Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
More Health Insurance Complexity – More Confusion
Forbes reports: "One agreement we have to come to in this country is “what is essential healthcare?” In the Affordable Care Act, essential benefits were to be determined by the Department of HHS. We would have uniform policies throughout the country which may have...
Ron Wyden and Paul Ryan’s Bipartisan Plan for Health Care and Medicare Reform
Forbes reports: "This morning, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Republican Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) have shaken up Capitol Hill with an intriguing, bipartisan plan for reforming Medicare, and also the private-sector employer-sponsored insurance system. Politically,...
Can’t raise taxes? Hike Medicare premiums instead
Benefits Pro Reports: "Raising taxes on millionaires may be a non-starter for Republicans, but they seem to have no problem hiking Medicare premiums for retirees making a lot less. The House is expected to vote Tuesday on a year-end economic package that includes a...
The Future of U.S. Health Care
The Wall Street Journal Reports: "Call it the united state of health care. Amid enormous pressure to cut costs, improve care and prepare for changes tied to the federal health-care overhaul, major players in the industry are staking out new ground, often blurring the...
State panel rejects proposed Crystal Lake hospital
The Courier-News reports: "By a 6-2 vote Wednesday afternoon, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board refused permission to build the long-proposed Mercy Crystal Lake Hospital. After a late lunch break, the board also expected to make a final decision...
Employers Skeptical of Health Care Reform, But Few Project Dropping Health Insurance Coverage
NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- "Even in an environment of uncertainty about the future of health care reform, a majority of employers surveyed (56 percent) say that they are likely to continue to offer employer-sponsored health insurance after health care...
As Lipitor Goes Off Patent, What Will Happen to Price of Your Prescription?
AARP reports: The first generic version of the world's top-selling drug, the cholesterol-lowering Lipitor, is due to come on the market Dec. 1. Drug market analysts have long speculated on the strategies Lipitor's manufacturer, Pfizer, might use to hold on to at least...
Defined Contributions Define Health-Care Future: Peter Orszag
Bloomburg reports: "Over the next decade, we are likely to see a shift in health insurance in the U.S.: So-called defined-contribution plans will gradually take over the market, shifting the residual risk of incurring high health-care costs from employers to workers....
Key Findings From The Kaiser Family Foundation’s November Health Tracking Poll
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports: "* After taking a negative turn in October, the public’s overall views on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) returned to a more mixed status this month. Still, Americans remain somewhat more likely to have an...
NAIFA Survey Shows Federal Health Care Rule Harming Agents and Consumers
Small Business Trends reports: "Falls Church, VA (Press Release – November 23, 2011) - A new survey by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) shows the federal health care law’s medical loss ratio (MLR) provision is threatening the...