Washington, D.C. – May 17, 2022 – Today, AHIP launched Healthier People through Healthier Markets, a new policy roadmap and…
Read moreYou probably have seen Joe Namath on television hawking Medicare Advantage plans. Commercial insurance companies such as United Health Care, Cigna, and Aetna make huge profits if they can sell their Advantage plans. In addition, the government subsidizes Advantage plans using Original Medicare funds, thereby making the Advantage plans even more profitable…
Under the new approach, certain high-risk and low-income Medi-Cal recipients can use their insurance plans for more than doctor "s visits and hospital stays- they can get help finding affordable or subsidized housing, cash for housing deposits, help preventing an eviction and more. Margot Kushel, professor of medicine and director of the UCSF Center for…
An agreement in which CalPERS would have paid up to $2.7 billion to settle a lawsuit over the cost of its long-term care coverage has been scrapped, creating new uncertainty for tens of thousands of policyholders. A group of policyholders with inflation protection benefits sued the California Public Employees’ Retirement System over an 85% rate hike that was…
RICHMOND- It's just a question of when, but Virginia is poised to begin an exhaustive 12- month review of more than 2 million people in its Medicaid program for the elderly, disabled and low-income families. The federal-state program, supercharged by Virginia's expansion of eligibility in 2019 under the Affordable Care Act, has added more than a half-million…
Transamerica announces the addition of emergency savings accounts as a new benefit for employers to help their employees. Through new…
Congress has backed off “Medicare for All” for the time being. But legislators in several states are now taking up the charge.
May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month. It’s the perfect time to highlight disability insurance to agents, brokers and advisors who may be interested in adding this relatively untapped product to their arsenal.
Last month, President Biden proposed fixing the so-called "family glitch," a quirk in Obamacare's text that has prevented millions of people from purchasing subsidized coverage through the exchanges. It's only the latest attempt to gift more people taxpayer-sponsored health coverage. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, this could make an additional…
That’ s a household income of $26,130 for a family of two, $39,750 for a family of four or $46,560 for a household of five. “This new Special Enrollment Period is all about creating access for Connecticut residents with lower income to get the health insurance coverage they need at an affordable price,” James Michel, CEO of Access Health, said in a statement.“ And it is…
While 17 states have laws that require health insurers to cover fertility treatments, most of which include in vitro, California does not. The debate over whether health insurance plans should provide fertility coverage isn’ t new to Sacramento, but even in a state where Democrats like to boast about their fight to advance reproductive health, these efforts…
Workers were struggling with mental health before the pandemic hit, and found a lack of mental health support during that time. COVID-19 introduced new pressure to workers or exacerbated existing issues. Making things worse is that many people have experienced trauma, grief and loss as a result of the pandemic and resulting shutdown.
New York, New York (May 10, 2022) – The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America announced the launch of new,…
2022 MAY 09– By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Politics, Law& Government Daily– PROVIDENCE, R.I.- It’ s been the case for decades- high numbers of U.S. women who give birth lose or face changes to their health insurance afterward. The findings suggest that the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which was signed into law in March 2020 and prevented Medicaid…
WASHINGTON- The long-term care insurance industry is foundering, and attempts to address the issue have flummoxed lawmakers and regulators. Of the more than 100 companies offering long-term care insurance in 2004, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, just about a dozen still operated in 2019. Between 1990 and 2015, the average…
Transamerica announces the addition of a full-service absence management solution for employers. The new service simplifies disability and absence administration,…
"We are excited to introduce this new critical service to our employer clients," said John Stanley, Senior Managing Director of Workplace Employee Benefits at Transamerica. According to the Social Security Administration, one in four of today's 20- year-old workers will become disabled at some point in their careers before reaching full retirement age.
So Kritzman knew getting breast cancer“ wasn’ t a matter of if, but when.” When she was 65, she got a mammogram. Ten years later, Kritzman, of Newington, is alive and well and a prominent activist on behalf of people with breast cancer. She is rejoicing this week, as a bill that she helped promote was passed by the Connecticut General Assembly.
Something strange happened between the time Linda Griffith signed up for a new Medicare prescription drug plan during last fall’ s enrollment period and when she tried to fill her first prescription in January. “I didn’ t pick it up because I thought something was wrong,” said Griffith, 73, a retired construction company accountant who lives in the Northern…
To the editor: I retired on December 17, 2021. I filed for Medicare Plan B on November 8. I faxed it to the Ogden Social Security Administration office.
The Mississippi Today website reported last week that Blue Cross "has accumulated far more than what regulators require to protect consumers, and perhaps the largest such surplus by percentage of any Blue Cross company in the country." That is about eight times the amount of backup cash that regulators require, and four times what Blue Cross requires from state…
Something strange happened between the time Linda Griffith signed up for a new Medicare prescription drug plan during last fall's enrollment period and when she tried to fill her first prescription in January. But instead of the $70.09 she expected to pay for her dextroamphetamine, used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, her pharmacist…
Millions of U.S. seniors were supposed to get price relief soon on their prescription drugs under a revamp of Medicare fees by a federal agency. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services delayed proposed changes until 2024 at least. The trade group for PBMs– the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association– applauded the deal.
Some Illinois residents say they’ re still having trouble getting free at-home COVID-19 tests from pharmacies and insurance companies, more than three months after the White House began requiring insurers to cover them. But it’ s still not always that easy— a problem that comes as Illinois case numbers are again rising, prompting many people to again seek…
–Aflac Incorporated, a leading provider of supplemental insurance products in the U.S., today announced the launch of its newly redesigned Aflac Group Critical Illness Insurance to help employers better support the changing needs of their valued workers in a post-pandemic environment. Aflac's redesigned Group Critical Illness Insurance is a…
On Sunday, California will open Medi-Cal to older immigrants residing in the state without legal permission. Unauthorized immigrants over age 49 who fall below certain income thresholds will become eligible for full coverage.
WASHINGTON, April 29– Public Citizen issued the following statement:. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released a report today, which found that Medicare Advantage plans deny needed care that should be covered to tens of thousands of people a year. Eagan Kemp, health care policy advocate for Public Citizen, released the…
AUSTIN— Texas leaders announced Thursday that the state will direct $435 million of federal COVID-19 money to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. During the session, the state allocated about $286 million to help cover COVID-related health claims and keep premiums down. Joan Huffman, chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
A Florida woman pleaded guilty today to laundering $735,695 in money stolen from Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers as part of a sprawling health care fraud scheme in Miami. These companies– BF Distributors Corp, Timely Medical Services Corp., Ortho-Med Solution Inc., Expedited Medical Supplies Corp., and Prime Orthopedic Solutions Corp– were…
Medicaid, government-paid health insurance for more than 3 million low-income or disabled Ohioans, is typically the state’s largest expenditure totaling billions of dollars.
"It seems like this new phased approach still allows them to move forward with everything, but in a way that is manageable… to maybe take smaller bites of the apple," said Loren Anthes, who chairs Community Solutions' Center for Medicaid Policy. According to the Ohio Department of Medicaid, one of those reforms will still be up and running in July.
New research from The Hartford, a leading provider of workers’ compensation and disability insurance, finds 71% of employers feel the deteriorating mental health of their workforce is having a negative financial impact on their company. In addition, 34% of U.S. workers reported feeling depressed or anxious at least once per week in 2022– up from 20% in 2020..
New data obtained by The Gazette show costs for a COVID-19-related stay at the state's largest hospital— which likely has seen the highest number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in Iowa throughout the past two years— reached an average of tens of thousands of dollars. The average cost of care for a COVID-19 patient hospitalized at the University of Iowa…
After sending some $19 billion to hospitals and other health care providers nationwide, the fund known as the Health Resources and Services Administration COVID-19 Uninsured Program has dried up.
At a final hearing in front of a state agency Dec. 30, 2020, Blue Cross agreed to cover a complex treatment option in Virginia, the suit says. Although approval for the procedure finally was granted, says the complaint, filed last month in the First Judicial District Court on behalf of Medicaid patient Julie Graham, Blue Cross breached its contract, violated the…
A 49-year-old Florida man who used people struggling with addiction to bilk insurers out of $31.3 million will spend six years behind bars, a federal judge decided Wednesday.
A Fulton County court has ruled Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield patients are to remain in-network for Northside Hospital doctors and facilities inde? nitely, until the state Department of Insurance reviews the ongoing Northside- Anthem dispute. Recently, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rachelle Carnesale extended an injunction keeping Anthem patients…
Sharity Ministries, formerly known as Trinity HealthShare, filed for bankruptcy in late 2021 and began the liquidation process. With so many outstanding claims against the ministry, it is unlikely that its members will receive the reimbursements they are owed.
Community Solutions' Center for Medicaid Policy. Under the declaration, Ohio and other states were unable to take people off Medicaid, even if they became ineligible. But the worry is underfunded and understaffed counties are facing the task of combing through the entire Medicaid population to disenroll ineligible people– all within a 90- day deadline…
Owner of Counseling Agency and Supervising Manager Sentenced on Healthcare and Wire Fraud Charges. SHREVEPORT, La.- United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Marty T. Johnson and Keesha Dinkins were both sentenced today by United States District Judge Donald E. Walter in connection with a healthcare fraud and wire fraud scheme they were involved…
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Despite a falling unemployment rate and increased job growth, Main Street is still experiencing a worker shortage –…
Apr. 16— More than 8,000 nurses and other health care workers at 15 Sutter Health medical facilities across Northern California, including in Santa Rosa, are planning to strike Monday in hopes of moving along contract negotiations. "We're striking to try to keep our retirement and benefits, to make sure we're safe with enough protective equipment and to have the…
Dr. Michael Romano, chief medical officer for the Nebraska Health Network, said $0 insulin is a step in the right direction toward removing some of the barriers that can keep people from addressing chronic diseases like diabetes.
Maine Health claims $13 million in underpayments, by its lights, and $70 million in non-payments from Anthem, which controls 11% of the national market. It's also Maine's largest insurer, and Blue Cross franchisee. Its presence here dates to 2000, when it acquired the ailing Maine Blue Cross- Blue Shield, the state's largest health insurer– and non-profit, as most…
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 requires most brokers and consultants providing services to ERISA-covered group health plans to disclose to plan fiduciaries (typically, the plan sponsor), in writing, any and all direct or indirect compensation they receive.
—UnitedHealth Group thumped Wall Street’ s first-quarter expectations and raised its 2022 forecast, as growing Medicare Advantage coverage and care delivery once again bolstered the health care giant. The nation’ s largest health insurance provider reported on Thursday adjusted earnings of $5.49 per share as total revenue grew more than 14% to $80.1…
The complaint alleges that Washington state doctors filed Medicare claims for surgeries that were never performed, and that at least two surgeries were performed that necessitated intervention by another surgeon to repair damage.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners approved a framework to bring consistency to long-term care insurance pricing, but carriers say the pilot program for the structure did not work.
Average HSA balances increased once again to $3,622. New accounts had relatively smaller balances, while older accounts had higher balances.
This week in California, Gov. The other half would be used to set up an in-state insulin manufacturing facility, as outlined in a budget proposal by the state’ s Department of Health Care Access and Information. The initiative is unique for a state, and it comes as Congress debates its own insulin cost measures, including limiting what people pay out of pocket to $35 a…
In a last-ditch attempt to change the health care laws in the Bay State, Gov. Charlie Baker appeared before a joint legislative committee to sell them on a plan he first proposed in 2019.. Jay Livingstone, a Democrat from the Back Bay, asked Baker if this sort of proposal has a model or has been studied before.
WPS Health Insurance and its wholly owned subsidiary, The EPIC Life Insurance Company ®, are planning to expand Medicare supplement insurance, already being sold in 16 states, to 29 more states over the next 36 months. The insurance plans from WPS Health Insurance and The EPIC Life Insurance Company offer customers no-worry, no-hassle service backed by…
Sidecar Health anticipates quickly expanding the offering to additional states. Sidecar Health is about providing our members with complete transparency and the ability to shop for the best care possible independently,” said Patrick Quigley, Founder and CEO of Sidecar Health.“ Expanding our offerings to employers was naturally the next step for Sidecar…
Maryland is slated to launch a paid family and medical leave insurance program for nearly every worker statewide after the Democrat-controlled General Assembly overrode Gov. The decision by lawmakers to launch the paid leave program over the Republican governor’ s objections came amid a series of weekend votes to overturn Hogan’ s Friday vetoes of a number…
The Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI), part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), has announced that as a result…
A Medicare Advantage health insurance plan that connects Floridians living with HIV/AIDS with medical services is severing its contract with Broward Health amid complaints that the hospital system is seeking“ unacceptable” cost increases for in-network services.
Editors’ note: The Chicago Tribune and Injustice Watch teamed up to report on the challenges facing Illinois’ aging undocumented population. Ortega, 51, immigrated to the Chicago area from Mexico more than two decades ago with her husband, Alfonso Vazquez, and their children, Janeth and Omar. Despite paying taxes that help fund programs such as Medicare and…
WINDSOR, Conn. April 5, 2022—New annualized premium for workplace life insurance, disability insurance and supplemental health products rose in 2021,…
Zamora Quezada, who owned the Center for Arthritis& Osteoporosis in Texas, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, seven counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
WASHINGTON— The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill on a bipartisan 232-193 vote that would limit the price of insulin, as congressional Democrats met throughout the day with health care advocates to make their case for the proposal. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Patty Murray of Washington state held a virtual round table with residents from their states to…
