Poor and Uninsured? You've got an Obamacare Discount Waiting

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Chris Walters, PolicyGenius Contributor

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A full 90 percent of people who are uninsured haven't bought insurance on the marketplace.

80 percent of people who say they can't afford insurance are actually eligible for subsidies, but two-thirds of them don't know this.

The poorer you are, the less likely you are to have even heard about the marketplaces.

Although the March 31 deadline to buy personal health insurance and avoid a tax penalty is only a few weeks away, a couple of new reports show that the two groups that stand to benefit the most -- the poor and the uninsured -- are barely participating.

The incredibly low participation rates from the poor and uninsured are even more surprising considering the onslaught of media coverage and promotional campaigns that have been running for months now. Despite everything, there's clearly still a large information gap.

Excuse #1: "I haven't bought health insurance because I can't afford it"

So maybe it's time to take a more personal approach. If you know people in your family or circle of friends who still haven't shopped for health insurance on one of the marketplaces, either because they're worried about the cost or because they have no idea how it all works, feel free to use the information below to help clear things up.

It matters because after March 31st most Americans won't be able to buy a policy through the health insurance marketplace again until November 14th, and that means they could possibly face a tax penalty (a small one, but still) when filing their 2014 taxes next year.

For some this is sadly true even with the new cheaper plans, but at least those people are unlikely to face a tax penalty next year for not buying a policy.

For everyone else who says this -- including all those people identified in the McKinsey survey who are eligible for health insurance subsidies but don't know it -- now is a good time to spend the 2 to 3 minutes it takes to find out your subsidy status. (Yes, it happens that fast.)

Option A (more streamlined):

If you can go online, here's a chart that shows qualifying income ranges for the health insurance subsidy.

Option B (more educational, better for absolute newbies):

If your income falls within the eligibility range, then you have your choice of two free interactive tools to help you find out exactly how much money you can get.

Kaiser Family Foundation's Subsidy Calculator (English)

Health Tax Credit Tool (English)

Crédito Fiscal de Salud (Spanish)

Excuse #2: "I don't know what information I'll have to provide"

If you need an offline tool, Consumers Union (the organization that publishes Consumer Reports) offers free downloadable brochures in English and Spanish for every state. They're very clear and explain how the subsidy works and how to determine your eligibility. (Be sure to choose the version in the first column, because it's the one that includes a phone number you can call for further help.)

Any subsidy you qualify for is applied directly to the monthly premium of the plan you purchase. For example, if you qualify for a $100/month subsidy and buy a plan that's normally $200/month, you'll only have to pay $100/month ($200 minus the $100 subsidy).

When you shop on the marketplace, you'll need to provide enough personal information to prove your identity. If for some reason the marketplace can't confirm you're who you say you are, you might be asked to provide other types of proof.

In addition to personal information you'll be asked to give your estimated income for 2014, and any subsidy you receive will be based on that number. Next year when you file your 2014 taxes, the amount on your tax return will be compared to what you submitted to the marketplace to make sure they match. If you should have received a larger subsidy, you'll get that difference paid to you in a refund. If you should have received a smaller subsidy, you'll have to pay back the difference.

Excuse #3: "I can't access the website"

If you want to know more about the verification process, Consumer Reports has a brief but detailed overview.

So what do you do next?

If you want to know what the actual shopping experience is like, we published a detailed account titled, " What no one tells you about shopping the ACA health insurance exchanges."

PolicyGenius is an independent site that offers unbiased advice and easy shopping for all lines of consumer insurance

Not everyone can go online and spend the hour or two it can take from start to finish, but fortunately you can do it all over the phone. Here's a list of every state's marketplace help line. You can also find your state's phone number printed on the brochures we mentioned above, so if you're planning on explaining all of this to someone offline, be sure to print that out to bring with you.

If you're looking to take the next step we've put together a handy checklist detailing how to go about shopping on the exchanges.

Defensive Driving Insurance Discount Quotes Now Generated for Drivers Through Automotive Website

Louisville, KY (PRWEB) March 09, 2014

Driving classes are one way that some adults are using to become aware of motor vehicle laws changes and how to better prepare for cautious driving in the U.S. The Auto Pros company is now generating defensive driving insurance Buy Cheap quotes through its search tool at http://autoprosusa.com/insurance.

All quotes that are offered are available for a person who has completed a defensive course and can provide proof upon policy purchase. The quotations that are delivered are dependent on each provider inside of the national quotes tool available.

"A driver who is better prepared to face challenges while driving could be rewarded by some insurance agencies in the form of coverage discounts," an Auto Pros company source said.

Part of the discounts that are now offered through the Internet quotes system pertain to good driver discount programs offered by U.S. insurers. The remaining section of policy incentives that exist in the search system are for average drivers quoting basic plans for coverage.

"The tools that we're giving access to are providing one additional resource for drivers to find applicable discounts that agencies are generating for insurance policies," said the source.

The Auto Pros company is one of the national sources that have opened up a resource for the public to use while locating auto industry price information through the Internet. The insurer details that are provided are now positioned with the auto warranty rates tool that is active at http://autoprosusa.com/auto-warranty.

About AutoProsUSA.com

The AutoProsUSA.com company is an American resource to locate insurance company discounts in a single location on the Internet. This company has programmed a series of easy to use research programs for the public online. The AutoProsUSA.com company continues to include new partners in the quotation tools each year to expand the independent research options for consumers. This company is now a resource for locating auto parts components pricing and costs for warranty programs that national agencies underwrite for car owners within the U.S.

MK set to Seal Seat Sharing Deal Over Breakfast

<Deal Of The Dayp>Discussions over seat sharing reached a feverish pitch on Tuesday at Anna Arivalayam, with parties of the DMK front making a beeline to hold talks. A tone of finality is expected to be reached on Wednesday morning, when DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi would discuss the matter over breakfast with all the allies at one go. On Tuesday, however, a picture emerged on who would contest in how many and which seats, with the DMK reaching agreements with two of its allies.

Karunanidhi finalised the seat sharing agreements with the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Puthiya Tamilagam in the presence of his party's seat sharing committee. The two allies would receive one seat each, according to an official release from the DMK.

While Manithaneya Makkal Katchi has been given the Mayiladuthurai constituency Puthiya Tamilagam has been allotted the Tenkasi (SC) constituency, where it commands considerable influence. These agreements were achieved in a matter of minutes after the allies walked into the DMK office on Tuesday evening.

The other two allies, however, would have to wait till the breakfast meeting with Karunanidhi. It is yet unclear how many seats the VCK would get.

The party has stood by the DMK for over five years, and is expecting to get more seats than it did in 2009, when it contested in the reserved Chidambaram and Villupuram constituencies.

Sources in the VCK told Express they have asked for five seats. They have named Chidambaram (SC), Villupuram (SC) and Kancheepuram (SC) as non-negotiable allotments, and also asked for one general constituency each in the northern region and one in the south.

This request is expected to be addressed during the sit-down with Karunanidhi. VCK leaders, however, indicated that they are most likely to get the three reserved constituencies they have asked for.

In all likelihood, the IUML would get one seat and would contest under its own symbol (ladder) rather than under the DMK's symbol (rising sun) as it did in 2009. There is no clarity on which seat would be allotted to the IUML, with some saying it has been denied the Vellore constituency, where it is incumbent.

If these calculations turn out to be final, the DMK would contest 33 seats in Tamil Nadu and the one seat in Puducherry.

After finalising these agreements, the DMK would be prepared to release its official list of candidates by as early as Wednesday evening, party sources said.

Nikeid Shoes Reviews 2014: Save with Nike id Promo Code for Customized Shoes

Get Nike id Promo Codes and save on Nike id shoes for men, women and kids at Nike.com. Design your own Nike shoes and look great with new and stylish shoes from Nike.

NikeiD is the revolutionary concept of Nike which enables customers to create their own shoes with customized color, style, design and size. Nike comes up with new designs and styles, and likes to experiment with different looks and patterns. Nike iD gives its customers the wonderful opportunity to unleash their imagination and make something solely theirs. Nike churns out new models of shoes and accessories, with the help of new technology and new age thinking. Nike shoes have a class of their own; they look good, feel wonderful and transfer a quiet confidence that helps you achieve all the physical goals you set. Now NikeiD does that and more, with new inspirations and small nudges. Shop now and get Free Shipping on your Nike id shoes with our exclusive Nike id coupons from Nike.com.

Nike iD for Women: Nike shoes for women are unparalleled in design and colors. They are vibrant and chic, and have the characteristic of standing out in the crowd. With Nikeid, you can make it bolder, and include all your fantasies. Let your imagination rule and pour yourself and your moods in your shoes. Make a statement with vivid colors and unusual patterns, with the bold fusing with the distinctive stamp of your personality. Be yourself, no matter where you are or what you do, whether you are a tennis player, or an avid jogger, a golfer or you love to hike, get the best product from Nike and give it a personal twist. Some of the latest inNike id for women include LunarGlide 5 Graphic, LeBron 11 Gumbo, Air Force 1 High Gumbo, Mercurial Veloce, and Flyknit Lunar 2.

Nike iD for Men: Nike shoes are built for helping you give your best performance ever, be it in professional sports or recreational. Get and save on Nikeid shoes for men when you shop online. No matter what kind of shoes you need, for running, hiking, training, soccer, golf, tennis, skateboarding, snowboarding, soccer, football, baseball, anything at all, Nike gives you the chance to splash your persona all over your shoes. Nike shoes are light and you can change the fit, increase or decrease the cushioning, increase traction, change the type of soles, change the way it looks, change the patters, and do more, with the flick of your mouse. Make it just the way you want it for increased speed and traction, support and utility. Some of the newestNike id shoes for men are LunarGlide 5 Shield, KD VI HARMONY, Kobe 8 System Gumbo, Jordan CP3 VII, and Air Max 90.

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Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 vs Galaxy Grand Duos Price and Specs Comparison

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The long expected Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 was released following the amazing predecessor Galaxy Grand Duos. Samsung is well known for its quality/price ratio as they have always released high quality products for a share of the price of its main competitor Apple. However not all their products have met the expectations as Galaxy Grand Quattro. We therefore look at Samsung's Galaxy Grand 2 and Galaxy Grand Duos and compare them in order to get a sense of how much more successful will Galaxy Grand 2 be.

Display

Galaxy Grand 2 comes with a slightly bigger display of 5.2 inches which is a slight upgrade from 5 inch display on Grand Duos. While this may not seem much of an improvement the pixel resolution and density definitely sets them apart as Grand 2 benefits of an impressive 720×1280 pixel resolution and 280 (ppi). In comparison Grand Duos figures are 480×800 pixels and 187 ppi. This simply translates into better display, better pictures quality and watching videos or movies will be more enjoyable.

Dimensions

Grand 2 is quite bigger measuring 146.8×75.3×8.9 mm whilst Grand Duos measures 143.5×76.9×9.6 mm but the weight difference is almost insignificant with only one gram difference - 163 g for Grand 2 and 162 g for Grand Duos.

Hardware

Galaxy Grand 2 comes with Quad-Core 1.2 Cortex-A7, Adreno 305 GPU and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with 1.5 GB of RAM and the operating system on it is Android 4.3. Grand Duos works on Android 4.1.2 and comes with a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 processor. The CPU running on the Grand 2 makes it the better option.

Camera

No changes have been made as far as the camera is concerned as both phones comes with 8 MP camera including auto focus and good-fitted LED flash. The only slight difference is that Grand Duos comes with MP front camera and Grand 2 with a 1.9 MP one. But the 0.1 MP difference cannot be considered a drawback.

Memory

As mentioned above the Galaxy Grand 2 features 1.5GB RAM which is an improvement compared to the 1GB RAM found on Grand Duos. But as far as internal memory goes there is no difference there as both devices have been equipped with 8GB memory. Dual SIM is supported on both smartphones and the microSD cards support the expansion of internal memory up to 64GB.

Battery

This is a controversial subject when talking about smartphones as users are constantly looking for better battery life expectancy.

Grand Duos run on Li-Ion 2100 mAh, supposedly translates into 10 talk-time hours for 2G and more than 400 of them in standby. However Grand 2 has a more greater autonomy, Li-Ion 2600 mAh, that gives users longer talk-time (17 hours) in a 3G network and about 370 hours in standby mode.

Price

Samsung have always been at the top as they have successfully managed to release high-end quality devices at an affordable price.

Unveiled in India, the price for Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 has been set from Rs 22990 to Rs 24990 or found on Amazon at $400. In comparison the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos costs between Rs 17,000 and Rs 19,500 or can be found on Amazon at a price of $280.

Galaxy Grand 2 wins the color round too for it is available in pink, black and white unlike the Grand Duos which was mainly available in white.

Here you can also find a comparison between Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, Moto G and Lumia 1320.

Jason Collins signs contract with Brooklyn Nets

Nearly 10 months after becoming the first openly gay NBA player, Jason Collins will finally get his chance to, well, play.

With free-agent-to-be forward Glen Davis telling the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday that he intends to sign with them after he clears waivers at 5 p.m. Eastern and thereby taking the Brooklyn Nets' top free agent option off the table, the Nets moved quickly to finalize a 10-day Deal News with Collins. And after USA TODAY Sports first reported Davis' intentions, the Nets confirmed the expected signing of Collins to a 10-day contract in a statement about the historic event. Collins, who will be the first openly-gay player in all four major North American professional sports, is expected to be available for tonight's game in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

FTW: Collins belongs on NBA roster -- period

"The decision to sign Jason was a basketball decision," Nets general manager Billy King said in the statement. "We needed to increase our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract."

New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement about Collins' signing as well.

"Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team," Silver said. "Today, I want to commend him on achieving his goal. I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud that our league fosters an inclusive and respectful environment."

MORE: Collins comes out as gay man

The 35-year-old Collins announced his homosexuality by way of Sports Illustrated in late April, and thus became known as the first openly-gay NBA player. Yet because Collins never continued his career, the revelation was somewhat anticlimactic in terms of its possible social impact.

WHO IS COLLINS?: A look at his career

That changed on Sunday, though, as the Nets and other teams vying for Davis' services were told that he would sign with the Clippers and the runway for Collins' moment was thereby cleared. Per the rules of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, a team can only sign a player to two 10-day contracts in the scope of one season. So if all goes well with the Nets, they would have to decide whether to sign Collins for the rest of the season either at the conclusion of this 10-day deal or the next. Collins' twin brother and former NBA player, Jarron Collins, hinted at the forthcoming excitement via Twitter not long after the news of Davis' intentions was first reported by USA TODAY Sports.

"Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. Today should be a pretty cool day!"

Davis reached a buyout agreement with the Orlando Magic on Friday, and was known to be considering the Nets and Clippers as options (the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls, among other teams, also had interest).

The Nets, meanwhile, were considering a list of free agent possibilities that included players currently playing in the National Basketball Development League and others who are playing in China. Brooklyn has a clear need for another big body down low, as they had extensive trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers about center Jordan Hill leading up to the deadline but ultimately passed on that possibility.

In 13 seasons, Collins became known as a classy professional who averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game with six teams. He spent his first six season with the Nets when the team was still in New Jersey.

Shoptimist: Savings site puts money back in your bank account

SavingStar was launched in 2011 and has since grown to almost 5 million members. Users create an account and register grocery or drugstore loyalty cards with the site. Locally, Kroger, Food Lion and CVS cards can be registered.

Once your cards are uploaded, you can scroll through the digital coupons on the site or app (available for iPhone and Android). If you see something useful, click "I Want This!" and the coupon will be uploaded to all registered cards.

When you go shopping, these coupons won't be deducted from your bill. Instead, the site will recognize when purchases are made and transfer the value of the coupon(s) into an account on the website. Depending on where you shop, the savings will be transferred between two and 22 days. Once you've saved at least $5 the money can be transferred directly into a bank account or PayPal account, or can be added to an Amazon gift card.

Types of coupons

A few different kinds of coupons are available on the site. Some are basic coupons offering cents or dollars off a particular product. Other coupons offer dollars off a minimum purchase of a particular brand. For example, currently you can save $5 when you spend $20 on Dole products.

Some coupons can only be used once and some can be used multiple times - the rules are noted in the description when you upload coupons. New coupons are generally added on Thursdays but new savings can pop up at any time.

The site recently introduced the Healthy Offer of the Week and Friday Freebies. The Healthy Offer is released every Tuesday and features savings on fruits and vegetables. This week you can save 20 percent on bananas. Each Friday a new product is introduced for Friday Freebies. If you upload this coupon you'll get 100 percent back upon purchasing the product. Some previous Friday Freebies have included Barilla pasta, Starkist tuna, Bush's Baked Beans and Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. This week's offer is for Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix.

SavingStar also features a Cashback Mall. When you shop online at participating retailers, such as Lands' End, Groupon or Macy's, you can earn a percentage back from select purchases. This money goes into the same account as your coupon savings. Earn your money back by accessing the retailer's site through SavingStar and clicking the "Shop Now" link or by using one of the Best Buy provided by SavingStar. The percentages vary by retailer.

I've used this site with success. A wide variety of product coupons are available and they change often, so it's important to keep checking back. One of SavingStar's best attributes is that it won't interfere with coupon usage in the grocery store or drugstore. If you have a SavingStar coupon and a Kroger or Food Lion digital coupon for the same product uploaded to your store loyalty card, your SavingStar account will be credited and you'll get the grocer's digital coupon savings at the register.

You can also use old-fashioned paper coupons and still get credit for SavingStar coupons. With the app and the option to email or print your uploaded coupon list, it's easy to keep track of your savings, too.

Have you tried SavingStar? If so, share you experience on the Shoptimist blog at blogs.roanoke.com/shoptimist.

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