“On July 9, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit will hear oral argument in Texas v. U.S., the next round of litigation challenging the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The appeals court is reviewing a federal trial court’s decision that the ACA’s minimum essential coverage provision (known as the individual mandate) is unconstitutional and, as a result, requires the entire ACA to be overturned. The individual mandate provides that most people must maintain a minimum level of health insurance coverage; those who do not do so must pay a financial penalty (known as the shared responsibility payment) to the IRS. The individual mandate was upheld as a constitutional exercise of Congress’ taxing power by a five member majority of the U.S. Supreme Court in NFIB v. Sebelius in 2012.
Posts Tagged ‘health insurance’
Explaining Texas v. U.S.: A Guide to the 5th Circuit Appeal in the Case Challenging the ACA
Wednesday, July 24th, 2019Why You Still Absolutely Need Health Insurance Despite the Death of the Penalty
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Starting in 2019, you’ll no longer owe a fine to the IRS if you don’t have qualifying health insurance coverage. While the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, imposed a tax penalty for those who opted out of coverage, the mandate was eliminated with the tax reform law passed in late 2017.
‘Sham’ Sharing Ministries Test Faith Of Patients And Insurance Regulators
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Sheri Lewis, 59, of Seattle, needed a hip transplant. Bradley Fuller, 63, of nearby Kirkland, needed chemotherapy and radiation when the pain in his jaw turned out to be throat cancer. And Kim Bruzas, 55, of Waitsburg, hundreds of miles away, needed emergency care to stop sudden —and severe — rectal bleeding.
Each of these Washington state residents required medical treatment during the past few years, and each thought they had purchased health insurance through an online site.
Most Americans want lower health care costs, not ‘Medicare for All’ or Obamacare repeal
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Washington may be obsessed with enacting “Medicare for All” or repealing Obamacare, but Americans have other priorities.
They want Congress to prioritize reducing health care costs and protecting those with pre-existing conditions, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Wednesday.
4 healthcare costs in retirement no one warns you about
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Many Americans are stressed about paying for late-in-life healthcare.
Studies show that over a third of US adults are more concerned about covering health costs in retirement than paying off debt and affording lifestyle expenses right now, but only about half have a financial plan in place for the future.
Health insurance deductibles soar, leaving Americans with unaffordable bills
Monday, May 20th, 2019“Soaring deductibles and medical bills are pushing millions of American families to the breaking point, fueling an affordability crisis that is pulling in middle-class households with health insurance as well as the poor and uninsured.
In the last 12 years, annual deductibles in job-based health plans have nearly quadrupled and now average more than $1,300.
Nancy Pelosi urges caution on ‘Medicare for All,’ says Obamacare is best path to ‘quality, affordable’ health care
Tuesday, April 9th, 2019“In an interview with The Washington Post published this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi challenged a health-care proposal touted by many Democrats, questioning if the “Medicare for All” bill will be able to supply as much coverage as the Affordable Care Act.
Why Do Short-Term Health Insurance Plans Have Lower Premiums Than Plans That Comply with the ACA?
Friday, November 2nd, 2018“The Trump administration earlier this year issued a regulation that expands the availability of “short-term” health insurance plans that do not have to comply with any of the rules in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for plans sold in the individual market. Specifically, the regulation allows short-term plans to be offered for up to 364 days and renewed at the discretion of the insurer for up to three years. Short-term plans are also expected to be more attractive now that ACA’s individual mandate penalty has been repealed, since people previously enrolling in these plans were liable for the penalty.
Expert: Short-term health care plans give consumers choice
Thursday, October 25th, 2018Wake Forest University reports:
“With early-voting underway, recent polls show healthcare has become a top issue in the November midterm elections. One politically charged issue on the table is the availability of short-term health care plans that offer limited benefits at a low cost.
Opponents of these policies are concerned that the availability of short-term health care plans will undermine the Affordable Care Act and harm those who purchase them. The arguments: (1) Consumers will purchase short-term plans without fully understanding the limited coverage they provide. (2) Healthy individuals who might join an Affordable Health Care plan will choose a short-term plan instead.
