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What Must Health Insurers Offer 2.5 Million Californians
Beginning a new phase in it’s effort to remake California’s Health Insurance marketplace, California’s Health Benefit Exchange Board began exploring new standards and requirements Health Plans must meet to compete for the roughly 2.5 million new customers likely to participate in the Exchange beginning in 2014, many of whom will be receiving financial assistance from Continue Reading
PDF Health care consumers win again in Kansas, Oklahoma
Despite their requests to soften its implementation, health insurance companies in Kansas and Oklahoma will have to immediately comply with the Affordable Care Act’s rule that they spend at least 80% of their customers’ premiums on health care bills, not on overhead and profits. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that implementing Continue Reading
CA Taking Major Strides Toward Quality, Affordable & Secure Health Insurance
Yesterday, the California Health Benefit Exchange Board (HBEx) held its final meeting of the year. 2011 was an eventful year for the Exchange, leaving California well positioned to create a competitive health insurance marketplace for millions of Californians by Jan 1, 2014. The new marketplace HBEx is working towards will have easy to understand information, Continue Reading
HHS ruling a big win for Florida health insurance consumers
In a major win for consumers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has rejected Florida’s request to delay a new rule requiring health insurance companies to spend at least 80% of their customers’ premium dollars on actual medical bills. Reacting to the ruling, Consumers Union Advocate Blake Hutson said, “Today’s announcement means that Continue Reading
Report: 1 million in Washington lack health insurance
Kreidler said that if the major provisions of the federal health care reform are able to take effect in 2014, more than 800,000 uninsured people in the state will be eligible for expanded Medicaid eligibility or subsidies, and the rate of uninsured would drop to 5 percent. Print PDF
Survey finds physicians unhappy with insurance companies
In more than 4700 physician remarks, the vitriol jumped off the page about physicians’ perceptions of unjustified denials of claims, needless preauthorization demands, and requests for documentation that seem designed to stall payment for as long as possible. Note: Introduction to article does not require subscription when accessed through Kaiser Health News. Print PDF
CA Health Reform Implementation Building Steam in November
The November California Health Benefits Exchange Board meeting (agenda) was held earlier this week and the Board is really be picking up steam with the addition of Peter Lee as its Executive Director. In his second meeting, he presented a “Decision Roadmap” that gives us a better idea of the Board’s vision for the coming Continue Reading
CA Consumers struggle with rising costs, Anthem laughs all the way to the bank.
From today’s LA Times California’s big health insurers profited in 2010, data show California’s largest health insurance companies enjoyed a profitable year in 2010 even as they complained about shouldering rising costs for hospital care, doctors’ services and prescription drugs, new data show. The state’s insurers and health plans collected $105 billion in revenue last Continue Reading
California Exchange Formally Adopts Consumer-Centric Foundation
During the October California Health Benefits Exchange Board meeting, the Board took action on creating a vision and mission statement, which gives consumers valuable insight into what they can expect from California’s new, competitive health insurance marketplace. Additionally, the vision/mission statement serves as a foundation for the board by which policy decisions will be made. Continue Reading
Florida shouldn’t weaken a new rule that gives consumers more value for their health insurance premiums
Today, Consumers Union urged federal officials to reject the state of Florida’s request to dramatically water down new consumer protections provided under the health reform law. If granted, the state’s request would mean the loss of an estimated $144 million in health insurance refunds to consumers over the next three years.
