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1. It's Smart to Prepare for a Breach How many data breaches from 2014 can you name? The freshest one in your mind is probably the Sony hack, but there were also attacks on Home Depot, Staples, Dairy Queen, P.F. Chang's the list goes on. Credit.com Co-Founder and Chairman Adam Levin recently wrote about the most important lessons you can learn from the Sony hack, encouraging consumers and companies to prioritize data security and behave with the knowledge that your personal information and correspondence could be exposed at any time. Prepare for the possibility of fraud by monitoring your credit, regularly reviewing account activity and knowing what to do if your personal information has been stolen. Do what you can to strengthen your data security, but know that so much of it is beyond your control, so the best thing you can do is know how to react to a breach. 2. Communication Is Crucial to Getting Debt-Free as a Couple We published several success stories about getting out of debt, but some of the most memorable involved couples working together to conquer their finances. The stories had similar themes: Ellie Kay married her husband without knowing about his $40,000 of consumer debt, and Ja'Net Adams was unaware her husband took out student loans to pay for college. Both families eventually hit breaking points where they realized debt was holding them back, and they needed to make drastic changes to get rid of it. Getting out of debt is never easy, and the more people who are involved, the more complicated it can be. At the same time, having someone to work through the challenges with you can be extremely helpful. Adams' and Kay's stories highlight two crucial elements of getting debt free: staying committed to a plan and remaining open and honest about the process' progress and challenges. Those lessons apply to any personal finance goal, whether you're planning with a family or on your own.

February 25, 2014 - The Internal Revenue Service is offering educational Health Care Tax Tips to help individuals understand how the Affordable Care Act may affect their taxes. The IRS has designed the Health Care Tax Tips to help people understand what they need to know for the federal individual income tax returns they are filing this year, as well as for future tax returns. This includes information on the Premium Tax Credit and making health care coverage choices. Although many of the tax provisions included in the law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2014, most do not affect the 2013 tax returns. The Health Care Tax Tips, which are now available at IRS.gov/aca, include: * IRS Reminds Individuals of Health Care Choices for 2014? Find out what you need to know about how health care choices you make for 2014 may affect your taxes. * The Health Insurance Marketplace - Learn about Your Health Insurance Coverage Options - Find out about getting health care coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. * The Premium Tax Credit? Learn the basics of the Premium Tax Credit, including who might be eligible and how to get the credit. * The Individual Shared Responsibility Payment - An Overview? Provides information about types of qualifying coverage, exemptions from having coverage, and making a payment if you do not have qualifying coverage or an exemption. * Three Timely Tips about Taxes and the Health Care Law? Provides tips that help with filing the 2013 tax return, including information about employment status, tax favored health plans and itemized deductions. * Four Tax Facts about the Health Care Law for Individuals? Offers basic tips to help people determine if the Affordable Care Act affects them and their families, and where to find more information. * Changes in Circumstances can Affect your Premium Tax Credit? Learn the importance of reporting any changes in circumstances that inv

I have really bad eyes. I like to get them checked often, but since I don't have health insurance, no doctor's going to really want to take a look at me," he said. He found out that he may qualify for Medicaid, which was long-drawn-out under Obamacare. So far, 9,123 have enrolled over Connecticut's ultimate goal is to sign up 275,000 people. Kevin Counihan, chief executive officer of Connecticut's health exchange, says he's not discouraged by the number of people signing up for private health insurance. "Buying health insurance is expensive and it's expensive and it's confusing and it's complicated. So no, I am not disappointed by it. However, we clearly have a strong goal to meet by March," he said. Counihan look forward to have 100,000 people enrolled by the end of March. He credits the state's computer system with the smooth even out. "Number one is, less is more. Do fewer things well than try to do more things inconsistently. Two is test the heck out of the system and make sure that before you go live, you are pretty darn confident that you know what is going to happen. And three is hire the best people that you can," he said. Counihan was implicated with Massachusetts' health insurance rollout in 2006. He says that taught him people don't buy insurance like they do a book or car. They usually consider the options an average of 18n times before making up their minds. He foresees a sprint of people signing up between Thanksgiving and Dec. 15, which in case is the deadline for coverage beginning on Jan. 1.

"Tuesday, November 12, statistics put out by Connecticut demonstrate that its website is the only one to sign up more folks for private insurance than for Medicaid. Angel Medina, 21, went to talk to an Affordable Health Care act navigator in Hartford. Medina was dropped from his mother's health insurance two years ago. "I have really bad eyes. I like to get them checked often, but since I don't have health insurance, no doctor's going to really want to take a look at me," he said. He found out that he may qualify for Medicaid, which was long-drawn-out under Obamacare. So far, 9,123 have enrolled over Connecticut's ultimate goal is to sign up 275,000 people. Kevin Counihan, chief executive officer of Connecticut's health exchange, says he's not discouraged by the number of people signing up for private health insurance. "Buying health insurance is expensive and it's expensive and it's confusing and it's complicated. So no, I am not disappointed by it. However, we clearly have a strong goal to meet by March," he said. Counihan look forward to have 100,000 people enrolled by the end of March. He credits the state's computer system with the smooth even out. "Number one is, less is more. Do fewer things well than try to do more things inconsistently. Two is test the heck out of the system and make sure that before you go live, you are pretty darn confident that you know what is going to happen. And three is hire the best people that you can," he said. Counihan was implicated with Massachusetts' health insurance rollout in 2006. He says that taught him people don't buy insurance like they do a book or car. They usually consider the options an average of 18n times before making up their minds. He foresees a sprint of people signing up between Thanksgiving and Dec. 15, which in case is the deadline for coverage beginning on Jan. 1."

Westhill Consulting: Healthcare & Insurance - Individuals, families and the self employed Health Insurance It is hard to find a health insurance in the current situation of our marketplace. It seems impossible to get one of those as per this individual health insurance can offer you a confusing array of options more especially if you're one of the millions of Americans who buys their own health coverage. This health coverage are sometimes good but not always and worse few are expensive. Agents though are everywhere, and they are easy to find and readily available. They offer you cheap health insurance but you got to remember this: health coverage isn't cheap if it doesn't adequately cover your expenses when you need it most. Health reform legislation is recently passed and thanks to this the landscape is changing for consumers. Soon, millions of uninsured will have an access for a quality but low-cost insurance. The chief challenge could be determining options to choose the right coverage. There is nothing to worry about! Because Westhill Healthcare Consulting has everything that one has to know, all the information you needed. Learn. Compare. Save. We have library of articles and we are sure every article is fruitful. Learn how to cut your health care costs, get coverage if you're self-employed. Go trough most frequently asked questions about health coverage and be familiar with health insurance terms. Discover how health reform will affect your benefits and your budget. Otherwise find out how it stands to help populations that historically have faced barriers to affordable health coverage. It would be useful and practical if you use free, no-obligation health insurance quotes to compare private health insurance in your area, plan benefits and coverage costs. Every plan id different in every state so the first thing to do is to go trough our state guide in order to evaluate coverage options, including whether yo

Avinash, a businessman, knows how to deal with all kinds of clients. Avinash, a businessman, knows how to deal with all kinds of clients. However, his inexperience in finding good health insurance policies has landed him in trouble a couple of times. In the recent past, he hasn't been able to keep an eye on the rising premiums of his health coverage and ended up spending much more than he should have. It is essential for you to go through the policy premium rates from time to time. Several strategies can be adopted for reducing the premium over a period of time. Rising health insurance policy premiums could be devastating because you would end up spending a big part of your income in paying them. We buy a health insurance policy to secure our future in case of a medical emergency. Even if you can't control expenses with respect to sickness, you can definitely control the rising health cover premiums. Avoid a policy with claim holding Insurance firms are known to charge a huge amount of premium to cover the client, considering it is going to cover the entire cost if the policy benefits are claimed. Sometimes, when you claim the policy benefits, your insurance provider hikes the premiums for the next year. So, it becomes imperative to go for an insurance policy that entails lower burden. For keeping a tab on premiums, it is recommended to opt for a family floater policy. These coverage policies can be taken for all your family members. They are much cheaper as the premiums are divided and you have to pay on an individual basis. Family floater insurance policies come with a two-year waiting period and some of the diseases/disorders that are covered during that time are all kinds of duodenal or gastric ulcers, sinuses, hemorrhoids, fibromyoma, hysterectomy, cataracts, endometriosis, hernia, etc. Opt for a policy with high

Dear Savvy Senior, I just turned 65 and received my Medicare card. I see that the ID number on my card is the same as my Social Security number, and on the back of the card it tells me I need to carry it with me at all times. What can I do to protect myself from identify theft if my purse and Medicare card get stolen? Answer: Many people new to Medicare are surprised to learn that the ID number on their Medicare card is identical to their Social Security number (SSN). After all, we're constantly warned not to carry our SSN around with us, because if it gets lost or stolen, the result could be identity theft. But the Medicare ID is more than an identifier. It's proof of insurance. Beneficiaries need to show their Medicare card at the doctor's office and the hospital in order to have Medicare pay for treatment. Over the years, many consumer advocates, have called for a new form of Medicare identification. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which administers Medicare, also acknowledges the problem, but so far nothing has been done. One of the main reasons is because it would cost an estimated $255 to $317 million to fix it. And that's just the direct cost to the federal government. It doesn't include the expense for physicians and other health care providers to adjust their systems, or the cost to the states. Other government health systems like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense have already begun using ID numbers that are different from SSNs, but no one knows when Medicare will follow suit. In the meantime, here are some tips offered by various consumer advocate groups that can help keep your Medicare card safe and out of the hands of fraudsters. * For starters, AARP suggests that you simply don't carry your Medicare card at all, because it's not necessary. Most health care providers already have their patients in their electronic systems and know how to bill you.

Dear Savvy Senior, I just turned 65 and received my Medicare card. I see that the ID number on my card is the same as my Social Security number, and on the back of the card, it tells me I need to carry it with me at all times. What can I do to protect myself from identify theft if my purse and Medicare card get stolen? Conflicted beneficiary Dear Conflicted, Many people new to Medicare are surprised to learn that the ID number on their Medicare card is identical to their Social Security number (SSN). After all, we're constantly warned not to carry our SSN around with us, because if it gets lost or stolen, the result could be identity theft. But the Medicare ID is more than an identifier. It's proof of insurance. Beneficiaries need to show their Medicare card at the doctor's office and the hospital in order to have Medicare pay for treatment. Over the years, many consumer advocates have called for a new form of Medicare identification. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which administers Medicare, also acknowledges the problem, but so far nothing has been done. One of the main reasons is because it would cost an estimated $255 million to $317 million to fix it. And that's just the direct cost to the federal government. It doesn't include the expense for physicians and other health care providers to adjust their systems or the cost to the states. Other government health systems like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense have already begun using ID numbers that are different from SSNs, but no one knows when Medicare will follow suit. In the meantime, here are some tips offered by various consumer advocate groups that can help keep your Medicare card safe and out of the hands of fraudsters.