“Medicare provides valuable health insurance for individuals 65 or older and certain people with disabilities who are under age 65. But it also comes with complex rules and sometimes significant out-of-pocket costs. Here’s what you can expect to pay for Medicare:
Posts Tagged ‘St. Charles’
Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs You Should Expect to Pay
Thursday, April 5th, 2018Tags: deductibles, doctors, health care costs, health insurance, Individuals, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, premiums, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, Solon Mills, Spring Grove, St. Charles
Posted in Health Insurance Cost | Comments Off on Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs You Should Expect to Pay
Coming soon to your mailbox: An Obamacare tax form
Tuesday, January 26th, 2016According 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…)
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Posted in Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance News, Heath Care Costs | Comments Off on Coming soon to your mailbox: An Obamacare tax form
Feds tighten when people can enroll in Obamacare plans
Tuesday, January 26th, 2016According to USA Today:
“Bowing to pressure from insurers, federal officials on Tuesday tightened the conditions under which people can sign up for plans on the HealthCare.govexchange outside open enrollment.
The move by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services comes after complaints by health insurers that it was too easy for people to wait until they were sick to sign up and to drop coverage after they got treatment. Earlier Tuesday, UnitedHealth announced a 19% drop in profit and downgraded its earnings forecast citing concerns about its Obamacare enrollment and the flexibility people had to change insurance plans. (more…)
Tags: 2016, ACA, ACA requirements, affordable care, Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Albany Park, Andersonville, Arlington Heights, Barrington, Bartlett, BCBS, Berwyn, Blue Cross, Bucktown, budget cuts, buy health insurance, buying insurance, care reform legislation, Carpentersville, Changeing Health Care, Chicago, Chicagoland, Cicero, Cook, Cook County, Costs, coverage plan, Crystal Lake, Deer Park, Deerfield, DeKalb, DeKalb County, Desplaines, Dundee, DuPage, DuPage County, ebola, Elgin, Elmwood Park, enroll, enrollment, exchange, Forest Park, Fox River Grove, Fox Valley, Franklin Park, Geneva, Gilberts, Glen Ellyn, Glencoe, Glendale Heights, Government, government regulations, group rates, health, 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 premiums, health insurance reform, Health Marketplace, health plan, health programs, health reform, health savings account, healthcare reform, healthcare.gov, High deductible health plan, Hinsdale, Holiday Hills, Huntley, IL, Illinois, Illinois Department of Insurance, Illinois health insurance exchange, individual health insurance, individual insurance, insurance, Insurance benefit consultant, insurance industry, insurance news, insurance plan, Insurance Reform, Kane, Kane County, Kendall, Kendall County, Lake County, Lake in the Hills, Lake View, Lakewood, Lincolnwood, Logan Square, Maple Park, Marengo, Massachusetts, McCullom Lake, McHenery, McHenry, McHenry County, Medicaid, medical expenses, Medicare, new health care, New health insurance law ACA, North Aurora, North Barrington, North West Suburbs, Northern Illinois, Northlake, Northwest Suburbs, Oak Park, Oakbrook Terrace, Obama care, ObamaCare, Obamacare regulation, open enrollment, Palatine, Park Ridge, Penalty, Prairie Grove, Ringwood, Riverwoods, Roselle, Saint Charles, Schaumburg, sign up, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, South Barrington, South Elgin, special enrollment, St. Charles, state health insurance, Streamwood, Sugar Grove, Tax, the affordable care act, timeline, Trout Valley, Villa Park, Village of Lakewood, Warrenville, Wasco, West Chicago, West Dundee, Wheaton, Will, Winfield, Wood Dale, Woodridge, Woodstock, young adults, young people
Posted in Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance News, Open Enrollment | Comments Off on Feds tighten when people can enroll in Obamacare plans
CMS Proposes Health Insurance Exchange Changes for 2017
Monday, January 11th, 2016California Healthline Reports:
“On Friday, CMS released a proposed rule that would require minimum network standards for health plans sold through the federal exchange in 2017, Modern Healthcare reports.
Proposed Rule’s Network Standards
Under the rule, states would be required to implement CMS-approved quantitative measures to ensure that individuals with exchange plans have adequate access to health care providers. States could either:
- Adopt default network adequacy standards set by CMS; or
- Draft their own network adequacy standards and submit them for HHS approval.
Such standards could measure a plan’s network adequacy based on policyholders’ maximum travel distances and times to access providers. According to CMS, minimum adequacy standards for the plans will be determined at a later date. HHS would then notify insurers of the standards in each state (Herman/Dickson, Modern Healthcare, 11/20). (more…)
Tags: ACA, ACA requirements, Advisor, affordable care, Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Albany Park, Algonquin, Andersonville, Arlington Heights, aurora, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, BCBS, BCBSIL, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, bronze plan, Bucktown, buy health insurance, buying insurance, California healthline, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Changeing Health Care, Chicago, Chicagoland, Cicero, Cook, Cook County, Costs, coverage plan, Crystal Lake, Darien, DeKalb, DeKalb County, departments of health and human services, Des Plaines, Desplaines, Downers Grove, DuPage County, East Dundee, employer health insurance, enroll, enrollment, exchange, Forest Park, Fox River Grove, Franklin Park, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, government regulations, Hampshire, 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 premiums, health insurance reform, health plan, health programs, health savings account, healthcare reform, healthcare.gov, Hoffman Estates, Huntley, IL, individual, Individuals, insurance broker, insurance industry, insurance news, insurance plan, Insurance Reform, Kane, Kane County, Kendall County, Lake County, Lake View, Lakewood, Lincoln Park, Long Grove, Marengo, McHenery, McHenry, McHenry County, Medicare, Montgomery, Naperville, Navigator, new health care, New health insurance law ACA, Niles, North Barrington, North West Suburbs, Northern Illinois, Northlake, Northwest Suburbs, notices, Oakwood Hills, Obama care, ObamaCare, Obamacare regulation, open enrollment, Palatine, Park Ridge, Prairie Grove, Roselle, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Self Employed, self-insurance, SHOP, Skokie, small businesses, Spring Grove, St. Charles, state health insurance, state legislatures, Streamwood, the affordable care act, Tower Lakes, Village of Lakewood, Wasco, West Chicago, Wheeling, Wicker Park, Winfield, Woodstock
Posted in Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance News, Open Enrollment | Comments Off on CMS Proposes Health Insurance Exchange Changes for 2017
Benefits Selling’s 2014 Employer Survey
Friday, October 3rd, 2014“The implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has made most employers “rethink” their employee benefit offerings, including increasing employees’ share of cost even more via consumer-driven plans.
According to Benefits Selling’s 2014 Employer Survey, 70 percent of employers said PPACA has made them rethink their employee benefit offerings, compared to 30 percent who said the health care reform law hadn’t had any impact on their offerings.
Tags: affordable care, dental, health insurance, long-term, Marketplace, Saint Charles, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, Solon Mills, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, St. Charles, Stone Park, Streamwood, Sugar Grove, Sycamore, Voluntary Benefits
Posted in Health Reform | Comments Off on Benefits Selling’s 2014 Employer Survey
HHS: Health Care Premiums Likely To Go Up In 2015
Friday, April 4th, 2014“Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says health insurance premiums are likely to increase in 2015.
Sebelius’s comments came Wednesday during a hearing of the House Committee on Ways and Means about the White House’s 2015 budget proposal, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“I think premiums are likely to go up, but at a smaller pace than what we’ve seen since 2010,” Sebelius said.
The increases seen in 2015 will likely be smaller than those seen in previous years, Sebelius said.
The number of young Americans signing up for health insurance has been below the level needed to keep premiums stable, the Wall Street Journal reported.
On Tuesday, the Obama administration said about 25 percent of people age 18 to 34 have signed up for Obamacare — lower than a 40 percent target believed needed to keep premiums relatively stable.
Overall, 4.2 million people have signed up for health insurance since October, the administration said.”
Tags: 2015, Health and Human Services, health insurance, health insurance premiums, insurance, insurance news, Solon Mills, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, St. Charles, Sugar Grove, Warrenville, Wasco, Wheaton, Wheeling
Posted in Insurance Reform | Comments Off on HHS: Health Care Premiums Likely To Go Up In 2015
ACA Out-of-Pocket Max Clarity
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013“The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires non-grandfathered plans to impose limitations on out-of-pocket expenses for essential health benefits starting in 2014. The out-of-pocket limitations will be capped next year at $6,350 for single coverage and $12,700 for family coverage.
However, some self-funded plans will be exempt from this requirement until 2015. The guidance indicates that self-funded plans contracting with multiple service providers can delay this requirement for one year.
For example, some self-funded plans contract with one service provider to administer their major medical benefits and another service provider to administer their pharmacy benefits.
The reason for the delay has been linked to administrative complications in tracking the out-of-pocket expenses when multiple service providers are used.
The new out-of-pocket limitations will still apply in 2014 to all individual health plans, fully insured group health plans and self-funded group health plans that use a single service provider to administer their plan benefits.””
Tags: Affordable Care Act, group health plan, group health plans, health, individual, Sleepy Hollow, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, St. Charles, state health insurance, Stone Park, the affordable care act
Posted in Health Laws, Health Reform | Comments Off on ACA Out-of-Pocket Max Clarity
Labor Unions to Pelosi, Reid: Obamacare Healthcare Reform Hurts Us Too
Friday, July 19th, 2013The Washington Free Beacon reports:
“Three major unions wrote a letter to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) asking them to fix major flaws in Obamacare that “will destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
The letter, sent on Friday by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a hotel workers union, and a food workers union, notes the unions’ strong support for Democrats, but argues that the Obama administration’s signature accomplishment will devastate them.
Tags: Affordable Care Act, exchange, healthcare reform, Saint Charles, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Sleepy Hollow, South Barrington, South Elgin, St. Charles, the affordable care act, Union
Posted in Insurance Reform | Comments Off on Labor Unions to Pelosi, Reid: Obamacare Healthcare Reform Hurts Us Too
Democrats hit the road to sell public on Obamacare
Tuesday, July 9th, 2013“Three years after it passed, President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats are still trying to sell the federal health care law to a skeptical nation.
Lawmakers, armed with tool kits and fact sheets, are fanning out across the nation to tout the law’s benefits. Those charged with implementing its changes, starting with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, are pushing companies to donate money to a private group that’s working to get the program up and running. Supporters are organizing armies of volunteers to go door to door to try to sign up millions of uninsured Americans.
Tags: Affordable Care Act, Barrington Hills, Chicago, Chicagoland, Consultant, Elburn, Elgin, enrollment, Fox Valley, health insurance, North West Suburbs, Northern Illinois, Northwest Suburbs, Patient Protection, St. Charles
Posted in Insurance Reform | Comments Off on Democrats hit the road to sell public on Obamacare
Will Obamacare end job lock? Study finds 1.5 million to join self-employed due to law
Monday, June 17th, 2013The Business Journals reports:
“Will health care reform lead 1.5 million Americans to become self-employed next year?
Researchers from the Urban Institute and Georgetown University think so. They’ve concluded that the reforms under the Affordable Care Act will end “job lock” — people staying with their current employer just for the health coverage — and encourage folks to strike out on their own.
Tags: Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Chicago, Chicagoland, Fox Valley, Government, health care reform, Medicare, North West Suburbs, Northern Illinois, Northwest Suburbs, South Elgin, Spring Grove, St. Charles, Stone Park, the affordable care act
Posted in Insurance Reform | Comments Off on Will Obamacare end job lock? Study finds 1.5 million to join self-employed due to law