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Posts Tagged ‘Bull Valley’
Tuesday, April 9th, 2019
The New York Times reports:
“We don’t know what will emerge as President Trump’s plan to replace Obamacare, which he has promised to unveil immediately after the 2020 elections. But he has recently endorsed several proposals, and they could provide clues.
(more…)
Tags: Affordable Care Act, Bannockburn, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Batavia, Bensenville, Berwyn, Big Rock, Boulder Hill, Bucktown, buffalo grove, Bull Valley, Costs, deductibles, enroll, Government, health care costs, Medicaid, medicaid programs, ObamaCare Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Trump Is Being Vague About What He Wants to Replace Obamacare. But There Are Clues.
Tuesday, August 21st, 2018
American Thinker reports:
“Illinois HB 2624, introduced by Representative Laura Fine, limits the duration of short-term health insurance plans to 181 days. The intent of HB 2624 is to ensure that healthier people do not enroll in the short-term health insurance plans that will be able to last up to 36 months without new underwriting under the new Health and Human Services guidelines, thus preserving the Illinois exchange.
(more…)
Tags: affordable health insurance, Boulder Hill, buffalo grove, Bull Valley, Burlington, Health and Human Services, Illinois, insurance plan, the affordable care act Posted in Illinois Health Insurance | Comments Off on Governor Rauner, veto HB 2624
Tuesday, May 8th, 2018
Investopedia reports:
“On February 20, 2018, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor and the Treasury released a proposed rule that would increase the length of coverage for short-term health insurance plans from three months to 364 days. They proposed this rule in response to an executive order President Trump issued in October 2017 telling these departments to propose regulations or guidance that would make this type of insurance more available in order to encourage consumer choice and provider competition in the health insurance market.
(more…)
Tags: Affordable Care Act, Bull Valley, Burlington, Chicago, Costs, departments of health and human services, enroll, enrollment, Fox River Grove, Fox Valley, Franklin Park, individual, Individuals, insurance, insurance plan, Marketplace, open enrollment Posted in Individual Health Insurance, Short Term Insurance | Comments Off on What is Trump’s New Short-Term Health Insurance Order?
Wednesday, March 8th, 2017
Crain’s Chicago Business reports:
“Hospitals and doctors treating patients on the state payroll are now owed a collective $4.3 billion, Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza highlights in a new report that reflects a “lawless fiscal climate.”
The annual state report for the fiscal year ended June 30 “paints a worsening outlook” for Illinois’ financial future, the comptroller’s office said in a statement.
(more…)
Tags: Boulder Hill, Bull Valley, Carol Stream, Carpend, Carpentersville, Cary, Chicago, Cicero, insurance, insurance plan, state health insurance Posted in Illinois, Illinois Health Insurance | Comments Off on Mendoza criticizes Illinois’ ‘lawless’ fiscal climate
Tuesday, January 26th, 2016
According to The CT Mirror:
“Even if you don’t get your health insurance through Obamacare, you’re likely to get something related to the health law in the mail in the coming weeks: A new tax form.
 The 1095-A form exchange customers will receive. Others will get different versions, depending on the source of their health care coverage.
Known as Form 1095, it’s part of the way the federal government verifies whether people are complying with the mandate that requires nearly all U.S. residents to have health care coverage. This year is the first time most people will be getting those forms, and officials are anticipating a fair amount of confusion. In part, that’s because what you need to do with that form depends on the type of coverage you had.
Here’s what you need to know. (more…)
Tags: 2015, 2016, ACA, ACA requirements, advice, affordable care, Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Albany Park, Alden, Algonquin, Andersonville, Bannockburn, barack obama, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Boulder Hill, Bucktown, budget cuts, buffalo grove, Bull Valley, buy health insurance, buying insurance, care reform legislation, Carpentersville, Cary, Changeing Health Care, Chicago, Chicagoland, Cook, Cook County, Costs, coverage plan, Crystal Lake, Darien, Deer Park, Deerfield, DeKalb, DeKalb County, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, DuPage, DuPage County, East Dundee, Elburn, Elmhurst, employer health insurance, enroll, enrollment, exchange, federal medicaid, Fox River Grove, Fox Valley, Geneva, Glen Ellyn, Government, government regulations, Hampshire, Harvard, health, health care benefits, health care costs, health care law, health care reform, health care system, health exemption, health insurance, health insurance costs, health insurance coverage, Health insurance exchange, health insurance marketplace, health insurance premiums, health insurance reform, Health Marketplace, health plan, health programs, health reform, health savings account, healthcare reform, healthcare.gov, Highland Park, Huntley, IL, Illinois, Illinois health insurance exchange, individual, individual health insurance, individual insurance, Individual Mandate, insurance, Insurance benefit consultant, insurance industry, insurance news, insurance plan, Insurance Reform, IRS, Kane, Kane County, Kendall, Kendall County, Lake County, Lakewood, Lincolnwood, Lombard, Maywood, McCullen Lake, McHenery, McHenry, McHenry County, Medicaid, Medicare, Montgomery, Naperville, new health care, New health insurance law ACA, North Aurora, North West Suburbs, Northern Illinois, Northlake, Northwest Suburbs, Oak Park, Obama care, ObamaCare, Obamacare regulation, open enrollment, Palatine, Park Ridge, Penalty, Pingree Grove, Prairie Grove, premiums, public exchange, Ringwood, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Saint Charles, Schaumburg, sign up, Skokie, South Barrington, special enrollment, St. Charles, state health insurance, state legislatures, Stone Park, Supreme Court, supreme court decisions, Tax, taxpayer dollars, Tower Lakes, Villa Park, Wasco, West Chicago, West Dundee, Westchester, Wheaton, Wicker Park, Will, Will County, Wood Dale, Woodstock Posted in Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance News, Heath Care Costs | Comments Off on Coming soon to your mailbox: An Obamacare tax form
Tuesday, January 26th, 2016
According to Bloomberg Business:
“Humana Inc. is the latest insurer to run into trouble in Obamacare’s individual health-insurance markets.
The health insurer said that it probably won’t collect enough money to cover costs for some customers who bought individual plans, and will set aside what’s known as a premium deficiency reserve. The shortfall is for 2016 plans that comply with new rules under the Affordable Care Act, Louisville, Kentucky-based Humana said Friday.
UnitedHealth Group Inc., the biggest U.S. health insurer, said in November that it might stop participating in the Obamacare next year after taking losses. One analyst predicted that Humana would follow suit.
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Tags: 2015, 2016, ACA, ACA requirements, Advocate Heath Care, affordable care, Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Albany Park, Algonquin, Andersonville, Arlington Heights, Atena, aurora, barack obama, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Batavia, BCBS, BCBSIL, Bucktown, budget cuts, buffalo grove, Bull Valley, buy health insurance, buying insurance, California healthline, cancer coverage, care reform legislation, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Changeing Health Care, Chicago, Chicagoland, Cicero, College Grads, commerce clause of the constitution, Commonwealth Care Health Insurance, Cook, Cook County, Costs, coverage plan, Crystal Lake, Deerfield, DeKalb, DeKalb County, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Dundee, DuPage, DuPage County, Elburn, enroll, enrollment, Fox River Grove, Fox Valley, Geneva, Gilberts, Glen Ellyn, government regulations, Hampshire, Harwood Heights, health, health care benefits, health care costs, health care law, health care reform, health care system, health exemption, health insurance, health insurance costs, health insurance coverage, Health insurance exchange, health insurance marketplace, health insurance premiums, health insurance reform, Health Marketplace, health plan, health programs, health reform, health savings account, healthcare reform, healthcare.gov, Herbron, Highland Park, Humana, Huntley, IL, Illinois, Illinois health insurance exchange, individual, individual health insurance, individual insurance, Individual Mandate, Individual Shared Responsibility, Individuals, Insurance benefit consultant, insurance broker, insurance industry, insurance news, insurance plan, Insurance Reform, Itasca, Kane, Kane County, Kendall, Kendall County, Lake County, Lake in the Hills, Lake View, Lakewood, Lincoln Park, Maple Park, Marengo, Marketplace, McCullen Lake, McHenery, McHenry, McHenry County, Naperville, new health care, New health insurance law ACA, Niles, North Aurora, North Barrington, North West Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs, Obama care, ObamaCare, Obamacare regulation, open enrollment, Palatine, Park Ridge, Producer, Riverwoods, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, self-insurance, single payer health care system, South Barrington, special enrollment, state health insurance, Streamwood, Sugar Grove, the affordable care act, Tower Lakes, Village of Lakewood, Warrenville, Wasco, West Chicago, Wicker Park, Wood Dale, young adults Posted in Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance News, Individual Health Insurance | Comments Off on Humana to Record 2016 Obamacare Shortfall, Membership Drops
Tuesday, January 26th, 2016
According to The Motley Fool:
“Learn how this part of the Medicare program works.
Retirees rely on Medicare to help them with their healthcare expenses, but getting a better understanding of how the program’s different components can be challenging. Medicare Part B plays a key role in the everyday aspects of healthcare, and below, you’ll learn more of the specifics of how much Part B costs and what it covers.
What Medicare Part B costs
Medicare participants pay a monthly premium to get Part B coverage, but one of the more confusing things about the program in 2016 is that different participants pay different amounts. The standard charge for most new participants this year is $121.80 per month. But because of a law that ties Medicare increases to cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security, the majority of existing participants will pay the $104.90 monthly premium they paid in 2015. (more…)
Tags: 2016, ACA, ACA requirements, Advocate Heath Care, affordable care, Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Albany Park, barack obama, Barrington, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Bucktown, Bull Valley, buy health insurance, buying insurance, Changeing Health Care, Chicago, Chicagoland, Cook, Cook County, Costs, coverage plan, deductibles, DeKalb, DeKalb County, departments of health and human services, disability insurance program, Dundee, East Dundee, Fox Valley, Government, government regulations, health, Health and Human Services, health care benefits, health care costs, health care law, health care reform, health care system, health insurance costs, health insurance coverage, Health insurance exchange, health insurance marketplace, health insurance reform, HMO, IL, Illinois, Illinois Department of Insurance, Illinois health insurance exchange, insurance, Insurance benefit consultant, insurance industry, insurance news, insurance plan, Insurance Reform, Kane, Kane County, Lake, Lake County, Lake View, Lincolnwood, long term care, McHenery, McHenry County, Medicaid, medicaid coverage, medicaid programs, Medicare, Naperville, new health care, New health insurance law ACA, North West Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs, Park Ridge, premiums, preventive services, retirement, Rolling Meadows, Saint Charles, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, social security and medicare, state health insurance, state legislatures, West Chicago, West Dundee, Wheeling, Wicker Park, Will, Will County, Woodstock Posted in Medicare | Comments Off on Here’s What Medicare Part B Costs and Covers in 2016
Monday, January 11th, 2016
Energy & Commerce Reports:
“WASHINGTON, DC – The number of failed Obamacare CO-OPs grew to one dozen today as Michigan became the latest to announce it was closing. To date, 12 of the original 23 CO-OPs have closed, bringing the total cost to taxpayers at more than $1.23 billion. This Thursday, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on “Examining the Costly Failures of Obamacare’s CO-OP Insurance Loans.” (more…)
Tags: ACA, ACA requirements, affordable care, Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Algonquin, barack obama, Barrington, Bartlett, Bensenville, Bull Valley, buy health insurance, buying insurance, Carol Stream, Changeing Health Care, Chicago, Chicagoland, Cook, Cook County, Costs, coverage plan, Crystal Lake, DeKalb, DeKalb County, Des Plaines, Desplaines, Downers Grove, DuPage County, enroll, Government, government regulations, health, Health and Human Services, health care benefits, health care costs, health care law, health care reform, health care system, health exemption, health insurance, health insurance costs, health insurance coverage, Health insurance exchange, health insurance marketplace, health insurance premiums, health insurance reform, health programs, healthcare reform, healthcare.gov, IL, Illinois, Illinois Department of Insurance, Illinois health insurance exchange, individual health insurance, insurance news, insurance plan, Insurance Reform, Kane, Kane County, Kendall, Kendall County, Lake County, Lake View, Logan Square, Long Grove, McHenery, McHenry, McHenry County, Naperville, new health care, New health insurance law ACA, North Barrington, North West Suburbs, Northern Illinois, Northwest Suburbs, Obama care, ObamaCare, Obamacare regulation, open enrollment, Palatine, Park Ridge, Prairie Grove, revenue measures, Riverwoods, Saint Charles, Schiller Park, Skokie, Spring Grove, state health insurance, state legislatures, Tax, taxpayer dollars, the affordable care act, Village of Lakewood, West Chicago, Wicker Park, Will, Will County, Wilmette, Wood Dale, Woodstock Posted in Health Insurance Cost, Health Insurance News, Heath Care Costs | Comments Off on With Michigan Closure, More Than Half of Obamacare CO-OPs Have Now Failed
Monday, July 13th, 2015
Crain’s Chicago Business reports:
“In health insurance, as in so many businesses, it helps to be big.
Larger insurers enjoy many advantages over smaller rivals. They have more clout in pricing negotiations with doctors and hospitals, greater economies of scale in back—office operations, broader customer bases that limit risk. “The bigger you are, the better off you are,” says analyst Vishnu Lekraj, who follows the health insurance industry at Chicago-based Morningstar.
Size has paid off for Health Care Service Corp. of Chicago. The owner of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas is the nation’s sixth-biggest health insurer by market share. With dominant positions in all its markets, HCSC books more than $20 billion in revenue annually. HCSC’s deep pockets have helped it absorb cost pressures under Obamacare and capitalize on expansion opportunities created by health care reform.
Trouble is, “big” is a relative concept that changes over time. A company that’s large by today’s standards may not seem so big tomorrow.
Industry consolidation can raise the bar quickly, creating giants of unprecedented scale. Megamergers magnify the benefits of size to the detriment of companies that don’t keep pace. Goliaths are forming in the consumer products, technology and telecommunications industries, to name just a few. Sure, we’ve seen some corporate bust-ups, but many of the companies created in those transactions already have been scooped up by larger entities.
Now health insurance appears poised for consolidation: No. 5 Humana is looking for a buyer. A Humana acquisition could lead to more health insurance tie-ups, Lekraj says. If so, HCSC’s base of 15 million customers could start looking smaller.
The extent to which consolidation shifts the competitive balance against HCSC would depend on how much strength expanding rivals gain in local markets. Despite its enormous size, health care remains a largely local and regional business. Few hospital networks and doctors groups operate nationally.
This makes health insurance a local game, too. HCSC has played it exceptionally well, competing effectively with rivals more than twice its size. HCSC plans control anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of their individual markets.
Humana wouldn’t give a buyer the heft to match HCSC in any of those markets. Still, cost pressures have unleashed a consolidation trend that may eventually jump local boundaries. Hospital networks already are expanding across broader geographic areas, which eventually could lead to the formation of national chains. In the process, they’re acquiring physicians groups.
Leemore Dafny, an economist at Northwestern University who studies health care markets, says product capabilities matter, too. Humana, for example, is strong in Medicare Advantage plans, a sector that’s growing as more baby boomers qualify for Medicare. Dafny says an acquisition “could possibly create a more robust competitor to HCSC in the Medicare Advantage space.”
Of course, HCSC could respond with deals of its own. With an accumulated surplus of more than $10 billion, it has plenty of coin. And CEO Patricia Hemingway Hall has shown an appetite for acquisitions—she picked up Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Montana in 2013. A spokesman says HCSC doesn’t comment on possible deals.
Another advantage for HCSC is its status as a private company owned by policyholders. Unlike publicly traded competitors, it’s not subject to pressure from Wall Street analysts and activist investors who often push companies into mergers.
So Hall has plenty of options and can take her time. But the long-term imperative is clear: Keep HCSC big.
Tags: Bull Valley, Cicero, Fox River Grove, Fox Valley, Franklin Park, health care reform, health insurance, Hospital, insurance, insurance industry, long-term, Medicare, ObamaCare Posted in Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Health Insurance Cost | Comments Off on Is Blue Cross’ parent company too big, or not big enough?
Friday, February 27th, 2015
Crain’s Chicago Business reports:
“Proving that no one is immune to the changes sweeping the health care industry, two of Chicago’s most prestigious teaching hospitals are being dinged by insurance companies trying to control costs.
Humana is ending a 20-year relationship with University of Chicago Medicine, which will be eliminated from the insurer’s networks April 1.
(more…)
Tags: affordable care, Affordable Care Act, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Batavia, Bensenville, Berwyn, Big Rock, Boulder Hill, buffalo grove, Bull Valley, Burlington, exchange, Hospital, Humana, Illinois, Maywood Posted in Health Insurance Cost, Illinois | Comments Off on Even U of C Medicine and Rush have health insurance problems
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