Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
My Five Obamacare Anxieties: The scenarios that keep this reform advocate up at night
New Republic reports: "Conservatives are talking about the implementation of Obamacare in the same thoughtful way they talked about its enactment—that is, as an impending apocalypse. It won’t be, as I've noted previously. Most Americans get insurance through...
What the IRS scandal means for health-care reform
The Washington Post reports: "The revelation that the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny has given fuel to Republican complaints of government overreach. It’s also given them more ammunition in their fight against the...
Experts warn of huge cost disparities in reform
Benefits Pro reports: "Cancer patients could face high costs for medications under President Barack Obama's health care law, industry analysts and advocates warn. Where you live could make a huge difference in what you'll pay. To try to keep premiums low, some states...
For veterans, health-care law offers new options — and struggles
The Washington Post reports: "Military veterans will have more health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act, but some vets, like many Americans, may still struggle to find affordable, accessible care that meets their needs. Roughly 40 percent of the 22.3...
Medicaid expansion could spell trouble for patients
Benefits Pro reports: "Medicaid is poised to expand in a big way — thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — but just who is going to treat those new patients? That’s the major flaw of Medicaid expansion, according to new analysis from HealthPocket, a...
Subsidy Calculator
This tool illustrates health insurance premiums and subsidies for people purchasing insurance on their own in new health insurance exchanges (or “Marketplaces”) created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Beginning in October 2013, middle-income people under age 65, who...
Taxpayers File Suit Over IRS Rule on Health Care Act Tax Credits
Forbs reports: "Just one day after the Internal Revenue Service additional Proposed Regulations to clarify governance issues related to the HealthCare Act, a group of taxpayers filed a lawsuit in federal court, hoping to put the brakes on the IRS’ right to enforce the...
Nondiscriminatory PPACA provisions could cost employers
Benefits Pro reports: "Health care exchanges are getting all of the attention, but employers need to take a closer look at their benefits packages because the nondiscriminatory provision of PPACA has the potential to cost them a lot of money. So says Jay Starkman, the...
The Middle Class Tax Break Hardly Anyone Is Talking About
News @ JAMA reports: "There has been no shortage of attention focused on the scheduled expiration of tax cuts for middle class and wealthy Americans at the end of this year. That’s likely to continue to be the case through the election and a potential lame duck...
Administration Simplifies Health Care Form
Insurance News Net reports: "The first draft was as mind-numbing and complex as tax forms. Now the Obama administration is unveiling a simplified application for health insurance benefits under the federal health care overhaul. Details to be released Tuesday include a...