Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
Report: Premium hikes for top Medicare drug plans
Xfinity News reports: "Millions of seniors enrolled in some of the most popular Medicare prescription drug plans face double-digit premium hikes next year if they don't shop for a better deal, says a private firm that analyzes the highly competitive market. Seven of...
Navigating Health Care Reform: Summary of Benefits and Coverage for Group Health Plans
JD Supra reports: Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “Act”), employers must move forward with implementation....
Fatal Flaws In Obamacare: Two Important New Pieces
Insurance News Net reports: "WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 -- The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research issued the following news release: In two just-published pieces, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) physician and health care expert Scott Gottlieb, MD...
Insurance Shopping With Plain-Language Paperwork
The Huffington Post reports: "Shopping for health insurance is about to get a little easier. Starting this month, health insurance companies are required to use a new, standardized, plain-language form to explain what plans cover -- and what they don't. Think of it as...
CBO: Health care penalty to hit 6M people
The Oval reports: "The Congressional Budget Office estimated today that nearly 6 million people will have to pay a penalty for not obtaining health insurance once President Obama's health care law is full in place. That's a 2 million increase over a previous estimate....
The Health Care Reform Implementation Council
ILLINOIS: The Health Care Reform Implementation Council met last week to hear testimony on the state's essential health benefits package. The council has yet to determine a benchmark plan, but the state announced that if it cannot agree on the benchmark plan by the...
Calif. exchange wants TV shows to help tout Obama healthcare law
The Hill reports: "Officials in California want prime-time TV shows to help promote President Obama's healthcare law. Outreach to television producers is part of the marketing plan adopted by California's insurance exchange — a new marketplace, created by the...
Ducking the New Health-Care Taxes
Barron's reports: "Basing investment decisions on forecasted tax changes is about as surefire a strategy as asking the Ouija board for stock tips. But whether the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire on schedule or a compromise is found, it's all but certain that tax...
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...
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...