Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
Ready, set, stop
Benefits Pro reports: "Pity the poor HR managers. That’s the first thought that sprang to mind after I heard the news about the delayed PPACA employer mandate. I mean, sure, a lot of businesses were relieved to get the extra time. But in the HR world, it’s fairly...
Democrats hit the road to sell public on Obamacare
The Kansas City Star reports: "Three years after it passed, President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats are still trying to sell the federal health care law to a skeptical nation. Lawmakers, armed with tool kits and fact sheets, are fanning out across the nation to...
15 PPACA provisions that will take effect in 2014
Benefits Pro reports: "The effective date of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was March 23, 2010, although various provisions have their own effective dates from January 1, 2010, (the small business income tax credit) through 2018. The start of...
6 insurers offer 165 health plans for Illinois exchange review
Chicago Tribune reports: "Six insurance carriers submitted 165 health insurance plans to be offered on the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace, the online exchange where individuals and small businesses in October can begin buying coverage for 2014, state officials...
Letter from the White House
Three quick things you should know about Obamacare Hi all -- In the past few days, we've received three really interesting new pieces of information about the health care law, and we wanted to share these data points with you so that you get a big picture of how...
Illinois lawmakers rebuff governor over health insurance exchange
Chicago Health Care Daily reports: "Federal officials could end up overseeing the new Illinois health insurance marketplace for years to come after lawmakers in Springfield balked again at a full embrace of President Barack Obama's health care law. The Legislature...
U.S. Businesses Pay About $6,000 Extra For Workers Who Smoke
Insurance News Net reports: "U.S. businesses pay $6,000 per year extra for each employee who smokes compared with someone who has never smoked cigarettes, researchers say. Lead author Micah Berman, an assistant professor of health services management and policy in...
New Health Insurance Options for Early Retirees
Kiplinger reports: "The new health law changes the rules. Starting in January 2014, insurers may no longer reject you for coverage or charge higher rates because of your health. The law also sets limits on how much insurers may charge older buyers (for example,...
Implementing Health Reform: Small Business Health Insurance Marketplace
Health Affairs reports: "On May 31, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services released a final rule amending its earlier regulations governing the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). The implementing agencies published a spate of proposed rules and...
Will Obamacare end job lock? Study finds 1.5 million to join self-employed due to law
The Business Journals reports: "Will health care reform lead 1.5 million Americans to become self-employed next year? Researchers from the Urban Institute and Georgetown University think so. They've concluded that the reforms under the Affordable Care Act will end...