Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
KFF/HRET 2012 Employer Health Benefits Survey: Family Health Premiums Rise 4 Percent to Average $15,745
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports: "Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $15,745 this year, up 4 percent from last year, with workers on average paying $4,316 toward the cost of their coverage, according to the Kaiser Family...
Romney says he likes parts of ‘Obamacare’
Benefits Pro reports: "Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who promised early in his campaign to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, says he would keep several important parts of the overhaul. "Of course there are a number of things that I...
Illinois to decide on essential health benefits
Bloomberg Businessweek reports: "Gov. Pat Quinn has less than a month to choose which benefits will be required in basic health insurance plans sold to individuals and small businesses in Illinois under the federal health care law, an important decision that will...
Retell Politics: Story About Obama’s Mother Gets Another Look
npr reports: "Were last night's convention references to Barack Obama's mother and her struggles with an insurance company before her death a powerful argument for health care reform? Or were they a well-worn misrepresentation of history? The answer appears to be in...
Tammy Duckworth Says She’s No Yes-Woman for Obama
US News reports: "CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- Tammy Duckworth helped kick off the president's nominating convention with a bang, but that doesn't mean she's a yes-woman for his policies, she says. In an interview with U.S. News, the Illinois congressional candidate and Iraq...
Employers May Avoid Hiring Smokers as Health Care Reform Kicks In
Law.com reports: "As Democrats rally in Charlotte this week, it comes as no surprise that President Barack Obama’s landmark health care law is taking center stage. For many voters, the Affordable Care Act could be the deciding factor when they head to the polls in...
Automatic Budget Cuts Will Reduce Medicare Payments To Doctors, Providers By $11 Billion
Kaiser Health News reports: "Medicare providers would see reductions of about $11 billion beginning in January as part of series of automatic spending cuts set to begin next year unless Congress acts to halt them, according to estimates released Friday by the White...
Federal Health Reform/Exchange Update
Federal Health Reform/Exchange Update August 2012 There has been a lot of activity since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the PPACA constitutional in late June. Our Agent/Broker Health Reform Working Group has been busy staying on top of the issue and is doing everything...
Health Care Plans: Romney vs. Obama
Insurance News Net reports: "Aug. 27--Tampa this week becomes the epicenter of the campaign against the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which Republicans call Obamacare. Most Americans are familiar with bits and pieces of the massive and detailed law,...
Health insurance exchanges: The big unknowns
American Medical News reports: "Physicians navigating the world after health system reform are headed toward a large, uncharted area over the horizon in the form of health insurance exchanges. The coverage marketplaces will serve millions of people, but with few...