D'oh! Cruz Campaign Concedes He Had Insurance Coverage All Along

In a reversal from claims made on the campaign trail, Ted Cruz's presidential campaign is now saying the senator and his family do have health insurance and never lost coverage. The late night Friday revelation came more than 24 hours after Cruz had told a New Hampshire audience that he and his family were without health insurance and were scrambling to obtain new coverage--and used the claim to slam Obamacare for the mess he was in.

In statements to Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal, campaign spokeswoman Catherine Frazier blamed Cruz's false assertion that his family had lost their health insurance on a misunderstanding. She said an insurance broker told Cruz that BlueCross BlueShield of Texas was dropping his PPO plan, but Frazier said that the broker did not tell Cruz his family was automatically being transferred to the carrier's HMO plan.

"Based on this information, Sen. Cruz believed the family was uninsured and asked the broker to pull quotes immediately for a new policy," Frazier said.

Thursday, the senator had said he "got a notice in the mail" that "Blue Cross Blue Shield was leaving the market." When TPM had asked BCBS of Texas when and how had it notified members about changes to their coverage, an official pointed to an announcement in July that explained that the insurer was dropping its PPOs but its HMO plans would be available for consumers.

"We worked with the members and their providers to minimize the impact of this change to their ongoing care, particularly if they needed to transfer their care to other providers," BCBS-Texas spokeswoman Edna Pérez-Vega told TPM via email.

Thursday Cruz had also claimed that his search for new insurance was complicated because his "premiums are going up 50 percent."

This allegation came as premiums on average in Texas went up only 4 percent in 2016, and the single biggest premium jump came from a tiny carrier that is raising premiums by 34 percent.

In explaining this claim by Cruz, Frazier said his family has opted to switch over to a new carrier starting in March with a plan more generous than the HMO that is currently covering him.

"The new premium—for coverage similar to what the Cruz family had last year—is roughly 50 percent higher," Frazier said.

Finally, the statement said that his former BlueCross BlueShield PPO plan had been purchased "with no government funds." Aside from the subsidies offered to users of the Obamacare exchange, the senator is eligible for insurance subsidized by his government employer, but has turned the option down.

That coverage must be purchased through the Washington, D.C. exchange -- due to a Republican amendment in the Affordable Care Act requiring Congress members and their staff to use the Obamacare marketplace. But it comes with an employer subsidy that covers about three-quarters of monthly premiums.

Original story:

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) revealed Thursday that he and his family -- including his two young daughters -- are not currently covered by health insurance. His reason? The 2016 presidential candidate told his audience at a New Hampshire campaign stop that his provider, BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, had dropped all of its individual policies and he was finding an alternative because "our premiums are going up 50 percent."

"That’s happening all over the country. That’s happening in New Hampshire," he said.

However, a number of details of his account do not line up with what health care experts told TPM.

For one, BCBS-Texas did not drop all of its individual plans, but rather just its POP plans --a type of health insurance that tends to be more expensive but also more flexible, because it allows consumers to visit a variety of caregivers without first receiving a referral. The insurer continued to offer its HMO plans and said it dropped its PPO plans in order to keep the other plans affordable.

"Last year we informed members that we would no longer offer PPO's to individual policy holders, but would work to transition them to other available insurance plans for individuals so they would not experience a gap in coverage," said BCBS-Texas spokeswoman Edna Pérez-Vega, via email to TPM. "Those who have been transitioned also have the option of choosing different plans for 2016. We worked with the members and their providers to minimize the impact of this change to their ongoing care, particularly if they needed to transfer their care to other providers."

BCBS-Texas announced it was dropping the PPOs in July, meaning Cruz had months to find a plan before his coverage lapsed Dec. 31. (The open enrollment deadline for coverage kicking in on Jan. 1 was December 17).

In his remarks Thursday, Cruz suggested that his wife Heidi was frustrated that he had yet not found a replacement plan, though he has until the end of the month enroll in coverage that begins in March.

"By the way, when you let your health insurance policy lapse, your wife gets really ticked at you," he said, according to Politico. "It’s not a good — I’ve had, shall we say, some intense conversations with Heidi on that."

Was his own negligence to blame?

As to Cruz's assertion that his premiums had spiked by 50 percent, according the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, on average, premiums in Texas increased by only 4 percent. (In New Hampshire, contrary to Cruz's claim, premiums went up by 5 percent on average, according to the HHS.)

Furthermore, as Los Angeles Times columnist Michael A. Hiltzik pointed out, the premiums of some plans in Texas decreased, as tracked by Healthcare.gov and that none of them increased by 50 percent.

Cruz and his family were previously covered under a blue chip employer plan offered by Goldman Sachs, where his wife Heidi worked before going on unpaid leave in March to help with the campaign.

As a U.S. senator, Cruz also has the option to get coverage through the Washington, D.C.-exchange, where he would also be eligible for a subsidy up to 75 percent from his government employer, as Hilt also noted.

"Cruz is still eligible for the government’s employer subsidy of up to 75% of his health insurance premium," Hiltzik wrote. "He has said he wouldn’t accept the employer share, which makes his complaint about his cost of insurance just a teeny bit more dishonest because he’s the one driving up his own premium."

Brandt Snedeker wins 2016 Farmers Insurance Open with all-time round in brutal conditions

The weather over the last 48 hours at Torrey Pines presented some all-time brutal scoring conditions that will be remembered for a long time. It's fitting that the winner booked one of the better rounds in PGA Tour history and won it in one of the most unique ways possible.

When is the last time a pro won a PGA Tour event without hitting a single shot on the final day of the tournament? That's what Brandt Snedeker did on Monday at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he snuck into the clubhouse Sunday with an astounding 3-under 69 while the rest of the field was terrorized by the wind and simply tried to break 80.

Snedeker showed up to Torrey Pines on Monday one shot back of Jimmy Walker, who still had eight holes to play. Sneds did some light warm ups on the putting green and range, but the wind, which had swung 180 degrees in a different direction but was still blowing at about 25-30 mph, made it so he'd never have to hit a shot.

Walker's lead was gone on his very first hole of the day, which was a bogey at the 11th. There were no birdie opportunities out there ... at all. The par-5 18th left a sliver of a chance for a red number, but it was impossible to get there in two and the wind made sure no one could spin it close to the front left pin location. Walker would post three more bogeys on an inward 40 and finished three shots back of Snedeker, who was, again, just hanging out in the clubhouse

K.J. Choi, playing in that final group, was the primary challenger to at least force a playoff and have Snedeker make a shot on Monday to win it. Choi spent much of his final eight holes on Monday struggling to get home in two on par-4s. He carded only two bogeys, but there was really no chance to make a birdie to pull even with Snedeker at 6-under.

The whole day was eerie and a little off, with massive trees down all around the course and spectators and volunteers barred from the grounds. It was just the players, caddies, a few officials, and the media walking around a badly damaged South Course.

Snedeker somehow posted that 3-under round juuuust before play was called for the day on Sunday and the heavy damage started to occur. He may have caught a break with the wind changing direction on Monday, but his conditions were still brutal. How good was his round?

• There were 23 players who could not break 80.
• Scott Brown, who had the 54-hole lead and played with Walker and Choi, posted an 87, which, per Justin Ray of Golf Channel, is the worst final round score from a 54-hole leader in the last decade.
•   Sneaker snack in to the weekend, making the cut right on the number. The conditions changing and his 3-under 69 made it possible for him to become the first winner since 2010 who made the cut right on the number. (again, h/t Justin Ray)
• Sneaker had the only round under par of 71 players. Only one other managed to shoot even-par.
• Sneaker was 8.9 strokes better than the final round average of 77.9
• That 77.9 final round average is the second-highest for a final round on the PGA Tour since 1983 (non-majors).

Snedeker always seems to play well early in the year and out on the West Coast swing. It's where he earned that (relatively) late Masters invite last season, when he was grinding to get to Augusta and then earned an auto-berth with a win at Pebble Beach. In his last three starts on Tour, he's posted a T3, a playoff loss 2nd, and now a win.

The win is his seventh on the PGA Tour since 2011 -- only Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have more during the same time. That's an extremely successful stretch, but Snedeker has been up-and-down throughout -- rocketing near the top of the world rankings, making a Ryder Cup team, struggling with his renowned world-class putting, switching swing coaches. He's unquestionably one of the more successful PGA Tour pros of the past five years but it has not always been easy. Given his recent run, 2016 seems like it may be another push toward a Ryder Cup roster spot. Whatever happens from here forward, however, he'll still have this all-time final round score to cuddle with for the rest of his career.

Employment up in all but two insurance sectors for December

According to statistics released Feb. 5 by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics for December 2015, employment in the insurance industry was up in most sub sectors, but down in others such as the property and casualty carrier subgroup.

Compiled by the New York City-based Insurance Information Institute, the numbers show that property and casualty carrier employment fell by 600 (-0.1%) to 515,800 for the 12 months ending in December 2015. Employment in this category has generally been falling for the past 18 months and is now about even with where it was in October 2013, the institute said.

The agent/broker segment saw a gain of 26,600 jobs in December 2015 compared with December 2014, up 3.6% to 774,800, with 13,700 hired in the months of October 2015 and November 2015 alone, the institute said.

This is the largest two-month gain in this segment in the past 25 years. After losing jobs in the Great Recession, the segment has been fairly steadily gaining jobs and passed the per-recession peak of 684,500 reached in July 2007. From the recent trough through December 2015, this segment has gained 136,600 jobs, the institute said.

Employment by life/annuity carriers rose in December 2015 compared with a year earlier, up 9,500 (2.9%) to 333,200. According to the institute, employment among life/annuity carriers reached bottom in March 2015 at 318,500. It has been rising since.

The health carrier segment continued its decades-long job gains, adding 25,100 in December, up 4.9% from the year-ago period to 538,100.

Among the smaller industry segments:

• Reinsurance carrier employment in the rose 1,000 in December, up 4.1% from December 2014, to 26,100.
• Employment at independent claims-adjusting firms on a year-over-year basis for December 2015 rose by 700 (+1.3%) to 56,600.
• Year-over-year employment in the category of third-party administration of insurance funds fell by 600 (-0.3 percent) to 173,600.

On Friday, the BLS reported that the United States added 151,000 jobs in January. The report also shows the unemployment rate dropping to 4.9%, a level not seen since February 2008. The jobs increase, however, was down from the 231,000 average job gain during the fourth quarter.

Individual Health Insurance Plans

health insurance plans

Anthem individual medical health insurance is going to give you access to a quantity of the best physicians, specialists and hospitals all over the world. While other healthcare companies do not make it a point to select their physicians, Anthem makes definite that their clients will only have the best in health care. They provide continued take care of the clients, because Anthem will continually remind their clients to have preventive screenings and tests, so as to keep away from any future diseases that may be preventable in the first place.

Here are a quantity of their features:

An Anthem individual insurance will also give their clients help to manage any and all chronic medical conditions. This is the only medical health insurance company that will actually go the additional mile so that you can have a comfortable life under their insurance designs.

health insurance plans

This health coverage plan also covers things like dental, life insurance and pharmacy benefits. Anthem does not cease at paying for your doctor's visits, but because they require you to have nice health in totality, they will also take care of other things that require to be kept healthy.

 of the main things that is different with Anthem is that they honestly care about their clients. Other insurance firms will actually discourage their clients from using their plan much, which will cost the company extra money. With anthem and the Anthem individual medical health insurance, they will actually encourage you to make use of your plan to the most that you can use it, so that you can be assured that your life and health is kept in check, and that Anthem is the company that will give it to you.

Anthem wishes healthcare and pharmacy options to be obtainable, coordinated and timely, and will give you and all future clients a positive patient-provider relationship. In the event you have a bad picture of healthcare companies, you will certainly alter that outlook one time you have worked with Anthem and their Anthem individual medical health insurance.



health insurance plans

Pakistan Health Insurance

Pakistan is not a spot that most people would consider when anticipating their next get-away, nonetheless, this nation mixes the old with the cutting edge; and makes for an exceptionally excellent and intriguing destination. Pakistan can be isolated into four locales in particular the considerable good countries, the Balochistan Plateau, the Indus Plain and the Desert territories. It is a spot for the individuals who are daring; exercises like mountain campaign, shake and ice climbing, biking, and enterprise trekking in the Northern piece of Pakistan will be generally suitable. Different exercises incorporate camel, watercraft and jeep safaris and going to social and memorable locales.

By medicinal services arrangement of Pakistan, all natives in Pakistan ought to have entry to reasonable and quality human services. The nation's heathcare framework is contained both open and private social insurance. Pakistan's social insurance framework is however insufficient, wasteful and excessively costly for most inhabitants, making it impossible to manage. General society part is under-financed and wasteful while the private division is costly and unregulated. unequal access to wellbeing offices, deficient portion for wellbeing, high populace development and newborn child mortality. While setting out to Pakistan, it is in this manner vital to put set up a restorative medical coverage for yourself and your gang.

On the off chance that you are searching for genuine feelings of serenity realizing that medicinal expenses will be secured if there should arise an occurrence of a mishap or disease for yourself and your family while going to Pakistan, an expat restorative protection arrangement will be the ideal answer for you. Arrangements can be perfectly customized to give you adaptability, meet your individual needs, and might incorporate advantages, for example, travel, maternity, dental and numerous different conditions. Should you require additional data on Pakistan, worldwide medicinal protection, or get a free discussion, kindly don't waver to call one of our master consultants now.

Pakistan Health Insurance

At Globalsurance we work with various worldwide medical coverage items that you can take out in Pakistan. Worldwide Health Insurance arrangements offered by Globalsurance can help you to modify the approach scope to suit your individual prerequisites. To talk about additional with our accomplished experts about your time in Pakistan, worldwide medical coverage arranges that we can offer you or for a free worldwide health care coverage cite, please get in touch with us either by telephone now or by filling in the straightforward structure here.

Pakistan Healthcare System News

Pakistan, which used to be a British settlement, has acquired an exceptionally incorporated medicinal services framework from the previous British provincial force. The nation accomplished its freedom in 1947. Since that time the Pakistani Government has been in charge of giving free national social insurance administrations to all natives in all urban communities and towns.

Under the Pakistani constitution, social insurance is transcendently the obligation of the commonplace governments, with the exception of in the governmentally managed regions. The Federal Government is, be that as it may, in charge of arranging and planning national wellbeing arrangements, in spite of the fact that the obligation regarding execution rests to a great extent with the common governments. The Federal Ministry of wellbeing is in charge of the execution of some vertical counteractive action programs for dangers, for example, AIDS and intestinal sickness, and expanded projects for vaccination. The key components of the vision of the Government on social insurance incorporate i) aversion of malady, ii) access to a specialist for each national, iii) procurement of reasonable solutions and top standard restorative training.

The social insurance framework in Pakistan incorporates both open and private administrations. People in general division, which is directed and perceived is involved wellbeing offices from Basic Health Units (BHU's), Rural Health Centers (RHC's) and tertiary consideration offices. In Pakistan, Primary Healthcare (PHC) units incorporate both BHUs and RHCs, and under 30% of the populace utilizes the offices of the PHC. Reasons that the general population segment is seriously under-used is predominantly because of inborn shortcomings including inadequate spotlight on aversion and advancement of wellbeing, inordinate centralization of administration, political impedance, absence of openness, frail human asset improvement, absence of reconciliation, and absence of a general wellbeing arrangement.

The private area serves almost 70% of the populace, and is fundamentally an expense for-administration framework including administrations from prepared doctors to option treatments profound healers. This division does not work inside administrative structure and constrained data is accessible e.g. data on human or money related assets.

The pay of a recently graduated specialist who joins the taxpayer supported organization is paid US$120 every month, with an extra US$16.50 lodging recompense. By World Health Organization (WHO), there are just 12 specialists to each 10,000 individuals in Pakistan and 10 doctor's facility beds to each 10,000 individuals. Contrasting with the United States, there are 22 specialists and more than 30 doctor's facility beds for each 10,000 individuals.

Defilement is a serious issue in the social insurance framework in Pakistan. This has kept the medicinal services framework from growing meaningfully. Staff non-appearance and double employment holding is amongst the most major issues at a wellbeing frameworks level in Pakistan; this undermines the administration conveyance and prompts shut/under used general wellbeing offices, which thusly harm the value and wellbeing goals of the openly financed social insurance. Getting pharmaceutical is likewise another major degenerate territory of the social insurance industry, without giving tips and blessings (fixes) to medicinal staff, patients will get practically zero consideration.

In spite of the fact that human services in Pakistan is gradually enhancing, it is still entirely lacking, wasteful and costly. Whilst voyaging or living in Pakistan, guarantee that you and your family are completely secured by medicinal and medical coverage.

Medical coverage for Expats in Pakistan

To know all the more further about your advantages, counsel the full survey on our family Pakistan medical coverage arranges page. Before you can even start to take an arrangement it is essential to make an earnest examination of your individual circumstance and exigencies.

Globalsurance is an one-stop protection financier administration supplier for you when making a trip to Pakistan. Expat medical coverage arrangements we work with have a wide cluster of choices to meet your individual needs, including advantages, for example, dental, maternity, inpatient, outpatient, master counsels and numerous others. Whether you are an utilized expat or voyaging traveler in Pakistan, expat medical coverage can give the scope you require. Contact our expert guides today to appreciate full protection assurance, for example, an Expat Health Insurance Plan for yourself and your gang.

individual policies score over family floaters

Before we attending at the pros and cons of anniversary type, let us bound attending at what anniversary of these behavior mean. An alone action agency a abstracted action for anniversary of the ancestors members. Let's accept that for a ancestors of four associates [husband (36), wife (30) and 2 accouchement (6) and (4), respectively] the medical advantage is as beneath : .

3,00,000 for anniversary ancestors affiliate alone (total exceptional Rs 12,700) Rs 3,00,000 ancestors accommodation for the ancestors put calm (premium Rs 8,800) Let's yield an archetype to accept the appulse of anniversary scenario: A. Let's say the wife is hospitalised and the costs incurred are Rs 2,50,000. The appulse is as under:

i. Rs 2,50,000 will be reimbursed beneath the wife's policy
ii. Rs 2,50,000 will be reimbursed beneath the ancestors accommodation action B. Suppose aboriginal the bedmate is hospitalised (cost Rs 3,00,000) and again the wife is hospitalised (cost Rs 2,00,000).

i.The bedmate will get Rs 3,00,000 and the wife will get Rs 2,00,000 (total agreement Rs 5,00,000)
ii.The bedmate will use up the absolute absolute of Rs 3,00,000 and annihilation will be reimbursed for the wife (total agreement Rs 3,00,000)

Clearly, the aboriginal advantage area anniversary of the ancestors associates holds alone awning according to what you would accept taken as a ancestors accommodation plan works best in all situations but it is aswell the added big-ticket option. The ancestors accommodation plan offers adaptability in agreement of utilising the all-embracing allowance advantage a part of the ancestors as a group.

However, adjoin this declared extenuative of Rs 3,900 per year there are several disadvantages of a ancestors accommodation policy.

The action will be renewed alone till the senior-most affiliate alcove the best age of renewability accustomed by that company. As it stands today, at that date the added ancestors associates will charge to yield a beginning action afterwards accepting the account of their affirmation history and preexisting ache awning that comes from connected face-lifting of the policy.

The aforementioned affair applies to accouchement who ability the best age (normally 21 years to 25 years in a lot of cases) afterwards which they will charge to buy a abstracted action for themselves afterwards the account of the beforehand connected advantage that they accept got beneath the ancestors accommodation policy.

Most behavior (with one exception) aswell accomplish no specific accouterment for continuing awning of the actual associates in case of the adverse afterlife of the senior-most member.

Know all about the free-look period for insurance

Time limit
This appropriate can be acclimatized aural 15 canicule of the abandoning of the action document. The onus of proving the date of abandoning of the action certificate is on the policyholder.

Form
The appeal for appliance the freelook advantage have to be fabricated in autograph to the allowance company. Many insurers appoint a free-look appeal form, which can be downloaded from the company's website.

Details
The policyholder needs to accommodate data like date of abandoning of action document, abettor advice and acumen for cancellation/change. The abode and coffer data have to be provided for acquittance of premium. A acquirement brand of `1 should be added on the anatomy and active by the policyholder.

Documents
The aboriginal action document, forth with the aboriginal exceptional receipt, an apology bond, if the aboriginal action certificate is not available, and a annulled cheque have to be submitted with the form.

Premium refund
The exceptional acquittance is adapted for the following:
- Proportionate accident exceptional for the aeon on cover.
- Expenses incurred by the insurer on medical examination.
- Brand assignment charges.

Points to note
- In case of a free-look abandoning of a Ulip, the acquittance transaction will be accountable to the net asset amount (NAV) fluctuations.

- The free-look aeon applies alone to activity and bloom allowance behavior that are for a appellation of at atomic three years.