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Avoiding health insurance gaps takes persistence - Charlotte Observer

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 11:03 PM PST

CHICAGO The deadline has passed, and so too the surprise grace period, for signing up for health insurance as part of the nation's health care law.

Now what?

For those who were able to navigate the glitch-prone and often overwhelmed HealthCare.gov website, there's still work to be done to make sure success online leads to actual coverage come the new year.

The first step experts recommend is to call your insurance company and double-check they received your payment.

What if you missed the Christmas Eve deadline and still want insurance in 2014, as the health law requires of most Americans? You may be without health insurance for a month, but you can still sign up for coverage that will start in February.

"Be patient, because they're trying to help you," said Tina Stewart, a 25-year-old graduate student in Salt Lake City who succeeded in enrolling in a health plan Tuesday morning. "It will take time."

The historic changes made by the Affordable Care Act take full effect on Jan. 1. People with chronic health conditions can no longer be denied health insurance. Those who get sick and start piling up medical bills will no longer lose their coverage. Out-of-pocket limits arrive that are designed to protect patients from going bankrupt.

But unless the 1 million Americans who have so far enrolled for coverage via the new marketplaces make sure their applications have arrived at their new insurance companies without errors, some may find they're still uninsured when they try to refill a prescription or make a doctor's appointment.

"The enrollment files have been getting better and more accurate, but there is still work that needs to be done," said Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group that represents the private insurance industry. "The health plans are still having to go back and fix some of data errors coming through in these files."

If everything went smoothly, consumers can expect to see a welcome packet arrive in the mail from their insurance company, Zirkelbach said. If not, a phone call to the insurer might clear things up.

"If a consumer signed up yesterday, they shouldn't expect the health plan to have their enrollment application today," Zirkelbach said. "Allow a couple of days to receive and process those enrollments."

Paying the first premium is crucial. Because of the changing deadlines for enrollment, most insurers have agreed to allow payments through Jan. 10 and will make coverage retroactive to Jan. 1, he said.

Anyone who missed the Christmas Eve deadline to enroll for insurance to start in January can still apply at HealthCare.gov for coverage to begin later. The federal website serves 36 states, but also directs people elsewhere to the online insurance site serving their state. The site also offers directions to local agencies offering in-person help.

After the disastrous rollout in October, the federal website received 2 million visits on Monday, and heavy — but not as heavy — traffic on Tuesday. White House spokeswoman Tara McGuinness said she had no immediate estimate of visitors Tuesday or how many succeeded in obtaining insurance before the midnight Christmas Eve deadline. The unexpected one-day grace period was just the latest in a string of delays and reversals.

Unless you qualify for Medicaid, you'll pay a monthly "premium" fee to an insurance company for coverage. Before the company covers actual medical costs, you may have to pay a certain amount called a deductible, in addition to a possible set fee for a doctor visit (copay) or a percentage of the cost of a medical service (coinsurance).

Federal tax credits are aimed at helping make premiums more affordable for households earning between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty line. That's $11,490 to $45,960 for an individual, $23,550 to $94,200 for a family of four.

Finally, note the next significant deadline isn't for a few more months. If you don't have coverage by March 31, you'll pay a tax penalty next year of $95 or 1 percent of your income, whichever is higher.

Ron Pollack, president of Families USA, a liberal advocacy group that has led efforts to get uninsured people signed up for coverage next year, said that's the deadline that matters most.

"The real significant deadline is March 31," Pollack said. "The enrollment period extends for another three months."

American Held by Al Qaeda in Pakistan Asks Obama to Negotiate Release - New York Times

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 08:45 AM PST

By SALMAN MASOOD

Published: December 26, 2013

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An American development consultant abducted by Al Qaeda in Pakistan more than two years ago has urged the Obama administration to help secure his freedom in an impassioned video message released by the group.

The consultant, Warren Weinstein, 72, was abducted from the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore in August 2011 when a group of armed men broke into his house. Mr. Weinstein worked as the Pakistan director for J. E. Austin Associates, an international development consulting company based in Arlington, Va.

The video by Al Sahab, the media wing of Al Qaeda, was first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday.

In a 13-minute video message, Mr. Weinstein, bearded and wearing a light-colored jacket and a dark cap, appeared distraught and dejected when he spoke about his family, his ill health and his time in captivity.

"I am not in good health," he said, looking at the camera. "The years have taken their toll."

Mr. Weinstein said that he had served his country for 30 years, and that nine years ago he came to Pakistan to help the United States government. "I did so at a time when most Americans would not come here," he said. "And now, when I need my government, it seems that I have been totally abandoned and forgotten."

Mr. Weinstein said his captors had agreed to let him meet with his family if Qaeda members held by the United States were released.

"Mr. Obama, you are a family man, and so you understand the deep mental anxiety and anguish that I have been experiencing for these past more than two years," he said. "I am therefore appealing to you on a humanitarian basis, if nothing else, and asking that you take the necessary actions to expedite my release and my return to my family and to my country, to our country."

He also asked Secretary of State John Kerry for his help.

A handwritten letter, purportedly drafted by Mr. Weinstein, was also distributed along with the video message to local news media outlets. It was dated Oct. 3, 2013.

This was the second video statement by Mr. Weinstein. An earlier video in which he made a similar plea was released by Al Qaeda in 2012.

Mr. Weinstein's kidnapping came at a time when relations between the United States and Pakistan were deeply strained after a security contractor for the Central Intelligence Agency shot and killed two Pakistanis in Lahore.

In an unrelated development on Thursday, at least four people suspected of being militants were killed by a drone strike on a possible militant compound in northwestern Pakistan, a Pakistani official said.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the drone strike had taken place near Qutab Khel village, about three miles south of Miranshah, in the North Waziristan tribal region, a haven for Taliban and Qaeda militants. The identity of those killed was not immediately known, but the Pakistani official said they may have been of Arab origin.

The Pakistani government condemned the drone strike. The use of drones by the C.I.A. is deeply unpopular in Pakistan.

"These strikes are a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "There is an across-the-board consensus in Pakistan that these drone strikes must end."

It added, "These drone strikes have a negative impact on the government's efforts to bring peace and stability in Pakistan and the region."

Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud contributed reporting.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Khamis, 26 Disember 2013