We probably won't be seeing many more stories of people losing their health insurance when diagnosed with cancer or for any other reason except fraud. That practice will end by May for many insurers who practice it. The new health care law mandates that rescission (cancellation of an insurance...

A friend recently came to me about a loan she had co-signed for her roommate to pay for culinary school. The roommate completed the program and got a job, but she wasn't making enough money to pay off the loan. She deferred the loan as long as possible, and with each deferral, the loan balance kept...

Federal legislators have found a major hole in the regulation of health insurance premiums before the new health care reform takes effect. This hole could lead to even more dramatic increase in premiums than the 39% increase announced by Anthem in California in February as the health care law was...

We've been seeing a lot of stories about people who say they're healthy and shouldn't be forced to waste the money on health insurance. For example, a recent story in The New York Times talks about a man who earns about $25,000 and never bought health insurance and doesn't think he needs it. He...

If you're like the rest of us, you've got a few gift cards laying around, collecting dust and, in some cases, losing money month after month as they continue to go unused. Want a better option? You may be able to get something for those unwanted gift cards if you try to sell them at the new gift...

Major insurers -- Humana, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthCare, and WellPoint -- announced they will extend insurance to those graduating from college and soon to be kicked off their parents' health insurance plans. Officially, the new healthcare reform law requires health insurers to allow young...

Starting in 2011, medical insurance companies will have to meet new rules on profitability. They will need to spend at least 85% of dollars collected in premiums for the large group market on medical care and at least 80% of premiums collected in the individual and small business group market on...

If you're like most of us, you've probably received at least one credit card bill with the new format required by the CARD Act that went into effect on February 22. The new format explains how long it will take to pay off your card if you pay only the minimum required. Personally, I like this new...

While it may be only one insurer -- UnitedHealth Group -- focusing on only one disease -- Type 2 diabetes -- the new program announced by UnitedHealth and the YMCA may be a sign of things to come. Clearly, UnitedHealth understands that spending on disease prevention now can save billions later....

Loyal reward card users should tread carefully. Make one misstep, such as a late payment or exceeding the credit limit, and you could lose your ability to redeem points. Even worse, if the credit card issuer decides to close your account for any number of reasons, you could end up losing all of...