyst for positive change, regardless of who wins the election.  It is hard to be real clear on what any of the candidates positions are on health care and insurance reform.  Again, I hope for positive change and that we'll see more of an evolution that anything to divergent that could be a detriment to this country's hard working employers, employees, as well as retirees.

October 30th, 2007 - Colorado Health Insurance Brokers is gong to start a newsletter to send out to people that have requested quotes to assist them in making an informed choice for their health insurance needs.  We'll include some of those tips here in the blog as well:

Health Guide - Strategies for Rising Insurance Costs   What is the old saying about certainties in life?  Death, taxes and we might add rising health insurance costs. Increasing prescription drug costs, hospitalization costs and inflation are all major contributing factors to increasing health insurance costs.   You can count on annual premium rate increases, but some carriers seem to do better than others in keeping their rates at a competitive level.

Many companies, as well as individuals that pay for their own health insurance respond by raising deductibles or changing to catastrophic plans.  If you and your family members are generally healthy that may be a very good strategy, but if you take expensive brand name prescription drugs or have pre-existing conditions you may want to give this serious thought before making a hasty decision.  

For people that do buy their own health insurance, keep in mind that it is easy to raise your deductible or downgrade your plan (because that reduces the risk to the insurance carrier), but the reverse is not true.  Generally, if circumstances change in the future and you wish you had a lower deductible or better copay coverage for doctors office visits or prescriptions, you would basically need to reapply and go through underwriting again to upgrade your plan.  

Why is this you might ask?  Otherwise, everyone would sign up for a cheap high deductible plan and wait until they got sick and then switch to a lower deductible plan.  The carriers need to protect themselves against this risk, by re-underwriting most requests for plan upgrades for individual plans in Colorado. 

It does pay to shop and while rates can vary significantly from carrier to carrier, individual plan holders shouldn't play musical chairs jumping to the plan with the lowest rate every year.  Also look at the details of the new plan's benefits and consider the carrier's reputation for claim's handling and service, as well as their past reputation for rate increases over the long run, as compared to other individual carriers in the same market area.  When the music stops, and a family member has a serious illness or injury you might find it very difficult and/or expensive to change coverage in the future.   At that point, you'll be glad you took the time to select a good quality plan and carrier.

At Colorado Health Insurance Brokers, we try to help you to try and find an affordable quality health insurance plan and carrier you'll be happy with, not just today, but next year and the year after that. 

October 1st, 2007 - I am pleased to welcome our newest broker, Scott Crist, to the company.  Scott brings with him a wealth of experience in the insurance industry and a sincere effort to help his customers find the best health insurance needs for their specific situation. 

May 24th, 2007 - The Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Lumenos HSA product is really exciting.  The Preventative care benefits are the best I've seen in any individual or group product.   Humana has launched some new products and they also have some improved preventative care benefits, though not as comprehensive as Anthem's Lumenos product.  It is very encouraging to see such high quality products being introduced. Signed, Mark Erickson, Denver, Colorado Health Insurance Agent for Colorado Health Insurance Brokers. 

February 28th, 2007 - This was a busy month with more preparations for Anthem's new Lumenos product.  They changed the launch date from March to April and I think the Lumenos HIA product in particular is going to have very broad appeal to healthier Coloradans that need the protection of a good quality catastrophic plan, outstanding wellness benefits and don't want to set up and fund a Health Savings Account.  31 days until Lumenos launches!
Signed, Mark Erickson, Denver, Colorado Health Insurance Agent for Colorado Health Insurance Brokers. 

January 25th, 2007 - I had a meeting with Anthem's Underwriters yesterday and received the welcome news that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will be launching their new Lumenos HIA and Lumenos HSA products here in Colorado on March 1st, 2007.   I should be receiving the Colorado Health Plan Descriptions and rates shortly.  The products sound very exciting and promise to encourage wellness through incentives as well as have some attractive preventative care benefits.   The Lumenos HIA product will fill a gap for people that want a catastrophic plan, but may not have the extra money to regularly contribute to a Health Savings Account. Signed, Mark Erickson, Denver, Colorado Health Insurance Agent for Colorado Health Insurance Brokers. 

January 11th, 2007 - I'm please to report that we are adding Aetna to our portfolio of products effective today.  They are a huge national carrier that are new to the Colorado individual health insurance market, but well established in Colorado's group health insurance market.  Colorado Health Insurance Brokers welcomes Aetna! Signed, Mark Erickson, Denver, Colorado Health Insurance Agent for Colorado Health Insurance Brokers. 

November 29th, 2006 - It's a cold snowy day here in Denver, so what better day to start out this blog!  My name is Mark Erickson and I'm the owner of Colorado Health Insurance Brokers. I hope this blog provides a helpful insight into the goings on of the health insurance business, particularly the individual health insurance business here in Colorado. Signed, Mark Erickson, Denver, Colorado Health Insurance Agent for Colorado Health Insurance Brokers. 

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has announced their rate increases for the new year, which look pretty reasonable, although a few age groups and zip codes will be effected more than others.  They are also changing their underwriting for the new year, which I hope will allow us to insure more people.  People taking statins to lower their cholesterol seem to have a very difficult time, due to the drug costs rather than medical risk.   Currently, they either have the condition rated (Humana, Assurant and now Anthem) or excluded (United Healthcare, underwritten by Golden Rule).  Assurant and Humana have pretty steep ratings, so I can only hope that Anthem's will be lower and more affordable.  Anyways, it is nice to see that the health insurance rate inflation is slowing down.  Signed, Mark Erickson, Denver, Colorado Health Insurance Agent for Colorado Health Insurance Brokers. 

I read that 80% of conditions have a generic drug available to treat them.   That sounds quite promising, but the question is, is the generic drug always the best medication. Apparently there are a whole slew of medications prepared to come off of patent in 2010.  That could certainly help keep future health insurance rates down, as well as provide financial relief to our clients.  Sounds promising!   All for now - Mark Erickson

Disclaimer:  Colorado Health Insurance Brokers are not engaged in rendering tax, investment or legal advice. Federal and state regulations are subject to change. If tax, investment or legal advice is required, seek the services of a licensed professional.  Insurance advise given for Colorado residents does not apply to other states.  All terms and conditions of insurance coverage, including benefits and exclusions, are contained in the Certificate, which shall control in the event of a conflict with this overview. See IRS Publication 502 for a list of qualifying medical expenses for HSA's. You may also reference the IRS HSA Questions and Answers bulletin and www.irs.gov for more information on HSA's and IRS rulings and www.ustreas.gov for Treasury Department rulings.