Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
Court Schedules Week Of Health Care Arguments
Insurance News Net reports: "The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will use an unprecedented week's worth of argument time in late March to decide the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's historic health care overhaul. The high court scheduled arguments...
HHS Posts Essential Health Benefits “Prerule” Bulletin
News from the Blues reports: "On Friday, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) issued a "prerule" bulletin outlining how HHS intends to pursue rulemaking to define essential health benefits as required by the Affordable Care Act. In the bulletin, HHS...
Illinois Issues Cease and Desist Against Unlicensed Insurer Selling Bogus Health Plans
Insurancenewsnet.com reports: "The Illinois Department of Insurance has issued a cease and desist order banning an unlicensed insurer from issuing any more fraudulent health insurance policies. The unauthorized insurer operates under the name ReAssurance Health Inc.,...
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...