Nearly Half Of Workers Added At Least One New Health Benefit Due To COVID-19

New Orleans- based Ochsner Health System is the first hospital system in Louisiana to create its own health insurance arm selling Medicare Advantage policies. Before rolling out statewide, Ochsner wants to sell plans in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge region, which includes the following parishes: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville,…

–As the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period kicks off today, the majority of Medicare-eligible Americans are reviewing their Medicare options for the 2022 plan year, according to a HealthInsurance.com national survey of 1,000 Americans ages 65 and up. HealthInsurance.com Survey: 22% Intend To Make A Change To Coverage As Medicare Annual Enrollment Period…

ST. LOUIS– United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey accepted a plea of guilty from Shannon Nenninger on October 12, 2021 for the crimes of conspiracy involving health care fraud, making false statement to a government agency, theft of government funds, and social security fraud. Thomas Hobbs could assist her in obtaining disability payments from the…

Regardless of their vaccine status, two-thirds of senior citizens are still scared of catching the COVID-19 virus almost two years…

Starting in 2023, health insurance plans covering about one-quarter of the market in Colorado will have to pay for gender-affirming care, some additional mental health services and pain-management alternatives like acupuncture. Colorado Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway estimated the new benefits will cost about 64 cents per customer each month.

The Centers for Medicare& Medicaid Services, announced it has approved the Colorado health insurance plan that will set the minimum health care coverage requirements starting in 2023. The plan establishes the essential health benefits within Colorado for individual plans and small group plans. Ellen Montz joined Governor Jared Polis, Lieutenant Governor…

If you have health insurance through Medicare, the federal healthcare program for those age 65 and older, your annual open enrollment period— the time when you can change your choices for Part D coverage, enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, change Medigap plans, and/or change Medicare Advantage plans— starts Friday, Oct. 15 and runs through Tuesday, Dec. 7.

An intro to government health insurance plans is available at medicare.gov, the federal website managed and paid for by the U.S. Centers for Medicare& Medicaid Services. Some key facts: this federal health insurance program becomes available to legal U.S. residents at age 65; persons with a disability and certain medical conditions may qualify at a younger age.

It's in the best financial interest of Wellstar Health System and UnitedHealthcare to agree on a new contract, an expert in healthcare financial management told the Journal Thursday. The fact that negotiations between the two parties are ongoing- and not stalled completely- means that patients shouldn't panic, said Steven Culler, a finance professor at Emory…

NEW YORK–New York Life announced the launch of MyIncome Protector, the first in a suite of solutions designed to replace…

BOSTON /PRNewswire/ — Despite 93% of employers finding it important to be part of their employees’ long-term financial wellness through…

Employers expect health benefit cost to rise 4.7% on average in 2022 compared to 2021, according to early results from…

Oct. 5— GREENSBURG— Medicare is a government health insurance program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. To be eligible for Medicare, one must be a legal permanent resident for the past five years or a U.S. citizen 65 years or older, or younger with a qualifying disability. Open enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7.

WASHINGTON- Donna Weiner looks at Medicare's prescription drug program from two different points of view. To do that, Congress would have to change an unusual arrangement that's written into law. Republicans who controlled Congress at the time wanted insurers that administer drug plans to do the haggling.

ST. LOUIS- A federal grand jury indicted the owner of a mail-order pharmacy for allegedly defrauding federal Medicare and state Medicaid programs of more than $5.5 million through an ongoing kickback scheme. The indictment alleges McCormac paid kickbacks to marketing companies for prescription referrals for topical creams and oral medications, as well as…

Los Angeles, CA October 07, 2021—- Almost one in three individuals with long-term care insurance policies who initiate a home care claim recover, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. "Many individuals mistakenly believe that most long-term care insurance claims are for care in skilled nursing facilities," explains Jesse Slome,…

Segal, a leading benefits and HR consulting firm, has released its 2022 Health Plan Cost Trend Survey, marking the 25th annual survey of health insurers, managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit managers and third-party administrators. For the first time since the Segal survey was launched, U.S. health plan trend costs decreased. The 2022 Segal Health Plan…

RALEIGH- North Carolina's highest court weighed Monday whether the legislature's decision 10 years ago to begin charging some retired state government workers and teachers a premium for health insurance violated an agreement the state made with these workers. But the state Court of Appeals overturned the trial court decision in March 2019, saying no such…

CARSON CITY- In preparation for Open Enrollment next month, the Nevada Division of Insurance has made public the approved health insurance rates for consumers who shop on the individual health insurance market, both on and off the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, which is the state agency that oversees and connects eligible Nevada residents to…

–Geisinger Health Plan announced its Geisinger Gold Medicare Advantage plans for 2022 with benefits designed to make better health easier for its members and premiums starting as low as $0 per month. Geisinger Gold plans are available in 44 counties in Pennsylvania and include cost-saving features and wellness programs not available with original…

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler extended two emergency orders related to COVID-19.

Medicare is the federal health insurance system that covers enrolled people who are 65 or older, individuals under 65 with certain disabilities and people of any age with end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Established in 1965, Medicare services have mushroomed over the years and now cover more than 62.6 million people.

For the first time in 2022, every Pennsylvania county will have at least two insurers in the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace— and three counties will have six. State Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman released Pennsylvania's individual and small group ACA insurance rates Friday morning, noting that the statewide average rate…

South Florida consumers who buy health insurance on the federal exchange created by the Affordable Care Act will find significantly expanded options when Open Enrollment for 2022 begins on Nov. 1. In Broward and Palm Beach counties, 11 health insurance companies are now offering plans eligible for federal subsidies. In Palm Beach County. 10 companies are now…

After the severe storms this summer, Farmers Insurance agent Jason Logue has gotten lots of calls at his Bensalem office from people wanting to buy flood insurance. That may change, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency is introducing a new program Friday called "Risk Rating 2.0 Equity in Action" to the National Flood Insurance Program.

BOSTON More than half of Massachusetts adults who participated in a May survey said they'd experienced some sort of health care cost hardship in the past year and almost three-quarters said they're worried about their ability to afford care in the future. In a brief describing the findings, Altarum said Black/ African American and Hispanic/Latino residents,…

The American Medical Association published the newest annual edition of Competition in Health Insurance: A Comprehensive Study of U.S. Markets with findings demonstrating the rise of highly concentrated markets for health insurance. For the first time, the study also presents national-level market shares for the 10 largest health insurers in the U.S. The…

Southern District of New York. Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Scott Lampert, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, announced the unsealing today of an indictment charging acupuncturists JUNYI LIU, a/k/a "Jenny," and…

Sep. 27— Physicians Jennifer Halabi and Lynnette Jacobsen have opened Wichita Direct Primary Care, which Halabi said "takes health insurance out of the doctor-patient relationship." Wichita Direct Primary Care, which is at 8020 E. Central, just east of the Starbucks at Central and Rock Road, charges monthly membership fees that cover unlimited care with no extra…

–Genworth Financial, Inc. today announced that ratings agencies have recently made several updates to various ratings and outlooks for Genworth and certain of its holding company subsidiaries:. The outlook for the rating is stable. On September 24, S&P Global Ratings upgraded the Genworth and Genworth Holdings, Inc. issuer credit ratings to B from B-.

Moving closer to year end, individuals will evaluate opportunities to reduce income tax exposure. You must be on a high-deductible health insurance plan as defined by the IRS. Annual contribution limits apply and are $3,700 for individuals and $7,100 for families in 2021.

2021 SEP 21– By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Education Daily Report– Republicans who buy individual health plans may be less likely to shop through marketplaces created under the federal Affordable Care Act, leading to them to forgo subsidies provided by the federal government, according to a new study. Examining the behavior of enrollees of a large…

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that, beginning this year, consumers will have an extra 30 days to…

WASHINGTON – Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support paid family and medical leave and expanding existing employer-based paid leave…

In addition to the creation of the special enrollment period, health coverage access was also expanded in Michigan through tax subsidies offered under the American Rescue Plan (ARP).

Amid a tumultuous time for the healthcare industry due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the top 25 health insurance companies remained in tight competition when it came to member satisfaction, according to new research released by Verint ®, The Customer Engagement Company™. The range for satisfaction scores from highest to lowest was just under nine points…

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14– First Focus, an organization dedicated to making children and families the priority in federal policy and budget decisions, issued the following news release:. Data released today show the number of U.S. children without health insurance rose in 2020 for the fourth year in a row as the coronavirus pandemic tore through the country.

JACKSON- A Mississippi public school teacher with 15 years of experience providing health insurance for their family took home just under ,000 a year in net pay in 2020, a "shocking number," a policy adviser with the Southern Regional Education Board told state lawmakers Wednesday. "All of these are shocking numbers to us- that a Mississippi teacher…

The Biden administration's special six-month enrollment period gave San Diego attorney Erin Benler-Ward time to find a plan for her 22- month-old son. So she shopped California's marketplace for plans. The pandemic has created unique economic circumstances that have boosted enrollment, according to Jeffrey Clemens, an economics professor at UC San Diego.

A queer couple has slapped the health insurance company Aetna with an anti-LGBTQ discrimination lawsuit after they were allegedly required to pay more out of pocket for fertility treatments than straight couples. In a class action lawsuit filed on September 13 in Manhattan federal court, Emma Goidel and her spouse claim they spent ,000 on fertility…

—Nearly 3 million consumers took advantage of a special six-month period to sign up for subsidized health insurance coverage made more affordable by the COVID-19 relief law, President Joe Biden said Wednesday. He called that number encouraging and urged Congress to keep the trend going by extending the more generous financial assistance, currently…

The decline may be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Employee Benefit Research Institute reported.

The U.S. Census Bureau issued the following news release on Sept. 14, 2021:. The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that median household income in 2020 decreased 2.9% between 2019 and 2020, and the official poverty rate increased 1.0 percentage point. Median household income was ,521 in 2020, a decrease of 2.9% from the 2019 median of ,560.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. announced Tuesday it increased its settlement over sex abuse claims against the Boy Scouts in the 1970 s to nearly million, from million it reported in April. In exchange, the Boy Scouts of America and its local councils will fully release The Hartford from any obligation under policies The Hartford issued…