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09/25/08

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Aging & Retirement Resources

Consumer Information

bullet General
bullet Health Insurance, COBRA
bullet Health Insurance, HIPAA
bullet HMO Ratings
bullet Medicare HMO Plan Ratings
bullet State Insurance Market Reforms
bullet Health Services Information
bullet Health Provider Standards
bullet Medical Information Bureau
bullet Provider Finder

Disability Resources

bullet Disability Advocacy Organizations
bullet Caregiver Advocacy & Support Organizations
bullet Assistive Devices Information Databank

Government Agencies & Information

Federal

bulletCongress
bulletWhite House
bullet Federal Government Consumer Information
bullet Federal Government Health Information
bullet Health Insurance Programs
bulletHousing
bulletOther Federal Agencies

States & Territories

bulletAlabama
bulletAlaska
bulletArizona
bulletArkansas
bulletCalifornia
bulletColorado
bulletConnecticut
bulletDelaware
bulletDistrict of Columbia
bulletFlorida
bulletGeorgia
bulletGuam
bulletHawaii
bulletIdaho
bulletIllinois
bulletIndiana
bulletIowa
bulletKansas
bulletKentucky
bulletLouisiana
bulletMaine
bulletMaryland
bulletMassachusetts
bulletMichigan
bulletMinnesota
bulletMississippi
bulletMissouri
bulletMontana
bulletNebraska
bulletNevada
bulletNew Hampshire
bulletNew Jersey
bulletNew Mexico
bulletNew York
bulletNorth Carolina
bulletNorth Dakota
bulletOhio
bulletOklahoma
bulletOregon
bullet Pennsylvania
bulletPuerto Rico
bulletRhode Island
bulletSouth Carolina
bulletSouth Dakota
bulletTennessee
bulletTexas
bulletUtah
bulletVermont
bullet Virgin Islands
bulletVirginia
bullet Washington
bulletWest Virginia
bulletWisconsin
bulletWyoming

Insurance Advocacy Organizations

bullet Consumer Advocacy
bullet Health Insurance Industry

Insurance Purchasing

bullet Association Finder Tools
bullet Groups that Offer Insurance

Alternative Health Insurance Models
bulletAlumni- or Education-Related Groups
bulletTrade or Profession Groups
bullet Fraternal or Religious Groups

bullet Insurance Agents & Brokers
bullet Information Sites
bullet Insurance Quotes Online
bulletGeneral Sources
bulletLife Insurance Quotes
bullet Long Term Care Insurance Quotes
bulletMultiple Insurance Types
bulletMedicare Supplements
bullet Insurance Ratings
bulletA.M. Best:
bulletFitch:
bulletMoody’s:
bulletStandard & Poors:
bulletWeiss:
bullet HMO Quality Ratings
bullet Medicare HMO Plans

Planning Professionals & Support

bulletAttorneys
bullet Certified Financial Planners
bullet Accountants
bullet Other Professional Organizations

Other Resources

bullet Voluntary Health Organizations
bullet Other Health Support Networks
bullet Housing & Mortgage Info

 


These links are designed to assist individuals with their insurance planning.  These links as designed as an adjunct to Laura D. Cooper, Esq.'s book.  These links are organized alphabetically by subject.  An organizational table of contents appears on the left.  If you find a missing or broken link, please report it to the webmaster.  If you have additional links you would like to suggest, please feel free to contact the webmaster.

Here are some general links you may find useful:

Health Insurance Overview:  an overview of health insurance in the Unites States.

Checkup on Health Insurance Choices: a description of different choices in health insurance.

U.S. State Statutes On The Internet: (organized by topic)

 


Aging & Retirement Resources

bullet

Agenet.com (includes an Eldercare Locator)

bullet

ElderCare

bullet

The National Council on The Aging

bullet

RetireGuide.com

bullet

Guide to Retirement Living Online

bullet

The Retirement Net

 

Consumer Information

General

bullet

Consumer Federation of America: This is a consumer advocacy and education organization.

bullet

Consumer Reports Online

bullet

Consumers Union:  (Publisher of Consumer Reports)

bullet

Consumer World

bullet

Consumers’ Checkbook on Health Care & Health Plans

bullet

People’s Medical Society:  this is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the consumer about health care and medical rights.

bullet

United Seniors Health Council:  this organization offers a Long-Term Care Insurance Guide and operates a seniors’ health insurance counseling project, as well as providing other senior consumer information.

Health Insurance, COBRA

bullet

COBRA Health Plan Advice

Health Insurance, Consumer Information & Alerts, HIPAA Info

bullet

Institute for HealthCare Research & Policy, Georgetown University:  This page offers a state-by-state guide to HIPAA insurance information for consumers, as well as consumer insurance alerts.

HMO Ratings

bullet

National Committee for Quality Assuranceprovides an interactive Health Plan Report Card grading managed care groups based on clinical quality and customer satisfaction.

Medicare HMO Plan Ratings

bullet

HealthMetrix Research, Inc.: This site offers independent Medicare HMO cost comparisons combined with a tool that allows a consumer to request information about Medicare HMOs available by area.

State Insurance Market Reforms

bullet

Institute for HealthCare Research & Policy, Georgetown University:  state-by-state guide to state individual insurance market reforms.

bullet

Institute for HealthCare Research & Policy, Georgetown University: state-by-state guide to state small group insurance market reforms.

Health Services Information

bullet

Consumers’ Checkbook on Health Care & Health Plans

Health Provider Standards

bullet

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations accredits and reports about preferred provider organizations and managed behavioral health care.  This site provides quality information and performance data in such areas as payment of claims and treatment of chronic illnesses.

Medical Information Bureau

bullet

Medical Information Bureau:  This is the notorious "great computer in the sky;" functioning as a consortium, it gathers medical information for insurance companies.  You may request your records and find out what they have about you in their files.

Provider Finder

bullet

American Medical Association Online Doctor Finder

bullet

US News & World Report ranking of best hospitals

bullet

Online Pharmacies

Disability Resources

Disability Advocacy Organizations

bullet

United People With Disabilities

bullet

American Association of People With Disabilities

bullet

The Arc

bullet

Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association

bullet

National Council on Independent Living

bullet

National Federation for the Blind

bullet

Paralyzed Veterans of America

Caregiver Advocacy & Support Organizations

bulletNational Family Caregivers Association

Assistive Devices Information/Databank

bullet

AbleData: an independent (not commercially affiliated) national database of assistive devices, how they work, and
where to get them.

bullet

Project LINK: connects people to assistive technology product information; this site is independent (not commercially affiliated).

 

Government Agencies & Information

Federal

Congress

bullet

United States House of Representatives

bullet

United States Senate

bullet

Roll Call Online

bullet

The Hill

White House

bullet

The White House

Federal Government Consumer Information

bullet

Federal Consumer Information Center

bullet

US Consumer Gateway

Federal Government Health Information

bullet

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

bullet

Centers for Disease Control and Protection

bullet

Food & Drug Administration

bullet

US Department of Health & Human Services

bullet

National Health Information Center

bullet

Healthfinder: Health Information from the Department of Health & Human Services

bullet

MEDLINE (Health Information from the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health)

Health Insurance Programs

bullet

Medicaid

bullet

Understanding Medicaid Home and Community Services: A PrimerAvailable as a web page or as an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file, this publication is for policymakers and others who wish to understand how Medicaid can expand access to home and community services and supports to promote consumer choice and control.

bullet

Medicare

bullet

Official Medicare Information Website:  This is the official U.S. government site for Medicare information. Sponsored by the Health Care Financing Administration, the federal agency administering Medicare and Medicaid, this Web site outlines Medicare basics and offers tools to compare and choose Medicare health plans, nursing homes, and Medigap policies.

bullet

State Children’s Health Care Program

bullet

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Housing

bullet

Housing Information for Seniors & Families

bullet

Department of Housing & Urban Development

Other Federal Agencies

bullet

United States Department of Justice

bullet

Department of Justice Disabilities Section

bullet

Internal Revenue Service

States & Territories

bulletAn overall listing of state insurance regulators
bulletAnother overall listing of state insurance regulators
bulletAnother overall listing of state insurance regulators
bullet An overall listing of state long-term care regulators

Alabama

bullet Alabama Department of Insurance
bullet Alabama State Insurance Statutes (See Title 27)
bullet Alabama Department of Public Health

Alaska

bullet Alaska Division of Insurance
bullet Alaska State Insurance Statutes
bullet Alaska Division of Senior Services

Arizona

bullet Arizona Department of Insurance
bullet Arizona State Insurance Statutes
bullet Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Community & Family Health Services

Arkansas

bullet Arkansas Insurance Department
bullet Arkansas Department of Human Services

California

bullet California Department of Insurance
bullet California State Insurance Statutes
bullet California Department of Social Services

Colorado

bullet Colorado Division of Insurance
bullet Colorado State Insurance Statutes [searchable index, Title 10]
bullet Colorado Health Facilities Division

Connecticut

bullet Connecticut Insurance Department
bullet Connecticut Department of Public Health

Delaware

bullet Delaware Insurance Department
bullet Delaware Health & Social Services

District of Columbia

bullet District of Columbia Department of Insurance & Securities Regulation

Florida

bullet Florida Department of Financial Services
bullet Florida State Insurance Statutes [Title XXXVIII]
bullet Florida Agency for HealthCare Administration

Georgia

bullet Georgia Insurance Commissioner
bullet George State Insurance States [Searchable Index Title 33]
bullet Georgia Department of Human Resources

Guam

bullet Guam Government Website

Hawaii

bullet Hawaii Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs
bullet Hawaii Department of Health

Idaho

bullet Idaho Department of Insurance
bullet Idaho Commission on Aging

Illinois

bullet Illinois Department of Insurance
bullet Illinois Department of Public Health

Indiana

bullet Indiana Department of Insurance
bullet Indiana State Insurance Statutes
bullet Indiana Department of Health

Iowa

bullet Iowa Insurance Division
bullet Iowa State Insurance Statutes [See Title VIII, Subtitle 1]
bullet Iowa Department of Elder Affairs

Kansas

bullet Kansas Insurance Department
bullet Kansas Department of Health & Environment

Kentucky

bullet Kentucky Department of Insurance
bullet Kentucky State Insurance Statutes