Personal professional enrollment support is available for all of the benefit plans listed on this page. Send your question by e-mail for fast OnlineAdviser response.   Most Liberal Eligibility Health plans for diabetics - a listing of the health plan options and other resources Core Health Insurance - the nation's most popular defined benefit health plans with guaranteed acceptance from US Fire Insurance Company Value 24 Hour Accident - up to $10,000 of supplemental health insurance coverage for emergency treatment of injuries at a cost of about $2 per day. Can be used as a stand-alone coverage or added to other insurance. Value Emergency Room - add $1,000 additional emergency room coverage for $1 per day for the whole family Most Affordable Basic Health Insurance - the least expensive plan in the exchange but also with the lowest level of benefits Secure Lite STM - the lowest priced major medical insurance for 1 to 12 months Secure Saver STM - $2 million maximum coverage for 1-12 months at an ultra-low rate Value Med Insurance - 3 question simple medical eligibility and immediate approval for supplemental doctor and hospital benefits Long Term Major Medical Celticare - well-known renewable individual major medical insurance for discriminating healthy applicants Celtic Basic Health Insurance - a trim version of Celticare at a lower price Dental Insurance Secure DentalOne - one lifetime deductible of $100 and then up to $1,250 per year coverage UnitedHealthOne Dental & Vision - national PPO network of more than 73,000 providers Online Life Insurance Great Start Child Life Insurance - inexpensive permanent insurance that can be gifted by parents and grandparents Guarantee Trust term life Insurance - fast, easy and inexpensive online term insurance coverage up to $250,000 International Term Life - up to $2 million coverage issued by Lloyds online specifically for those who spend time outside of the US Smart term life insurance - up to $500,000 coverage directly online without an exam or blood test QuoteIntelligence Term life insurance - find the lowest rates, compare features & eligibility requirements and then apply online with the best insurance companies in less than 30 seconds.

Iowa individual health insurance exchange Iowa has 27 commercial life and health insurance companies domiciled in the state and 28 companies that issue small group insurance as well as a state-sponsored pre-existing condition insurance plan for residents who have been denied coverage for a pre-existing medical condition. These standard policies may be more expensive than some residents can afford. This Web page lists some of the most popular low cost commercial health insurance plans and related benefits. All of these policies offer secure online enrollment and professional OnlineAdviser personal enrollment support. Please note that while many of these choices could be included in more than one of the suggested usage categories, each plan is listed only once for the sake of brevity. Your enrollment adviser is available to discuss suitability of any plan for your specific situation. Iowa insurance & benefit news Iowa had the 2nd lowest health insurance costs of all states in 2008 with an average family premium of $10,947 per year. (The average annual premium for a U.S. family covered under an employer-sponsored health plan in 2008 was $12,298 according to The Commonwealth Fund report. The overall quality of health care ranked 2nd out of the 51 states (including DC). Iowa regulates the benefits required for both individual major medical and group health insurance plans, known as "mandated benefits". Short Term Insurance Celtic Insurance - competitive rates from a well-known insurer Markel Smart STM - popular and affordable short term major medical insurance with fast online approval Secure STM - along with its 12 month and 36 month options, this may be the highest quality short term coverage Intermediate Term Inbound Immigrant - up to five years of liberal health insurance coverage after immigration including maternity coverage, emergency and other essential benefits Supplemental Insurance Smart Accident Insurance - supplemental coverage for emergency treatment of accidents and injuries for as little as $20 per month. Can be used as a stand-alone accident plan or to increase other insurance benefits. Value Access Guarantee - everyone qualifies for this plan that pays in addition to any other insurance Iowa insurance law and regulation The Iowa Department of Insurance Web site contains little information about specific health plans. The Web site has not yet developed resources to help individuals find commercial low cost health plans like mini-med or core coverage, specific illness policies, supplemental insurance and basic health insurance. The state insurance department can be reached by telephone at (515) 281-5705 or by mail at 330 Maple Street, Des Moines, IA 50319. The state children's health insurance plan (CHIP) Web site is Iowa hawk-i. Small business plans Freedom Benefits offers assistance with customized group health plan design and administration, cost management, insurance and self-funded options for as little as $150 per employee.  More information... Non-insurance Discount Plans Careington PPO Discount Plans - the nation's leading network PPO discount provider allows a no-risk trial of any discount plan for only a $20 processing fee Drug Card America - a free prescription drug card that an be used nationwide Essential Dental Solutions - simple, inexpensive, no waiting period, up to $500 treatment per year Rx Pay Card - $10, $20, or $30 payments for hundreds of popular prescriptions. See International Coverage and Travel Insurance Listings

Iowa Insurance News

2/1/2012 The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, a division of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that as of June 30, 2011 Wellmark, UnitedHealthcare and Medical Associates Health Care are the state's largest health insurance providers and as such, earn the right to set the benchmark for the development of the state's essential benefit plans to debut in 2014 under health reform law.

8/19/2011 The Iowa Department of Public Health received a federal grant of $681,773 to help uninsured teens enroll in Medicaid or CHIP.

7/10/2011  The U.S. Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight announced that Iowa lacks proper resources or authority in the small-group market to effectively review large rate increases as required by federal law. The federal government will temporarily take over the task of reviewing small business health insurance rate increases that are more than 10%.

7/1/2011 The Iowa Open Enrollment Program for eligible children is available from July 1 until August 14, 2011. This state program is the result of federal health reform law enacted in 2010 that makes all children eligible for health insurance coverage.The 45 day open enrollment period is designed to ensure that parents enroll children on a permanent basis rather than only when medical care is required.

 Participating insurance companies include: American Republic Insurance Company, Assurant Health, Celtic Insurance, Coventry Health, Golden Rule Insurance Company, Reserve National Insurance Company, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa and World Insurance. OnlineAdviser provides enrollment support for Celtic Insurance through www.Celticenriollment.com and Golden Rule Insurance through www.UHCenrollmnent.com .  Specific details on eligibility, rates and enrollment procedures for the Iowa Open Enrollment Program are available directly from each insurance carrier. Due to the complex eligibility rules, additional application requirements and subtle distinctions in coverage under this program, we suggest that parents should speak with an insurance enrollment adviser to avoid obstacles and maximize the likelihood of approval.

OnlineAdviser^TM Tony Novak reminds parents that an application for health insurance coverage may be made at any time without a qualifying event when the application includes a parent. A family-type application is not guaranteed acceptance so the applicants must meet regular health underwriting requirements when applying outside of the Iowa open enrollment program.

2/12/2011 With dozens of health plans choices available online offering a wide range of pricing and benefits, how do you find the best combination of price and benefits? Celtic Insurance realizes that the choices can be overwhelming; the company offers more than 40 possible health plan designs in many parts of the United States. A new feature called "Help Me Choose" lets users easily and quickly select the benefits they value most and narrows the list down to a few of the best choices. No personal information is required other than zip code and date of birth.

1/12/2011 Wellpoint Blue Cross Blue Shield rates will rise between 7.5% to 15% this year, according to the results of a new rate review process designed to detect and eliminate unwarranted price hikes. For individual consumers, the state and its' outside actuary found that the 15% increase was warranted based on an increase in expected claims. More coverage on the Universal Health Insurance Blog.

12/28/2010 The state-run pre-existing condition insurance plan attracted only 56 Iowa residents this year despite the government-subsidized premium. This plan provides a health coverage option for consumers who have been uninsured for at least six months, have a pre-existing condition or have been denied health coverage because of their health condition, and are a U.S. citizen or are residing here legally. The federal government pays most of the premium cost. The plan was initially criticized for excessive taxpayer costs but the overall lack of public interest in this insurance was not anticipated.

12/16/2010 Iowa Department of Health officials met representatives of 44 other states and numerous employees of the federal Health and Human Services Department in Washington DC this week for a two-day working meeting to discuss the next steps in establish a government-run health insurance exchange under the American Health Benefit Exchange Model Act. Their attendance at this meeting was paid for by a $1 million federal grant awarded by HHS in September to the state for research how to set up an insurance exchange. Two states (Alaska and Minnesota) declined to participate, saying that it was a waste of taxpayer money. Four other states (not identified in press reports) that received federal grants did not send representatives to the meeting. Attendees included representatives of 16 states that are suing the federal government in an attempt to overturn the federal health reform law; specifically the requirement that forces individuals to buy health insurance on the insurance exchange or pay a hefty tax fine.

In its initial federal grant request for the insurance exchange project, the Iowa Department of Health said that it would: 1) Establish an Interagency Planning Workgroup to ensure collaboration between the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa Department of Human Services (State Medicaid Agency), Iowa Insurance Division and the Iowa Department of Revenue 2) Create final recommendations, to include: a) Organizational structure for an insurance Exchange, c) Shared vision,d) Implementation plan that will include policy recommendations and core capabilities, e) Blueprint for outreach efforts, f) Sustainability plan that will address critical risk factors that will need to be managed, 3) Develop a comprehensive plan for implementation of an insurance Exchange in Iowa, 4) Further develop the planning process and expand stakeholder input, 5) Assess insurance Exchange options, 6) Coordinate planning efforts with existing State and federal programs to ensure integration with an insurance Exchange, 7) Assess the capacity and infrastructure required for implementation of an insurance Exchange in Iowa, 8) Determine administrative resource needs for implementation of an insurance Exchange, 9) Assess infrastructure and regulatory needs, and 10) Identify transition steps for implementation and sustainability based on recommendation of insurance Exchange structure.

The meeting reportedly did not address the role of the commercial health insurance exchanges on the implementation of new competing government systems. The model act does not address inter-state insurance exchange proposals nor insurance sales across state lines. Federal officials admitted that they may not be able to provide further guidance until 2012. Meanwhile, most states are motivated to continue to meet requirements to obtain additional funding promised by the federal government for the establishment of insurance exchange by 2014. Freedom Benefits has previously voiced the opinion that the huge amount of money being spent to set up alternate insurance sales system technologies could be better used providing health benefits to the public. We proposed on the Universal Health Insurance blog that adequate commercial insurance sales systems are already in place that could be modified in a public/private partnership to make health insurance more affordable.

5/14/2010 Diabetes Coverage: A new resource to help find health insurance for diabetics in Iowa is now available at Freedom Benefits.

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The content on this Web page is maintained by consumer finance writer Tony Novak. Comments, feedback, questions and corrections are welcome to help keep content relevant and up-to-date. Contact the author directly by e-mail, on Twitter or through the contact information included on his Web site.

 Opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Freedom Benefits Association or any other person, company or entity mentioned. Information is from sources believed to be true, but cannot be guaranteed.