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Washington, DC, United States (KaiserHealth) – In past years, a student’s graduation could mean leaving behind not only the classroom but also health insurance coverage, since family plans often stopped covering dependent children once they left school.

The health-care overhaul has changed that: Adult children can now remain on their parents’ plan until age 26, with few exceptions. (More on that later.) But even if coverage under a family plan isn’t an option, the new law has helped ensure that some of the other choices available to young adults offer better protection than they have in the past.

For many graduates, staying on their parents’ plan is likely to be the best option. “Most employer plans have good benefit packages,” says Sara Collins, a vice president at the Commonwealth Fund, a private organization that studies health-care issues. Keeping an adult child on the family policy probably won’t significantly affect the premium, his or her existing conditions continue to be covered and the new graduate can keep using the same doctors.

Rochelle O’Sullivan is relieved that she can stay on her mother’s plan after she graduates from Boston University this spring. The 22-year-old is on crutches after breaking her hip when she slipped at the airport on her way home to San Francisco for spring break in March. Having health insurance while she mends is critical. But once she kicks her job search into high gear, O’Sullivan doesn’t want health insurance concerns to get in the way.

“I’m worried about getting a job, getting experience,” says the mass communications major. “And if that means taking a job without insurance, I’d do that.”

The law applies to adult children whether or not they live at home or are financially independent. Even married children can stay on their parents’ health policy until age 26.

The biggest wrinkle for young adults: If they take a job whose benefits include health insurance, they can’t choose to stay on their parents’ plan.

If that job offers good coverage, that’s not a problem. But new grads often take entry-level or part-time jobs, which can come with limited-benefit plans that offer low coverage limits providing little protection if they actually get sick. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, however, even inadequate, so-called “mini-med” policies count as insurance, and if young adults are offered such coverage, they can’t be covered under their parents’ plans. Once the health-care law is fully implemented in 2014, mini-med plans will be phased out.

The Bryant family has been negotiating this tricky period. Kelli and Kirk Bryant’s oldest son, Dylan, 21, graduated last September and was working part time at a retailer while looking for a full-time job. The retailer offers a limited-benefit policy with $50,000 in coverage annually, not nearly as good as the comprehensive plan the family has through Kirk’s job at a hospital in Lincoln, Neb.

The retailer said Dylan wasn’t eligible for its insurance, but Kelli was worried that that was a mistake and that he might be on thin ice if questions arose.

That’s no longer a concern. Recently Dylan took a new part-time job as a security specialist at a mental health facility. The new job doesn’t offer health insurance, leaving no doubt that Dylan is free to be covered under the family plan. Ironically, being offered a job without health insurance is, in this instance, a good thing, says Kelli, who says she has contacted one of her U.S. senators about tightening up the definition of on-the-job insurance for young adults.

Of course, many adult children don’t have access to a family health plan. Their parents may not have coverage on the job. Or if the parents are on Medicare or are part of a retiree-only health plan through a previous employer, the new provisions extending coverage up to age 26 don’t apply. But there are other options for young adults.

If they’re healthy, an individual insurance policy may be a reasonable choice. Although coverage is often not as comprehensive as it is with a group plan, individual policies can no longer impose lifetime coverage limits or, in most cases, annual limits, and they must provide a range of preventive services for free. Premiums for young, healthy people may be very affordable, say experts.

Uninsured young people with preexisting medical conditions can consider special state-based insurance plans created under the health-care law. But they can be pricey, and you have to have been uninsured for six months to qualify.

Although the family policy is likely to be the best option, high school graduates going on to college should consider their college’s health plans, say experts. Some are good plans, and recent proposed regulations would require many of them to be classified as individual health insurance plans, with similar protections and standards. That should result in many of the worst student plans shutting down, says Stephen Beckley, a health-care management consultant for colleges and universities in Fort Collins, Colo. “We expect many plans to drop off between 2012 and 2014,” he says.

Still wondering what to do? Young Invincibles, a health-care advocacy group for young adults, has developed a toolkit to help grads assess the options.

“When you graduate, you get an exit interview to discuss your student loans,” says Aaron Smith, the organization’s co-founder and executive director. “There’s nothing like that for health insurance.”

– Provided by Kaiser Health News.

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Washington, DC, United States (KaiserHealth) – My ZIP code is a black hole for individual health insurance.

That’s what I recently discovered when I tried to find the coverage I want at an affordable price. What hubris I had.

My story started in 2009, when my position as a journalism professor at a small college was eliminated, and I lost my health benefits along with the job. In the ensuing months, as the clock ticked on my COBRA extension, I began to focus on finding a new health plan. I thought it would be a matter of dealing with mild sticker shock and doing comparative shopping. I was wrong.

As an experienced writer and researcher, I am used to making calls, asking questions and digging through hard-to-understand details. But it never occurred to me that the answers I uncovered about Tompkins County, N.Y. — a paradise of farmland, lakes and waterfalls close to the cultural attractions of Ithaca, home for me and Cornell University — would be so frustrating. It turns out it’s one of the state’s worst places to find good individual health coverage.

When I tell people about my dilemma, they get curious — even participatory. “Did you try a professional group?” they ask. “Did you try an online broker?” (Yes and yes.) Maybe they get caught up in my story because, unlike many people with tales of insurance woes, I’m in my fifties and healthy. My story doesn’t involve a medical condition that’s unsolvable or hard to talk about. Or maybe it’s just that my experience lights a path, however convoluted, through the insurance gobbledygook.

I started my quest with Aetna, my COBRA insurer. Under New York state law, I thought I had “conversion rights” — meaning I could convert my former employer’s group coverage, the basis for my COBRA plan, to individual coverage. Though the full monthly cost was already $565, and I worried I wouldn’t be able to afford any increases that kicked in when it became an individual plan, it was great insurance — providing excellent benefits and the ability to choose my own doctors. But it turned out my cost concerns were not even relevant. There is a caveat in the law: self-insured employers are subject to federal, not state, regulation. And because my former employer is self insured — meaning Aetna administers the plan but the college assumes all the financial risk — the conversion option did not exist.

After this idea evaporated, I explored possibilities on the website of The Freelancers Union, a professional association that offers its own health insurance in New York. Five plan choices popped up. Great, I thought. Then I clicked further to read about the plans’ residency requirements and up came a map. The right side of the state — covering 34 counties that share borders with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Canada — was colored in blue. These counties are the lucky ones. Those on the left — 28 counties that border more of Pennsylvania and Canada, extending all the way to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario — were white, meaning no Freelancers Union health insurance. That’s where Tompkins County is.

This development was crushing. Somewhere along the way, the notion had lodged in my head that if I ever turned to freelance writing as my full-time job, I could get benefits through this type of organization. But — at least as far as I could tell — there are no such groups with health plans in my area.

I felt stupid. I also was getting curious, which happens whenever I feel stupid. The reporter in me wanted to know what the heck was going on. But the consumer in me needed a health plan. So I kept looking.

I tried other websites, starting with AARP. The site directs consumers to an AARP-branded Aetna plan. I entered my ZIP code and got the same response: the plan was “not available in your area.” Next, at a top-rated insurance broker site, my ZIP code brought up one result. The $561-a-month GHI policy covered annual physical and gynecologic exams, prescription drugs with a co-pay, hospitalization and outpatient surgery. But it did not cover, among other things, any other office visits; inpatient physical therapy; ER professional charges; diagnostic admissions; and diagnostic lab tests. To me, that seems like too much money to spend for what amounts to catastrophic coverage.

Curiosity was getting the better of me, so I did some random comparisons on the same website. Zip codes in the District of Columbia; Seattle; Fairbanks, Alaska; and New York City offered 80, 45, 56 and 16 insurance choices, respectively. I also tried random rural areas. Residents of Aladdin, Wyo., had 27 plan choices, starting at $380 a month. Residents of Amelia, Neb., had 87, starting at $133.05.

In search of clarity, I visited the New York state insurance website and discovered a whole new possibility: Healthy NY, a subsidized program for low-income people. Several different insurers offer the same basic menu of coverage through different regional HMOs, which charge different rates.

At first I ruled it out because I wouldn’t be able to choose my own doctors, which has always been very important to me. But I was starting to feel desperate. And I qualified for the plan because it just so happens that in January, I made less than $2,269. I never imagined I would be glad to have a dry spell with my freelancing.

I was not surprised to discover that, although New Yorkers in many other parts of the state can choose a Healthy NY insurer from several options, I only had one: Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. I was just glad to learn that I could get insurance. A phone call led to an additional choice, through the same insurer, that would let me see my own doctors. But it would have cost around $1,400 a month, which is the same as my mortgage. There was also a plan for sole proprietors, but I didn’t qualify.

At this point I went into full reporter mode. I called Troy Oechsner, New York state deputy superintendent for health, and asked him about my scarcity of coverage options and the high costs associated with them. He told me that some other rural areas in the state are in a similar fix, and he said, “For an insurer to get into the area of Tompkins County, where Excellus has such a large hold on the commercial market, is really difficult.”

Ah. That rings a bell. I remembered reading a very similar conclusion in a 2009 United Hospital Fund report: “Entering Central New York is entering the Excellus zone” — a 15-county region where “the region’s nonprofit BCBS plans vigorously defend their turf.” Who do they defend it against? Mostly for-profit insurers, which have a much stronger foothold in downstate areas, including greater New York City. Nonprofits have historically claimed upstate markets (which include Central New York). In my region, Excellus in particular dominates, with a strong record of well-established health-provider relationships.

Not only am I in the Excellus zone, said Oechsner, but I’ve stumbled into “the plight of the individual market in New York.” It’s a decades-long saga in which the state “traded the problem of a group of people who can’t get insurance at any price for another problem, which is that our individual rates are out-of-control expensive,” he said. In other words, the state gave up some of its power to regulate rate increases in exchange for guarantees of access to quality coverage for everyone — although as recently enacted legislation is phased in, the state is regaining more control over the increases.

I still didn’t get why the Freelancers Union insurance isn’t available to me. So I called Chief Operating Officer Ann Boger, who explained that the group’s plan in New York is linked to the service area of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. I knew from my other research that Empire can’t operate in Excellus territory without giving up the BlueCross BlueShield brand. Boger also said that offering insurance in rural areas is a challenge. “The nature of insurance is that it works best organized is around large numbers,” she added.

What about those rural areas I randomly sampled on the broker website? My answer came from Peter Newell, director of the United Hospital Fund’s Health Insurance Project. It’s simple: I didn’t compare the coverage. He talked of plans that have limited benefits, ratings for gender and age that push costs much higher than advertised, and exclusions for people with preexisting conditions. Broker websites, for all their ease of use, don’t instantly compare apples to apples. “If you compare my neighborhood to someone else’s neighborhood, you’ve got to think about those things,” said Newell.

Newell told me the federal health care reform should help me eventually — particularly with the establishment of health insurance exchanges that should yield more choices.

But for now, time has run out. I have signed up for the high deductible option in Healthy NY, with a drug benefit, for $296.48 a month. The deductible is $1,200 a year. I’m approaching this choice as a stop-gap measure, although, as I told Oechsner, I now have a strong incentive for limiting my income.

His response: “There’s no way to sugar coat it: You’re right. If you make too much money, individual health insurance in New York gets very expensive.”

I also have one foot out the door as I weigh my professional prospects. If I move, especially if I’m making a living as a freelancer, my first criterion in choosing a location will be something I’ve never before considered: the availability of good health insurance.

– Provided by Kaiser Health News.

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Atlanta, GA, United States (AHN) – Tons of fans will flock to the Southeastern Conference title game in Atlanta Saturday afternoon. In 2013, hundreds of thousands of fans will travel to the city’s College Football Hall of Fame.

According to a report from WSBTV.com, the Hall of Fame will be built on a parking lot adjacent to he Georgia World Congress Center, Philips Arena and the Georgia Dome.

The current hall of fame is located in South Bend, Ind. and has struggled with attendance.

Gov. Sonny Perdue said he believe the facility will be successful because the South has a passion for football and the fans to go with it.

“That’s some place. I want to take my grandchildren and you think about that destination venue and all the things that are there for them to observe,” Perdue said.

According to the report, the facility is expected to open in March, 2013, just prior to the Final Four, which is scheduled for the Georgia Dome that year.

“There are two conventions coming to town in 2013 and 2014 that want to rent the whole facility out for parties,” said Gary Stokan, president and CEO of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl and Atlanta Hall Management.

The new facility will cost at least $50 million, with $8 million coming from the city of Atlanta.

The state of Georgia is adding $10 million in bonds, and the remainder of the money will come from private business and Atlanta’s larger corporations.

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With incentives and rebates at historical best, it is the right time for potential new or used car buyers for financing car that suits their financial as well as commutation needs. The ongoing bout of economic recession has had its share of impact on the automobile industry with car sales dropping to new lows. This has led to a significant reduction in car loan rates and car prices as well. Hence, individuals planning to purchase a new or used car could get a good deal on both. Besides, you could even get additional benefits and price discounts on your vehicles if you are aware of certain information given below pertaining to car loan rates which could make your auto loan much more affordable as well as favorable to satisfy your financial and social needs.

There is a special discount on interest rates for fuel efficient vehicles

The federal government has set up a program called “Eco-Friendly AUTO Rebate Program” which offers a rebate between $ 1,000 to $ 2,000 for purchase or lease of environment friendly and fuel efficient vehicles. The entire plan is aimed at reducing the burden on natural oil reserves. And car dealers are actively supporting this initiative by offering low car finance rates. So car buyers could get rebates or discounted rates if they are planning to finance a car with a good fuel economy.

Special price benefits being offered to college students

Many auto loan lenders and credit institutions provide cash rebates, waiver of cash advance waiver with flexible loan repayment terms and highly affordable new or used car loans rates to college students for financing new or used cars. These programs do not even require a credit check. Additionally, leading car manufacturers like Ford, GM, Mazda, and Hyundai are even offering collegians discount programs in addition to standard discounts and rebates. Therefore, in case you are a college student studying for a diploma or undertaking some graduation course you could avail car loans at much lower rates of interest.

Benefits offered to military personnel through military car loans

All armed forces personnel including new joiners can get car loans at a pretty subsidized used or new car finance rate from lenders and banks to buy a vehicle of their desire. This is because both federal as well as state governments offer several subsidy facilities for military personnel that pave way for much lower interest rates on auto loans for military personnel. Besides, to obtain a military auto loan a fixed residence is not required

Shop Online for Car Loan Financing

Shopping online for your next car buying has many benefits, including speedy process of credit application. Car loan applications are process are quicker since your information filled are directed toward lender’s record. You can also rapidly compare rates, easiest way to save money on your auto buying. Finding the lowest APR make sure that you are not getting rip-off by dishonest lenders. Even if you have bad credit score, you can look forward to find reasonable rates with many subprime lenders.

Thus, potential new or used car buyers can now avail low car loan interest rates if they have proper guidelines about the car market and the ability to negotiate effectively negotiate with the car dealers or auto finance lenders. If you are well informed you could save a lot of money when financing a car that you dream to drive home. It is recommended to avail the professional services of reputed online service providers like CarMoneyFast.com that provides low interest rates car financing for all credit types of history.

Now seems to be the best time to invest in properties in college towns where housing demand is high due to a soaring rental market according to the New rules of real estate by Business 2.0 Magazine. With home prices still out of home buyer’s range, and homeowners selling their homes due to rising interest rates, rents are expected to increase nationwide. This makes buying investment property in rental markets such as college towns an attractive option, one that is already being pursued by investors. Rents are expected to rise by 5 % by the end of this year according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and investors are looking at college towns with increased interest.

There are two major reasons why it is prudent to buy investment property in college towns now. When compared with other rental markets, the rentals in apartment buildings in college towns are much stronger and hence more profitable. This has been augmented by the fact that apartment buildings in college towns are fewer in number. This demand for apartment buildings has also increased due to the rising admissions in colleges mostly from the Gen Y or the echo boomers, which has further increased the asking rates in the college town rental markets. These properties have a low vacancy rate, especially in buildings located near the campuses. Investors in commercial apartment buildings also get to increase their rent with the mounting demand making such investment a highly profitable venture.

So if you are a prospective landlord who has decided to encash this favorable situation, then you can start with choosing the college town that has the lowest ratio of university-owned beds to the student population. As Michael Zaransky, co-founder of Prime Property Investors in Chicago says, prospective investors would do well to pick the college towns that have the ratio of university-owned beds to students at 30 % or lower. One should also look into colleges that propose to expand their student ranks by 2 or 3 % every year.

Investors should also need to take into consideration the disadvantages involved in owning commercial apartment buildings in college towns. The business could be trying sometimes, and involves risks with college policies liable to changes and the difficulty involved in predicting volatile student demand. However, considering the high rate of returns that the investment has to offer, the pros seem to far outnumber the cons making buying investment property in college towns a smart option.

Often with financial help from parents, some college-age students choose to purchase homes or condos in communities where they attend college. This option allows students to live in a property that is usually more spacious and comfortable than typical dormitory-style rooms. For students who value attending a college with a large football program, affordable real estate may be an important criterion when selecting a college or university.

Coldwell Banker, a real estate firm, conducted a recent survey to identify the most affordable college football towns. The survey compared the average price of a single- family home with 2200 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2