Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
Untangling The Many Deductibles Of Health Insurance
NPR reports: "Sure, there's a deductible with your health insurance. But then what's the hospital deductible? Your insurer may have multiple deductibles, and it pays to know which apply when. These questions and answers tackle deductibles, whether an ex-spouse has to...
Illinois Medicaid enrollment jumps under Obamacare
Crain's Chicago Business reports: " Illinois is among a dozen states where the number of new enrollees surpassed projections for the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare. While the surge in signups lifts the number of insured people, it has also stoked worries about...
Is Blue Cross’ parent company too big, or not big enough?
Crain's Chicago Business reports: "In health insurance, as in so many businesses, it helps to be big. Larger insurers enjoy many advantages over smaller rivals. They have more clout in pricing negotiations with doctors and hospitals, greater economies of scale in...
PPACA dropouts cut enrollment by 1.5 million
Benefits Pro reports: " About 1.5 million people dropped off health insurance coverage rolls this year after failing to pay for policies they picked on the Obamacare marketplaces. That left 10.2 million covered by Affordable Care Act policies as of March 31, up from...
Many HSAs could trigger Cadillac tax
Benefits Pro reports: "As more organizations study the Cadillac tax’s implications, it’s becoming clearer that even plans more along the lines of a Ford Focus could trigger the payment. And while there’s growing opposition to the tax, with pressure on the Obama...
Judge’s comments signal another legal nightmare for health reform law
Business Insurance reports: "It looks like the Obama administration may have another big legal headache in defending the Affordable Care Act. A Republican-appointed judge's comments Thursday suggest that it's very possible the administration will have to fight a new...
Employer Paid Individual Health Insurance Policies Create the Potential for Significant Penalties, but Limited Relief is Available
National Law Review reports: "Despite guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the Department of Labor (“DOL”) and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) indicating the prohibition of the practice under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), some...
Annual family health costs hit nearly $25K
Benefits Pro reports: "A family of four with employer-sponsored health coverage is shelling out substantially more since the advent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The cost of family coverage also is rising so fast that even this standard employee...
A $394 million Obamacare tax for Illinois
Crain's Chicago Business reports: "There's more than a touch of absurdity in the way an industry fee in President Barack Obama's health care law is being passed along to state taxpayers. As Alice in Wonderland might say, a curious tax just got curiouser. The burden to...
IRS sets 2016 HSA limits
Benefits Pro reports: "The IRS said it is raising the maximum allowable contribution to a health savings account by $100 in 2016 — but only for families. The IRS quietly announced last week that the maximum contribution that can be made next year to an HSA linked to a...