When it comes to Obamacare and Medicaid, many are confused about what changes are coming. Will you be able to get Medicaid thanks to changes in the program made by the federal health care reform law?

Well, it depends on your income and where you live.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is the official name for Obamacare, became law in 2010. It made changes to Medicaid that will help more consumers get health coverage through the program – and also will improve benefits, experts say.

Medicaid is a program operated by each state that provides affordable health care coverage for low-income individuals and families. Before health care reform, eligibility was always determined by both income and whether an individual fit into a certain group – for example, children, pregnant women and the disabled. Low-income, non-disabled adults who are not pregnant and are not parents or caretakers of dependent children typically don’t qualify for Medicaid now.

How Obamacare will change Medicaid

Here are the two biggest ways Obamacare will change Medicaid:

1. Obamacare helps more people get Medicaid

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands eligibility for Medicaid to include anyone with a household income of less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level – which in 2013 is $15,282 for one person and $31,322 for a family of four.

However, a Supreme Court decision made in 2012 allows states to opt out of making those changes. In states that have decided not to expand Medicaid by 2014, many low-income consumers who would have been eligible for Medicaid under ACA rules will not be able to get insurance through the program. To date, 15 states have opted not to expand Medicaid, including Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

Those consumers will have to shop for private plans through the health insurance exchanges, the marketplaces set up as a result of the federal health care reform law, says Sara Collins, vice-president for affordable health insurance at The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that works toward a high-performing health care system.

In the states that do expand Medicaid under the ACA – so far, 28 states and Washington, D.C. – many now-uninsured consumers will be able to get Medicaid. Determining eligibility based on income alone will open up Medicaid to adults without dependent children or a disability,  who’ve mostly been excluded from the program in the past, says Len Nichols, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics at George Mason University, Washington D.C.

“This really is a big deal,” Nichols says, noting that at least half of the uninsured who gain health insurance through the ACA will be covered by Medicaid due to the expansion. “The whole point is to make sure people have access to coverage.”

Many uninsured individuals in the United States fall into the category of working poor, he says. The U.S. Department of Labor defines “working poor” as people with incomes below the federal poverty line who spent at least 27 weeks in the past year working or looking for work. In some states, in fact, about 45 percent of the uninsured earn less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicaid is funded by both state and federal governments, but the federal government will fund 100 percent of the expansion for the first three years in states that opt in.

Obamacare also aims to make it easier to shop for insurance by integrating Medicaid with the exchanges. That way, a consumer can go to an exchange, answer some questions and find out if they’re eligible, experts say.

“The exchanges are supposed to be a one-stop shop,” Nichols says.

2. Obamacare will improve Medicaid coverage

“The Medicaid benefits package is very generous,” Nichols says. Even before the ACA, Medicaid had to include coverage for a variety of services, including hospitalization, prescription drugs, laboratory tests and X-rays, family planning and dental visits. However, states must offer other benefits for children but may choose whether to offer them for adults. These benefits include mental health services, physical therapy and prosthetics.

But starting in 2014, anyone who is newly eligible for Medicaid will get a benefits package that includes all of the minimum essential health benefits required by the ACA for all plans sold in the exchanges. What Medicaid offers has to be at least as comprehensive as the private plans sold in the exchanges, Collins says.

Obamacare also improves Medicaid in other ways:

Payments to Medicaid primary care providers for 146 primary care services increased to the same level as those offered by Medicare, starting in January 2013. That change should expand the network of providers by bringing new doctors to Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Community First Choice Option, which became available in 2011, allows Medicaid to provide home care and assistance for disabled recipients who would otherwise need to enter a nursing home or other facility.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation will help to streamline and coordinate care for Medicare recipients who get Medicaid to help with the costs of their premiums and cost sharing.

The bottom line: experts disagree on how well Medicaid expansion will serve consumers. Critics say expansion will cost taxpayers too much and will worsen existing problems with Medicaid. These issues include fraud and lack of access to providers since many doctors and dentists aren’t taking new Medicaid patients.

But Collins says the many people who are newly eligible for Medicaid will get good coverage and pay little to nothing in premiums and cost sharing.

Other health insurance links you might like:

What are the four Obamacare health insurance plans?

Can Obamacare save you money on health care?

Health insurance and the working poor [Infographic]

If your pet was injured in an accident or suffered a fracture, could you pay for the surgery — a cost that can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars? Having a pet health insurance plan ensures your pet gets the best veterinary care in the event of an illness or unexpected accident. Doug Kenney, a veterinarian in Cordova, Tennessee, and author of the blog, Your Pet Insurance Guide and the book ‘Your Guide to Understanding Pet Health Insurance’ frequently helps consumers sort through the pros and cons of having pet insurance.  He spoke to InsuranceQuotes.com about what these plans cover and what pet owners should look for in an insurance policy.

Does your pet need health insurance?

Should all pet owners purchase insurance for their pets?

Pet owners often aren’t aware of the potential costs of diagnosing and treating some of the illnesses or injuries that can affect pets. I’ve often seen pet owners facing a significant expense they never expected and the anguish it causes when they realize they aren’t financially prepared. Ask yourself, “If something like this happened to my pet, would I be able to pay for it?” If not, then you should consider purchasing pet insurance.

On the other hand, there are pet owners who consider the family pet as replaceable if it becomes seriously ill or injured, and requires more than a few hundred dollars to treat. Pet insurance would be a waste of money for these folks.

Does having pet insurance benefit all pet owners?

Not all pet owners can reap the benefits of pet insurance at this time because it operates according to a reimbursement model, where the pet owner is required to pay their veterinarian in full and then file a claim to get reimbursed for covered expenses minus the deductible and copay (the insured’s portion of the payment).  There are many pet owners who can afford to pay a monthly pet insurance premium along with a deductible and copay, but don’t have the ability to pay thousands of dollars up front and then seek reimbursement from the pet insurance company.

Some pet insurance companies have provisions in their policies where they will reimburse the veterinary hospital directly in situations when the bill is more than the policyholder can pay out-of-pocket as long as the vet agrees to accept such an arrangement. But not all vets are likely to go along with such a request.

What would you say to a pet owner who is trying to justify the cost of pet insurance?

Most pet insurance companies now offer policies that allow pet owners to choose from a wide range of annual or per-incident maximums, deductibles and copays so they can actually custom design a policy that will fit their budget. Pet owners should be careful not to purchase insurance simply based on who has the lowest premium. You want to ideally buy a policy that would give you an affordable out-of-pocket expense (including the premium) should you have to file a large claim.

Are there any plans that cover pets with pre-existing conditions?

No. But, if your pet has had a condition in the past that hasn’t recurred in the past 6 to 12 months (rules vary from company to company), the insurer may not consider it pre-existing. Every pet owner who purchases pet insurance should request a medical record review upon enrollment. This allows the pet insurance company to review your pet’s medical record and let you know up front if any past conditions are consider pre-existing and not covered. The last thing a pet owner wants to do is pay months to years of premiums only to have a large claim denied because of a pre-existing condition.

If someone adopts an older pet does it make sense to still get pet insurance?

When you adopt an older pet, you may or may not know the pet’s past medical history. If the pet has previous medical records, have a medical record review done. If the new owner doesn’t have previous medical records, the insurer may require a physical examination to determine if there are any obvious pre-existing conditions. I recommend having an examination done and then submit the findings to the insurance company for review. If the adopted pet is deemed relatively healthy, purchasing pet insurance can make sense because as a pet grows older, he or she will most likely develop one or more chronic conditions where there will be ongoing medical expenses.

Tips for buying pet insurance

Kenney also gave the following tips for people who want to buy pet insurance:

• Ask if the company’s policies offer coverage for chronic conditions and hereditary or congenital conditions. If so, what are the limits on this coverage?

• How does the pet insurance company calculate reimbursements? Generally there are three methods – according to whatever the vet charges, what is considered usual and customary for your region of the U.S., or using a benefit schedule based on the diagnosis. This will affect how much you get reimbursed.

• Always read reviews on the pet insurance companies you’re considering.

• Always read a sample policy from the pet insurance companies you are considering. If you don’t understand something, call or email the company for clarification.

• Know what your out-of-pocket expense (deductible) will be if you ever have to file a large claim. You don’t want to purchase a policy where you end up paying as much or more than the insurance company when you file a large claim.

Summer is almost here, and millions of boaters are dreaming of long, lazy days traveling the nation’s waterways.

However, every year serious boating accidents occur. In 2011, there were 4,588 recreational boating accidents that involved 758 deaths, 3,081 injuries and about $52 million of damage to property, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Boat insurance can pay for costs associated with such incidents, says Lynne McChristian, Florida representative of the Insurance Information Institute (III).

“Everyone who owns a boat should consider insuring it,” she says.

Types of boat insurance

There are two types of recreational boat insurance: Actual cash value and agreed amount value.

Actual cash value insurance reimburses you for the value of your boat, minus depreciation. If the boat is a total loss, your insurer will only pay out the amount the boat is currently worth, not the amount it would cost to replace it.

If the boat is still repairable, you receive a check for the total cost of repair, minus a percentage that corresponds to the depreciated value of the boat at the time of the accident.

On the other hand, agreed amount value insurance pays out the cost to replace the boat in the event of a total loss, or pays out the full repair amount.

The price of boat insurance depends on several factors, including:

• Type and size of watercraft.

• How and where it is used.

• Value of the watercraft.

The cost of the policy also depends on who will be driving the boat, says Ron Moore, senior product consultant at MetLife.

“Most companies will rate and underwrite a boat policy on the age of the operators, similar to the way auto insurance is rated,” Moore says.

Some types of damage might not be included in boat insurance, such as damage due to normal wear and tear, or damage caused by insects, animals and other organisms. Mold damage also may be excluded.

As with auto insurance, liability coverage is the most important part of a boat insurance policy. This insurance protects you from damages you inflict on others, whether through physical injuries or damage to their property.

Insurers typically offer boat insurance liability coverage limits of between $15,000 and $300,000, according to III.

Boat policy coverage specifics vary from insurer to insurer, says Elizabeth Stelzer, a spokeswoman for Nationwide.

“It’s important to read a policy fully to understand who is and who isn’t covered,” she says.

For example, she says liability coverage typically extends beyond the policyholder to anyone operating the boat with the policyholder’s permission. But other coverage – such as medical payments, which covers the medical and funeral costs for the insured after an accident – may only apply to the policyholder.

As with car insurance, many different types of boat insurance discounts are available. For instance, you may earn a price break for completing boater safety classes, such as those offered through the Coast Guard.

Does homeowner’s insurance cover your boat?

If you have a relatively small boat, your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy may offer some protection.

“There’s limited coverage for boats under a standard homeowner policy,” McChristian says.

Most insurers will provide about $1,000 – or 10 percent of your home’s value – in coverage for canoes, and small sail boats or power boats, according to III.

This coverage typically protects not only the boat, but also the motor and trailer.

However, some homeowner’s and renter’s policies don’t cover watercrafts at all, McChristian says.

In addition, liability protection for your boat typically isn’t provided as part of homeowner’s or renter’s coverage, or is very limited, she says. To get a sufficient amount of liability coverage, you need to add an endorsement, or to purchase a separate boat insurance policy.

Buying boat insurance especially makes sense if you have a bigger boat such as a yacht, or if your boat has more than 25 miles per hour of horsepower. Jet skis, wave runners and similar watercraft also may require separate coverage.

In some cases, you can pay extra for an endorsement to your home insurance policy that will provide additional coverage for your boat. But there may be limits.

For example, Moore says MetLife’s boat insurance provides uninsured boaters coverage, which helps pay for damages associated with injuries that may occur if another boater runs into and hurts you, but doesn’t have coverage. Homeowner’s insurance doesn’t provide this coverage for boats, Moore says.

How boat accidents affect auto insurance

Some people like to drink on their boats, and the consequences can be deadly. Alcohol was the leading contributor in 16 percent of fatal boating accidents in 2011, according to the Coast Guard.

Could a conviction for drunken boating affect your auto insurance rates?

“Yes, it’s possible,” McChristian says. “It depends on how individual states handle boating under the influence.”

She notes that it’s illegal to operate a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs, just as it’s illegal to drive a car under the influence.

“The consequences vary by state and depend upon state regulations,” she says.

Whether or not a boating accident affects your auto insurance depends on the insurer. Moore says that boat mishaps will not affect a MetLife policyholder’s auto rates. However, Stelzer says a boating accident could impact a Nationwide policyholder’s auto premiums.

To avoid that fate, customers can consider selecting accident forgiveness or minor violation forgiveness features in their auto policies, if these features are available.

Here’s the good news: Next year, according to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, nearly 26 million Americans will be eligible for federal subsidies to help them pay for health insurance. The bad news is that almost no one knows how the Obamacare subsidies will work.

According to a recent study conducted by Families USA, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group that advocates for lower health-care costs, nearly eight percent of Americans will be eligible for federal subsidies that will reduce health-care costs. The study also showed that most Americans are in the dark about them.

How Obamacare health subsidies work

According to the ACA, the federal government will start providing tax credits to low- and middle-income consumers on January 1, 2014 in order to help them purchase insurance through state-run insurance exchanges (or marketplaces). Individuals looking to buy health insurance though these exchanges can start applying for subsidies in October 2013. And here’s how they will work:

Assistance will be available for those with incomes up to four times the federal poverty level—i.e. $45,960 for an individual or $94,200 for a family of four. It’s also available for individuals who aren’t part of a government health insurance program like Medicaid or Medicare and who don’t have health insurance through work. The assistance will be administered as upfront tax credits, which will be sent directly to insurance companies, so consumers pay less out of their own pockets.

InsuranceQuotes.com recently caught up with Kathleen Stoll, director of health policy at Families USA, to talk about these subsidies and why so many Americans don’t know how they will  work.

What consumers should know about Obamacare health subsidies

What motivated you to conduct this study?

Well, we knew that people were confused about these subsidies, and, in most cases, completely unaware of them. We had seen some research from other organizations that showed about 80 percent of people who will be eligible to receive help with the cost of health insurance had no idea this help even existed. Our primary goal was to educate the public about the facts.

What was most intriguing about the findings?

One thing I discovered in talking to reporters after the study came out is that people are not only unaware of these subsidies, but that they also have some misconceptions about how they work.

Can you give an example?

First of all, a lot of people we talked to said that their state wasn’t going to provide a health insurance exchange. That’s not true. All states will have an exchange. Some states will run them from the state level while others have opted to let the federal government handle it.

People have also been really surprised when we walk them through the size of these subsidies, because they are quite significant. For instance, a family of four earning $94,200 and purchasing a silver-level plan (the second most affordable plan option covering about 70 percent of health care costs) carrying a $12,500 annual premium will get a subsidy worth $3,550, which limits the cost of the premium to 9.5 percent of the family’s income. That really puts health insurance into the grasp of working families in terms of affordability.

It’s not free insurance. But it’s within the range of reason that you can actually afford to protect your family.

Is there any one demographic that will stand to benefit most significantly from these subsidies?

More than a third of those eligible will be young adults between 18 and 34 years old, but it’s not just a benefit for young people. People between the ages of 55 and 65 who may need to retire early won’t have to worry about being locked into a job so they can continue having health insurance. With these subsidies they will have a way to insure themselves.

Also, a lot of people who will be eligible for these subsidies are from working families with annual incomes between $47,100 and $94,200. With these subsidies, these families now have an option to protect their loved ones.

Do people have to purchase insurance through their state’s exchange in order to be eligible for Obamacare heath subsidies?

Yes. You would have to purchase a plan through the state marketplace. But insurers will offer a range of plans, so you have options. Also, if you have a good offer of health insurance though an employer that doesn’t require you to pay a lot of money out of pocket, you won’t be eligible for this help. But if you have an employer plan that’s not very comprehensive or has a high deductible, then you may be eligible to choose between your employer’s plan and a plan offered though your state’s marketplace. So don’t assume that if you have employer-based coverage that you aren’t eligible.

Who will benefit most from these Obamacare health subsidies?

I picture a hard-working family where one or both adults in the family are working full-time. But they’re working in something like the retail sector and don’t have an offer of employer-based coverage. Another family I picture is one where a member of the family has a significant preexisting condition that may limit how much he or she can work. They may not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, and this will allow them to get affordable insurance for the family. With these subsides they can move into the ranks of the insured and protect their families from financial devastation.

Why do you think people are so uninformed about health care reform right now?

For one thing, it continues to be a topic of intense political debate. People hear so much noise about it that they think Congress is still debating it and don’t even know the Affordable Care Act already passed. The negative political dialogue and misinformation has confused a lot of people.

Secondly, you can’t apply until October (2013) and you won’t start receiving help until January. People have busy lives with lots of responsibilities, so if there’s a benefit that will take effect in January 2014, they don’t want to hear about it until July or August.

What’s the greatest challenge in getting people to understand how these Obamacare health subsidies work?

The challenge right now is to reach out to people across the country who are trusted communicators on the community level. People like doctors, pastors, nurses, neighbors who can say, ‘Hey, this is how this will work and here’s what it can mean for your family.’ If we get the word out and people start applying, I think they will be pleased with what they find out.

How will Obamacare subsidies change the health insurance industry moving forward?

A: When you provide subsidies there are more people who can afford what insurance companies sell. I think it will have a positive effect from insurance companies’ perspectives because more customers is a good thing. Insurance companies may need to be more competitive to enter these state exchanges and offer their products at a better price.

What advice do you have for consumers moving forward?

Don’t assume you’re not eligible. Right now there’s no place to send consumers to get a lot of information in their state because web portals aren’t open yet. But people can go to Healthcare.gov and get some basic info on the Affordable Care Act and these tax credits and state exchanges. Keep you eyes and ears open because there will be call centers and resources available this summer. And remember, you don’t have to be uninsured to qualify.

Other health insurance links you might like:

Who can shop the health insurance exchanges?

What are the four Obamacare health insurance plans?

Will my health care costs go up under Obamacare?

Do you plan to shop on the health insurance exchanges that are being set up as the result of federal health care reform, also known as Obamacare? If so, you might be wondering how you’ll decide which of the four health insurance plans are right for you.

What are the four Obamacare health insurance plans?

First, let’s take a look at the levels of coverage that will be offered in the health care  exchanges. The levels are based on the percentage of health care costs that will be paid by the plan, on average, according to HealthCare.gov:

• Platinum-level plans – will pay 90 percent of a policyholder’s health care costs, on average.

• Gold-level plans – will pay about 80 percent of the costs of health care.

• Silver-level plans– will pay about 70 percent of the costs of health care.

• Bronze-level plans – will pay about 60 percent of the costs of health care.

What do the Obamacare health insurance plans cover?

So, does this mean that if you buy a silver-level plan, it definitely will cover 70 percent of the costs of your health care and you will pay 30 percent? No, says John Rother, president and CEO of the non-profit National Coalition on Health Care. Instead, the percentages are based on what the insurance company expects an average person of your age, in your state, who chooses your level of coverage, will pay in health care costs in a year.

Here’s an example: say the insurance company estimates the average person who is like you would use $8,000 worth of health care in a year. Let’s say the company then adds administrative costs and profits of $2,000. Of the total, $10,000, the company can say the average policyholder who has a silver-level plan would pay 30 percent – or $3,000. That amount would include:

• The health insurance premiums.

• The deductible, which is the amount of health care costs the consumer pays before the coverage kicks in.

• Copays and coinsurance, the part the consumer pays for each doctor visit, health care service, or procedure.

“The problem is, nobody’s average,” Rother says. So, you might have lower or higher health care costs than average, and might end up paying a different percentage of your health care costs.

How much will Obamacare health insurance plans cost?

The prices of the health insurance plans in the exchanges will vary by level. Let’s look at some examples from Vermont, one of just a few states that have published proposed health insurance rates for 2014. In Vermont:

• For a platinum-level plan, a single person would pay, on average, about $610 a month in premiums if they make too much to get a subsidy. A couple would pay about $1,220 and a family with kids would pay about $1,710.

• For a gold-level plan, a single person would pay about $528 with no subsidy, a couple would pay $1,056 and a family would pay $1,484.

• For a silver-level plan, a single person would pay about $441 with no subsidy, a couple would pay about $880, and a family would pay about $1,240.

• For a bronze-level plan, a single person would pay about $365, a couple about $732 and a family about $1,028.

How do you choose the right health insurance coverage for you?

But experts say you shouldn’t focus only on the health insurance premium. So, how do you decide which level of coverage is right for you? Here are four things to consider:

1. How much is the health premium? – The cost of the health insurance premium is one consideration, experts say. If you make up to four times the federal poverty level – or $45,960 or less in 2013 for a single person – you’ll be eligible for a tax credit to reduce your health insurance  premium. It’s also important to calculate about how much you’d pay in deductibles, copays and coinsurance, experts say. “If you’re only looking at premium, you’re only looking at part of the picture,” Rother says.

2. How does the health plan work? – All plans sold in the exchanges must show you a summary of benefits and coverage (SBC), a short document that explains in plain language what the plan covers and how cost sharing works in that plan. Each SBC sheet has to show examples with dollar amounts for two scenarios: having a baby and managing type 2 diabetes. Looking at the SBC will give you an idea of how the plan might work for you, says Christine Barber, a senior policy analyst for Community Catalyst, a nonprofit organization that promotes affordable health care.

3. How healthy are you? Since no one can know the future – you might be healthy today and get hit by a bus or diagnosed with cancer or heart disease tomorrow – it’s impossible to know how much health care you’ll use in the future, experts say. But in general, it might make sense for an older person or someone who has a serious health problem to pick a platinum-level plan. And it could make sense for a young, healthy person to pick a bronze-level plan, Barber says.

4. How good is the health plan network? It’s very important to check the network of any health plan you’re considering. While plans sold in the exchanges are required by law to include benefits in 10 categories, insurance companies can cut costs by drastically limiting the number of doctors and hospitals in the network, Rother says. So, check the network before deciding on a plan, he says.

Other health insurance links you might like:

Will my health care costs go up under Obamacare?

Who can shop the health insurance exchanges?

What is health care reform?

Kids who get an injury playing baseball could be out for months.

Physicians say that although baseball generally is a safe sport, getting hurt in a Little League or a recreational baseball or softball game could require a trip to the emergency room, multiple doctor’s visits, surgery and weeks of physical therapy.

Even for parents with insurance, the cost of medical treatment can be a major hit to a family’s budget.

About 6 million children age 5 to 14 play in organized baseball leagues annually, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

118,386 children under 15 were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for baseball- and softball-related injuries in 2010, according to data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Baseball injuries among kids range from bruises and sprains to fractures and concussions. The most common injuries are facial injuries (33.5 percent), then shoulder, arm and hand injuries (32.4 percent), according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers with the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in New York found that direct contact with the ball is the most common form of injury. Some can be fatal, such as the rare cases when the ball strikes a child in the chest. For children in positions such as pitcher, who are constantly throwing and even playing on teams in multiple leagues, physicians often see overuse injuries to the shoulder and elbow.

What baseball injuries do children suffer from?

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) says thousands of children are seen every year for elbow and shoulder pain, which are the most common baseball-related injuries. Often, players have torn or damaged the arm’s ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), which can result from playing too much, throwing too hard and not getting enough rest.

“Baseball is up there as one of the biggest culprits (for youth injuries),” says Dr. William Levine of Columbia University, and chairman of the advisory board for the STOP (Sports Trauma and Overview Prevention) Sports Injuries campaign. “The most common thing we see are shoulder and elbow injuries in younger and younger children than we’ve ever seen in past decades.”

Talented players face pressure to play. Coaches for multiple teams want to win and the chances of playing professionally or getting a college scholarship are enticing to kids and their parents.

Tips to prevent baseball injuries

The AOSSM recommends pitchers adhere to rules set by the Little League Baseball and Softball that limits the number of pitches allowed per game, depending on the player’s age. Pitch limits range from 50 pitches per game for ages 7 to 8 to 105 pitches per game for ages 17 to 18. The AOSSM also recommends that pitchers should:

• Avoid pitching for more than one team.

• Rotate positions

• Tell someone if they feel pain in their arm.

“Coaches, [parents and the kids] don’t understand that these are preventable injuries,” Levine says.

How much do baseball injuries cost?

Baseball is one of the leading causes of the nearly 40,000 eye injuries that occur annually from sports and recreational activities, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Children are vulnerable to eye injuries because their depth perception isn’t as strong as adults, and they can’t react as quickly to avoid injury, says Dr. Jerold Stirling, pediatric sports medicine specialist at Loyola University Health System.

Baseball-related eye injuries include fractures to bones around the eye, bleeding within the eye and abrasions to the cornea, Stirling says. These injuries can be caused by an off-target pitch.

Typically, the treatment for these injuries would be covered by insurance, Stirling says.

Co-pays typically are required for doctor’s visits, X-rays and physical therapy. Also, shoulder and elbow injuries can require a recovery period of several months, Levine says.

An insured family’s co-pay could be at least $10 for each physical therapy appointment. Also, some insurance policies may limit the number of physical therapy visits annually, says Tim McLane, senior athletic trainer at Georgia Regents Sports Medicine Center.

Increased use of plastic face shields on player’s helmets and chest and neck protectors for catchers help prevent injuries, McLane says.

Some financial assistance could be available for Little League players, if your local league has an accidental medical insurance policy. The policy provides excess coverage, beyond what a family’s insurance pays for medical care.

Parents don’t have to pay for the policy, but would have to pay a $50 deductible if using the additional coverage, says Dan Kirby, Little League’s vice president of risk management. The policy covers up to $100,000 per person, up to one year from the accident.

One player’s injury

Sterling and Myssi Brown’s 9-year-old son, Levi, slid into second base during his baseball team’s championship game in fall 2012, and complained afterward about his ankle hurting. The parents, who live in Atlanta, didn’t realize Levi’s injury was severe until a couple of hours later, when X-rays showed he had broken the tibia and fibula in his left leg.

After being in a cast for five weeks and a walking boot for three weeks, Levi needed physical therapy. His one-hour sessions were twice a week for four weeks. He was playing baseball again in spring 2013.

The Browns were thankful for their employer-sponsored health insurance, which covered a portion of the bills for the doctor’s visits, cast and physical therapy. The family had to meet their annual $500 deductible for 2012 and 2013, as the treatment and physical therapy stretched into the new year. Co-pays also were required for doctor’s visits and physical therapy.

The out-of-pocket costs totaled about $1,700, Myssi estimates.

“When you see your child’s leg broken all the way through, you want the best care at whatever cost, from the first X-ray, all the way through rehab,” Myssi says. “It made us thankful for the medical system and for insurance. But there are a lot of costs that … you end up finding out about later.”

See how much you could save on your health insurance. Get a fast and free health insurance quote today!

Less than one year before the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will require most Americans to obtain health insurance, a survey has found that 46 percent of U.S. adults – or 84.2 million people – remain uninsured or underinsured.

During 2012, 54.6 million adults were uninsured, while 29.6 million were underinsured, according to research released by the Commonwealth Fund.

“The continuing problem with coverage among adults in general really underscores why we have the ACA in place,” says Sara Collins, a vice president of the Commonwealth Fund and lead author of the report.

Why are so many Americans uninsured and underinsured?

Commonwealth’s biennial health insurance survey looked at coverage of adults across the nation during 2012.

According to the survey findings:

• 46 percent of adults ages 19 to 64 were either uninsured or in 2012. Underinsured adults were defined as those who had health insurance all year, but belonged to one of the following categories: People who spend 10 percent or more of their income on out-of-pocket health costs; those whose incomes are less than 200 percent of the poverty level and whose out-of-pocket costs equal 5 percent or more of their income; and those whose spend 5 percent or more of their income on deductibles.

• 41 percent of adults say they have problems paying medical bills, or currently are paying off medical debt.

• 43 percent of adults say they have not filled a prescription or have decided not to pursue needed medical care because the cost is too high.

Kathleen Duffy, a spokeswoman for the Illinois grassroots coalition Campaign for Better Health Care, says the findings underscore the importance of finding a way to make sure all Americans have good health insurance coverage.

“As a society, I think we need to agree that leaving anyone out is not OK,” she says.

Health insurance in states

The study also found striking differences in the percentage of adults insured in the nation’s four biggest states: California, Florida, New York and Texas.

More than half of adults in Florida (53 percent) and Texas (54 percent) were uninsured or underinsured during 2012. By contrast, the numbers were better in California (42 percent) and New York (43 percent).

Amy Bach, executive director at nonprofit consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, says she is not surprised that so many Americans in those four states are uninsured.

“But to most people, those statistics would probably be shocking,” she says.

Collins says the coverage disparity between Florida and Texas on one hand, and California and New York on the other is likely driven mostly by Medicaid eligibility rules in each state.

New York and California allow a higher percentage of residents to qualify for Medicaid than Florida and Texas, she says.

Starting next year, health care reform expands Medicaid eligibility to most individuals without children who have incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

The poverty level guidelines used for determining Medicare eligibility in 2013 are $11,490 for an individual and $23,550 for a family of four, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

However, last year’s Supreme Court ruling on the health reform law made the Medicare expansion optional for states. As a result, some states are likely to be more generous in doling out the benefit than others, Collins says.

“Twenty-one states and the District (of Columbia) have said they will expand eligibility,” Collins says. “The remainder are undecided, or are exploring other options.”

Health insurance and young people

Not all the study findings were negative. Collins says the biggest change in the study was the increase in the number of young people who now have health insurance.

In 2012, 79 percent of adults ages 19 to 25 were insured, up from 69 percent in 2010. That represents a gain of 3.4 million young adults who had health insurance.

“That’s an important change for that age group,” she says.

She says the gain is a reversal of a decade-long trend that had seen the number of insured young adults decrease. The greater number of insured young adults likely is a result of health reform’s mandate that children under the age of 26 be permitted to stay on or join their parent’s health plan, Collins says.

She adds that the success in insuring more young adults bodes well for future efforts to insure more Americans as part of health care reform.

Beginning in January 2104, the major provisions of health care reform go into effect.

Nearly all Americans will be required to purchase health insurance.

New protections also will be put into place that will help people with pre-existing health conditions get coverage, and the government will help subsidize the care of millions of low- and middle-income taxpayers.

Collins is hopeful that over time, health care reform will help move most Americans off the list of the uninsured or underinsured. Bach says she wants to give reform time to be fully implemented and “see where it takes us.”

Duffy calls reform a good first step, but says it doesn’t fill all the holes.

“There will still be about 20 million people who need help after we get the ACA fully implemented,” she says. “So, there is obviously still work to be done.”

Three in five homeowners mistakenly believe their home insurance policy covers mold damage. But such policies generally offer only limited mold coverage, if any at all.

The misconception about mold damage protection was just one finding revealed in a survey about home insurance policyholders’ perceptions and practices commissioned by InsuranceQuotes.com.

The survey of homeowners found that in some cases – such as with mold damage – homeowners overestimated their coverage. In another example, 51 percent of policyholders weren’t aware that home insurance does not cover earthquake damage.

In other cases, policyholders underestimated their coverage. For example, 73 percent of Americans don’t know that home insurance covers the theft of personal belongings stolen from a car.

Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, says it is not surprising that homeowners are not aware of exactly what their policy covers.

“It is human nature to not want to think about the unthinkable happening, so most people buy insurance and don’t take the time to understand or update it,” she says.

The survey found that Americans have a better grasp of other coverage provided by homeowner’s insurance.

For example, 90 percent of Americans understand that homeowner’s insurance provides coverage for fire damage, and 72 percent know that their insurance protects them against lawsuits filed by a visitor injured in the policyholder’s home.

How consumers buy home insurance

The survey also revealed interesting tidbits about how Americans choose their insurance company.

Twenty-two percent of homeowner’s insurance policyholders chose their current provider based on a recommendation made by someone they trust. Service received from their agent influenced the choice of 21 percent of respondents.

Another 17 percent of respondents said they simply chose the insurer with the lowest premiums. Such bottom-line thinking is probably a reflection of tough economic times, but it also is short-sighted, says Pete Moraga, spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California.

“If you’re just comparing prices without understanding the coverage, you’ll end up with coverage gaps or policies that will not make you whole after a disaster,” he says.

And in a bit of bad news for all those insurers who flood the airwaves with ads, just 1 percent said a radio or television commercial was the major factor in their decision to choose a specific insurer.

Does home insurance cover mold?

The survey findings about mold damage underscore how little policyholders understand their home insurance policies.

Loretta Worters, vice president of the nonprofit Insurance Information Institute, says standard homeowner’s policies don’t cover water damage caused by “maintenance” issues, including:

• Continuous or repeated water seepage or leakage.

• Humidity or condensation problems.

• Landscaping or drainage problems.

She says homeowner’s policies also exclude water damage caused by floods.

“If one of these water or moisture problems results in mold, it would probably not be covered by your policy,” she says.

Standard homeowner’s policies do cover some types of sudden and accidental water losses, including burst pipes, and sometimes sewer backup or sump pump failure.

“Even if your policy covers these types of water damage, some companies specifically exclude or limit coverage for mold that results,” Worters says.

Worters agrees with Walker that policyholder misunderstandings about coverage are the rule rather than the exception.

“Many people fail to read their insurance policies until a disaster has struck,” Worters says. “That’s not the time to read your policy.”

Tips to prevent mold damage

If you are concerned about future mold damage, some home insurance companies will allow you to buy an endorsement to your policy that provides additional mold coverage, Worters says, adding that the cost of endorsements varies between insurers.

If mold already has appeared in your home, the size of the damage determines how you should respond.

If you spot a moldy area that is less than about 10 square feet (or less than roughly a 3-foot-by-3-foot patch), you can probably clean up the mold yourself, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency offers tips for doing this on its website.

Larger areas of mold are likely to require the services of a contractor. The EPA suggests finding someone with experience removing mold.

To prevent mold, Worters recommends drying spills immediately, making sure your home is properly ventilated, and using mold-resistant drywall or Sheetrock. It is also wise to use paints with mold inhibitors, she says.

The EPA offers the following 6 mold prevention tips:

1.  Dry up water leaks or spills within 24 to 48 hours after the dampness first appears.

2.  Clean and repair your gutters on a regular basis.

3.  Make sure the ground near your home slopes away from the foundation so water doesn’t collect.

4.  Clean air conditioning drip pans and clear drain lines.

5.  Reduce indoor humidity to below 60 percent, and preferably between 30 percent and 50 percent.

6.  Dry areas of condensation around windows, walls and pipes. Find out where the moisture is coming from and try to fix the problem at the source.

If you’re like most Americans, you probably have one big question about health care reform: will the cost of health insurance skyrocket?

“People do have some nervousness about rates going up,” says Amy Bach, executive director of the non-profit insurance advocacy group United Policyholders. In fact, cost has been a focus of debate since before the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare, became law in 2010, experts say.

But many Americans are also wondering whether Obamacare will save them money on health care and improve their personal finances.

Can Obamacare save you money on health care?

It’s hard to tell right now whether any given consumer’s health care costs will change once health care reform is fully implemented starting in 2014. That’s partly because insurance companies’ proposed rates for plans that will be sold in the exchanges, the health insurance marketplaces created by the federal health care reform law, have been revealed in only three states so far. And officials in those states – Vermont, Rhode Island and Maryland – still have to review the proposed rates before premium prices are made final. “There’s all kinds of speculation about cost,” says Sally McCarty, senior research faculty at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.

But experts – and a look at the proposed rates in the states where they have been published – can provide a sneak peek at how costs might change for various groups of consumers under health care reform.

6 questions you should ask to find out if Obamacare can save you money

Here are six questions you should ask that might help you calculate your health insurance costs when Obamacare kicks in:

1. Do you have health insurance now? And if so, do you get it through work or buy it on the individual market?

If you get health insurance at your job and you work for a big company, you probably won’t see much of a change in your premiums, McCarty says. If you buy individual insurance, you could see costs go up or down depending on your age, your health and the coverage your plan offers.

2. If you have individual health insurance, what does your plan cover?

In general, the skimpier your coverage and the higher your deductible now, the more likely your costs might go up under health care reform. In Maryland, for example, the cost of an individual plan for a healthy young man from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, now $115 a month with a $2,700 deductible, could increase by 150 percent to just under $300, according to Kaiser Health News.

Experts say it’s important to keep in mind that the health insurance you buy through an exchange will offer much more coverage than many individual plans sold today. By law, plans sold in the exchanges must offer benefits in 10 categories, including hospitalization, emergency services, prescription drugs, maternity care, and mental health services. “The Affordable Care Act ensures that you’ll actually be getting something for the dollar you spend,” says Claire McAndrew, senior health policy analyst for Families USA, a non-profit health care advocacy organization.

3. How old are you?

In general, younger people might see premiums go up, while older people could end up paying less. Most states now allow health insurers to charge older people premiums that are five times higher than what younger people pay, according to America’s Health Insurance Plans, a health insurance trade association. But the PPACA will limit health insurers to charging older consumers three times as much. This could lead to an “overnight increase” for consumers aged 18 to 49, according to AHIP.

But experts say consumers will have choices in the health care exchanges. For example, young adults under 30 will have the option of buying a “catastrophic” health insurance plan. In Vermont, under the proposed rates, a young consumer could get a catastrophic plan for $201.70 a month. “It will have key protections included,” McAndrew says of catastrophic coverage sold in the exchanges.

4. Are you a male or female?

In most states, 92 percent of individual health insurance plans charge women more than men of the same age for a health insurance plan, according to a 2012 report by the National Women’s Law Center.

In some cases, women pay much more: for example, according to the report, one plan in Arkansas charges 25-year-old women 81 percent more than men of that age. Another plan in the state, however, charges women 10 percent more. The PPACA forbids insurers from charging different rates based on gender – and that means that women generally will see a drop in costs, says Sabrina Corlette, research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.

5. Are you healthy or sick?

In general, healthy individuals could be more likely to see costs go up while individuals with chronic illnesses or other conditions could see prices drop. Starting in 2014, Obamacare will prohibit insurers from charging a consumer more based on their health status. However, insurers are allowed to charge smokers more.

6. What is your family income?

Your household income will determine whether you get a federal tax credit paid directly to the insurance company to lower your premium. If you make up to four times the federal poverty level– or $45,960 or less in 2013 for a single person – you will be eligible for a tax credit to help pay the cost of your premium. The tax credit will vary based on your income. For example, in a list of cost examples put together by the state of Vermont, a couple with no kids and a family income of $32,000 a year would receive a federal subsidy of $721 a month and pay just $134 a month. Give that couple bigger paychecks – say, $65,000 a year between the two of them – and, with no subsidy, they’d be shelling out $895 a month.

One big thing to remember, McCarty says, is that everyone who shops in a health care  exchange will have multiple options at different prices: “You can shop and see what you find that fits your budget.”

In this infographic, InsuranceQuotes.com delves into the world of the working poor – how did they end up in such a dire situation? And will Obamacare help to alleviate their financial woes?

<a href="http://www.insurancequotes.com/health-insurance-working-poor"><img src="http://www.insurancequotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/health-insurance-working-poor-600px.jpg" width=550 alt="Health insurance and the working poor [Infographic]"></a><br><br /> From: Bankrate Insurance’s <a href="http://www.insurancequotes.com"> InsuranceQuotes.com</a>