“We made insurance its own category on this year’s Fintech 50 list. Why? It’s hot. Global funding for insurtech companies jumped from $4.4 billion (410 deals) in 2018 to $6.8 billion (476 deals) last year, according to Accenture. There are full-blown digital carriers and next generation virtual brokers. The aim is to close policies online, not by talking to a human agent at a call center.
Archive for the ‘Health Insurance News’ Category
The Future Of Insurance: Fintech 50 2020
Friday, February 14th, 20209 Health Insurance Acronyms Small Business Owners Should Know
Wednesday, August 21st, 2019Small Business Trends reports:
“Many health insurance acronyms float around these days. In the past, people counted on essentially two health care options. They included traditional group health insurance and, for seniors, Medicare. Today, you’ll find a number of health care options. Some of which specifically limit themselves to small businesses. The array of options may confuse you because of the many names used to describe them.
Why You Still Absolutely Need Health Insurance Despite the Death of the Penalty
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Starting in 2019, you’ll no longer owe a fine to the IRS if you don’t have qualifying health insurance coverage. While the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, imposed a tax penalty for those who opted out of coverage, the mandate was eliminated with the tax reform law passed in late 2017.
‘Sham’ Sharing Ministries Test Faith Of Patients And Insurance Regulators
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Sheri Lewis, 59, of Seattle, needed a hip transplant. Bradley Fuller, 63, of nearby Kirkland, needed chemotherapy and radiation when the pain in his jaw turned out to be throat cancer. And Kim Bruzas, 55, of Waitsburg, hundreds of miles away, needed emergency care to stop sudden —and severe — rectal bleeding.
Each of these Washington state residents required medical treatment during the past few years, and each thought they had purchased health insurance through an online site.
Most Americans want lower health care costs, not ‘Medicare for All’ or Obamacare repeal
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Washington may be obsessed with enacting “Medicare for All” or repealing Obamacare, but Americans have other priorities.
They want Congress to prioritize reducing health care costs and protecting those with pre-existing conditions, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Wednesday.
Health insurance deductibles soar, leaving Americans with unaffordable bills
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Soaring deductibles and medical bills are pushing millions of American families to the breaking point, fueling an affordability crisis that is pulling in middle-class households with health insurance as well as the poor and uninsured.
In the last 12 years, annual deductibles in job-based health plans have nearly quadrupled and now average more than $1,300.
‘Medicare for All’ system could be complicated, potentially disruptive, say budget analysts
Monday, May 20th, 2019“As “Medicare for All” increasingly becomes a battle cry for Democrats on Capitol Hill and those running for president, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office weighed in Wednesday on how difficult it could be to move to a single government health care system.
Why Hospitals Should Fear Blue Cross Primary Care Centers
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019“As if hospitals and health systems didn’t have enough emerging threats with big well capitalized publicly-traded insurance companies and drugstore chains developing primary care clinics and urgent care centers in their backyards.
Now come the nation’s largest Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans that dominate big diverse markets like Florida, Illinois, Texas and New Jersey. These Blues plans are backed by their own financing, venture capital funds and primary care partners looking to expand doctor offices, urgent care and health centers in communities across the country. (more…)
Expert: Short-term health care plans give consumers choice
Thursday, October 25th, 2018Wake Forest University reports:
“With early-voting underway, recent polls show healthcare has become a top issue in the November midterm elections. One politically charged issue on the table is the availability of short-term health care plans that offer limited benefits at a low cost.
Opponents of these policies are concerned that the availability of short-term health care plans will undermine the Affordable Care Act and harm those who purchase them. The arguments: (1) Consumers will purchase short-term plans without fully understanding the limited coverage they provide. (2) Healthy individuals who might join an Affordable Health Care plan will choose a short-term plan instead.
Lower costs, fewer benefits in new health insurance option
Tuesday, June 19th, 2018“The Trump administration’s new health insurance option offers lower premiums for small businesses and self-employed people, but the policies are likely to cover fewer benefits.
Another caveat: if healthy people flock to the new plans as expected, premiums will rise for those who need comprehensive coverage.
