Health Insurance for Mexico Tourists Free of Charge

The story “Mexico Unveils New Travel Health Insurance Scheme to Win Back Tourists” by Karen Elowitt on petergreenberg.com explains the news that Mexico has made a bold move towards bringing back tourists. The Swine Flu has left an unwanted stigma on the country and its economy is at risk. Mexico will be setting up a new health insurance plan which will be available for tourists in the case of injury or illness with no charge.

The health insurance plan is called the “Tourist Assistance Card” which can be accessed by contacting a free phone number which connects tourists to a multi-lingual call center. There may be deductibles that apply and patients will need to get treatment from authorized hospitals part of the plan.

This health insurance is being offered by a private company named MAPFRE and can be used for any type of emergency from sprained ankles to the flu. They also will have additional assistance to those who have lost their travel documents or passports, or even if they just need advice on travel plans. It's unknown whether or not this health insurance offer will lure enough tourists back to Mexico and save the economy, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Auto Insurance Companies and Repair Shops

The article “Shops debate the place of insurers in the repair process” by Brian Albright on SearchAutoParts.com talks about how car designs have become more complex and expensive which is causing more and more auto insurance companies to get involved in the auto repair process.

Issues sometimes arise between repairers and insurers as the insurance companies pressure shops to cut costs. The repair shops see this as meddling as they deal with their own financial pressures. Most repair shops prefer that the insurance company give a check and stay out of the repair process, but customers find a lot value in the insurance companies taking over. In addition, insurance companies want to keep the repair shop's prices down as much as possible to save themselves money.

Not all insurance companies are getting in the way of the repair shop's agenda. State Farm auto insurance is generally seen as cooperative according to the article. Recently, they have participated in programs striving for efficiencies in the repair business. While some repair shops see this as intrusive, others see it as a positive force. Gene Regan, general manager at Causeway Collision Center in Manahawkin, NJ believes it is a productive initiative for State Farm to get involved. He sees the program bringing the repair shops and insurance companies together to learn from each other and develop better business practices. This will ultimately benefit the mutual customers who both parties look to please.

Health Insurance for College Athletes

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) started to require universities to ensure their athletes had health insurance coverage before competing in sporting events about four years ago. The mistake that was made was that the Association did not set clear standards for the insurance coverage leaving the athletes and their parents to decide for themselves what they should get. This is according to the article “College Athletes Stuck With the Bill After Injuries” by Kristina Peterson, NYtimes.com.

Some universities accept much of the responsibility for medical claims made by their athletes but others assume no responsibility according to a review of school public documents. Many university representatives say they clearly inform their students about the limits of various health insurance plans, but students and their families are still left frustrated and confused since many have had to take on large and unexpected medical bills due to lack of proper coverage.

Often times athletes have health insurance through their parents but the coverage does not always include injuries due to college varsity sports. This is where it gets complicated. Additional coverage is needed but the students are unsure where to shop and often do not get the proper coverage which can leave them with mountains of debt. One solution being discussed is to require universities to offer quality health insurance coverage to all of their athletes, but this most likely will put too much of a burden on colleges financially. If schools are going to suffer financially from this type of requirement the NCAA is unlikely to require a mandate anytime soon.

Massachusetts Auto Insurance Rates Are Down

According to the article “Car insurance rates fall 8%, state says” by Todd Wallack in the Boston Globe, Massachusetts auto insurance rates are down since Massachusetts stopped setting their own rates in 2008. This information is from a study completed by the Division of Insurance.

The state study shows that auto insurance rates are down 8.2% from April 2008 to April 2009. The rates fell 5.2% from 2006 to 2007. In April of 2008 Massachusetts began allowing auto insurers to set their own rates which was to create controlled competition. Before this change, rates in Massachusetts were highly regulated.

Jason Lefferts is a spokesperson for the insurance division, and he said the study also found that during the last year the number of uninsured cars in Massachusetts dropped and that less people were considered high-risk drivers. Since the change in regulation, nine companies have become part of the Massachusetts auto insurance market.

Employer Sponsored Health Insurance - What Does The Future Hold?

The article “Who Gets Employer-Based Health Insurance” by Catherine Rampell in the NYTimes Economix, has some great information on the issue of the health insurance debate going on in Washington, DC. They are trying to decide what to do with employer-based health insurance. The US is one of the only countries where losing your job translates to losing your health insurance. That is why individual health insurance is often a better choice. That is also a reason the government is looking towards revamping the health care system.

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation report on health-care benefits, not all companies have the benefit of health insurance for its employees. Smaller companies often cannot afford to offer any kind of health insurance benefit. Companies that do offer health insurance usually do not cover the full cost. The remaining cost comes out of the employee's paycheck. A small number of companies do offer to pay for the full cost of the health insurance policy.

Many Americans are extremely comfortable with employer-based health insurance and do not want to see it go away. This leads Congress to consider a health care plan that still includes the employee-based health insurance concept.