–Corporate Insight announced the winners of its annual Monitor Awards, recognizing digital innovation and best practices within the financial services and healthcare industries. “In 2018, we saw a host of exciting innovations in digital financial services and healthcare,” said Michael Ellison, president of Corporate Insight. Morgan made significant…
Read moreStates are expected to pick up the ball on regulation after a December federal court decision ruled the Affordable Care Act “invalid.” A judge determined that the 2017 tax cut bill knocked the constitutional foundation from under the health care bill by eliminating the individual mandate penalty.
To improve affordability for those who buy their own coverage, America’s Health Insurance Plans is offering 12 new policies that federal or state leaders can implement to drive down premiums, increase participation in the marketplace, and offer savings to consumers.
With control of Congress divided between Democrats and Republicans, the efforts to reform health care will shift to the states over the next two years, a panel of consultants said.
Plus, find out about the partial shutdown’s impact on health coverage for veterans and government employees.
A Trump administration order requiring hospitals to publicly list their prices took effect this month, but the move, aimed at providing transparency, may be causing more confusion than clarity.
DEERFIELD, Ill., and REDMOND, Wash.– Jan. 15, 2019– Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have joined forces to develop new health care delivery models, technology and retail innovations to advance and improve the future of health care. “Improving health outcomes while lowering the cost of care is a complex challenge that requires broad collaboration…
UnitedHealth Group reported fourth quarter and full year 2018 results, with continued strong, well-diversified performance across the enterprise. “The 300,000 dedicated women and men of UnitedHealth Group are positively impacting society by restlessly pursuing a mission to help people live healthier lives and to improve health system performance.
Benefits were paid on more than 303,000 policies and passed the $10 billion mark for the first time. According to a trade association, in 2017, total claims amounted to $9.2 billion paid to about 295,000 individuals.
States are expected to pick up the ball on regulation after a December federal court decision ruled the Affordable Care Act “invalid.” A judge determined that the 2017 tax cut bill knocked the constitutional foundation from under the health care bill by eliminating the individual mandate penalty.
Harrisburg, NC—- 01/08/2019– The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the Disability Insurance market and contains qualitative and quantitative insights, historical and forecasted data, competitor and regional analysis from 2014 to 2025. The report covers the profiles of major players in the global Disability Insurance market such as:…
AXA S.A. was ranked at No. 2 in each of the latest rankings. U.S.- based health insurance carriers and insurers in China continue to dominate the NPW ranking, accounting for six of the top 10 insurers. China Life Insurance Company showed a 14% gain and People’ s Insurance Company of China Ltd. gained 10%.
In its third-quarter report to shareholders, the Richmond, Va.-based Genworth, which recorded a loss of $34 million from long-term insurance, said it had received approval from state agencies for average rate increases of 53 percent for the three months ending Sept. 30.
Blue Cross Blue Shield is warning against using HRAs for short-term plans, newly elected Maine Gov. Janet Mills didn’t waste any time on her first day and more payer headlines from around the web.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- California, issued the following news release:. The resolution, slated for floor debate and a House vote on January 9, is being introduced today by Freshman Class co-President Colin Allred of Texas. “In November, the American people delivered a new Democratic House Majority with a stern message for Washington: Republicans’ attacks on…
Forty-seven percent of people in their 50s and 60s fear losing health insurance either now or in the future. Another 45 percent have “little or no confidence” that they will have enough money to pay for health insurance after they retire.
While nearly two-thirds of Americans are confident they have saved enough — or will save enough — to retire comfortably, their confidence is tempered by worries over health care costs. In fact, the high cost of care is the top reason many aren’t saving as much as they would like to now, and it tops the list of future worries.
A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule enacted in April requires every American hospital to publish its standard price list online in 2019. “The list prices are so high that the vast majority of hospitals don’ t even try to collect list prices from uninsured patients,” Benedic Ippolito of the American Enterprise Institute told the Journal-News of…
Medicare is America’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older. Certain people younger than age 65 can qualify for Medicare, too, including those with disabilities and those who have permanent kidney failure. You can also file an appeal online even if you live outside of the United States.
The ruling came from U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor, in which he stated that since penalties for not having insurance were removed by Congress, the entire Affordable Care Act should be repealed. Ingrid Ulrey, the Public Health Policy Director for Seattle and King County, said it hadn’t had any measurable impacts on enrollment. The appeals process will…
High out-of-pocket health care costs and the future of the Affordable Care Act dominated the health news in 2018. As the population continues to age and the cost of providing care to that aging population continues to be a concern, readers also were interested in developments to the LTCi market.
States with the largest number of long-term care insurance policyholders was shared by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.
The IRS overpaid nearly $4 billion to Obamacare customers through tax credits last year, and because of the way the law is written it can’t even try to collect on a quarter of that, the Treasury Department’s inspector general reported this week. Overpayments were built into Obamacare, with many people who bought plans collecting subsidies.
Dec. 27– The three Democrats in Palm Beach County’s U.S. House delegation say they’ll use their newly won majority status to push for health care legislation, an infrastructure bill, immigration reform, gun control and other issues when the 116th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3. And if the Republican-controlled Senate and President Donald Trump don’t go along,…
The Trump administration is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by several cities for allegedly sabotaging the Affordable Care Act. Defendants argued in a motion filed Monday that the dispute is a political disagreement outside federal court’s jurisdiction.
Dec. 27– John Kasich delivered as expected. The governor vetoed three controversial bills last week as the end of his eight-year tenure approached. Now the Republican majorities plan an attempt to override his action, with Thursday set aside for a rare holiday gathering of the legislature.
In a scramble to keep people enrolled in health-care plans, what did New Jersey, Vermont and the District of Columbia do earlier this year that California has not done? The Republican Congress and the Trump administration have repealed that federal penalty, effective next year. What’s kept California from enacting its own mandate?
A group gaining influence in Washington as a champion for Medicare beneficiaries is bankrolled by major health insurance companies that are trying to cash in on private coverage offered through the federal health insurance program. The Better Medicare Alliance operates on a multi-million dollar budget supplied by UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Humana. The three insurance giants account for close to 50 percent of all enrollees in private Medicare Advantage plans.
Introduced by Reps. Kenny Marchant, R-Texas and Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., would permit seniors, regardless of their health status, to use life insurance policies they already own to fund a wide range of health care costs, including long-term care expenses and long-term care insurance premiums.
The financial services industry is conceding defeat on passing a retirement security package in 2018. But Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, have introduced the Retirement Security & Savings Act, a broad set of reforms designed to help Americans save more for retirement. It will be considered in the next session.
In early December, a Texas judge issued a judgment that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and should be eliminated, a move that would have a seismic effect extending to all kinds of insured consumers. “This would affect nearly every American in some shape or form,” said Katie Keith, an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University.
Dec. 19– New Jersey regulators have approved the $67 billion acquisition of Express Scripts Holding Co. by Cigna Corp., the last state to give the green light to the deal, the Bloomfield health insurer said Wednesday in a filing with federal regulators. Shares of Express Scripts closed 77 cents higher, at $95.80. The Cigna acquisition and the $69 billion purchase…
AUSTIN Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded a Dec. 14 Fort Worth federal district court decision declaring unconstitutional the U.S.. Ten months ago, Paxton and Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel led a 20- state coalition lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the 2010 health care law, arguing that Congress rendered all of Obamacare…
Democratic state attorneys general from 18 states filed a motion Monday night challenging a Texas federal judge’s ruling that struck down the Affordable Care Act. The motion, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, asks the court to clarify the impact of the ruling and confirm that the ACA is still the law of the land.
Dec. 17– WASHINGTON– A federal court ruling striking down Obamacare threw an explosive political issue in the laps of Republicans and Democrats in Washington just weeks before divided government is set to take hold. But Democrats decried the decision, and Republicans and Trump himself seemed to quickly realize the massive political stakes the ruling created…
Democrats vowed to fight “tooth and nail” against U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s ruling, which said Congress’ decision to zero out the “individual mandate” penalty for shirking insurance in the Republican tax bill invalidated the rest of the law.
A federal judge in Texas has ruled President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled Friday that last year’s tax overhaul knocked the constitutional foundation from under the health care act dubbed by critics as “Obamacare.”
With just days left to enroll, fewer people are signing up for the Affordable Care Act, even though premiums are stable, more plans are available and millions of uninsured people can still get financial help. A status report Wednesday from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showed nearly 20 percent fewer new people signed up.
Sixty-six percent of small business owners who do not offer a retirement plan today are likely to consider an open Multiple Employer Plan, according to a new survey 1 from Empower Retirement. Two separate proposals, one in the U.S. House and one in the Senate, would broaden the scope of open MEPs by allowing more small businesses to band together.
Dec. 13– A recent report found that the number of children in the United States without health insurance increased last year for the first time in a decade. In Pennsylvania, about 125,000 children 18 and younger did not have coverage in 2017, according to Georgetown Center for Children and Families. “With an improving economy and low unemployment rate, the fact our…
-Oscar Insurance Company to Pay Fine of $576,950 for Failing to Adhere to Deadlines for Utilization Reviews, Failing to Include Explanations of Adverse Determination Notices and Failing to Include Forfeiture Language in Benefit Statements. Aetna Health Inc., Aetna Health Insurance Company of New York and Aetna Life Insurance Company will pay a civil…
–Starting Jan. 1, small businesses looking for affordable health insurance will have even more options, thanks to a new federal regulation that gives small employers— including sole proprietors and those who are self employed— access to insurance coverage previously available only to large companies. AssociationHealthPlans.com has assembled the…
With fewer than two weeks of the open enrollment period for health plans under the Affordable Care Act remaining, consumers nationwide are making critical health plan choices. A rule was put into place earlier this year that expands access to short-term, limited-duration insurance plans. While some states have imposed limits on these short-term plans, the…
The plunging stock markets can benefit insurance agents helping consumers plan for long-term care predicts the director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.
Overall national health spending grew at a rate of 3.9 percent in 2017, almost 1 percentage point slower than growth in 2016, according to a study conducted by the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
A government report says the nation’s health care tab hit $3.5 trillion last year, or $10,739 per person. But behind those staggering figures is some fairly good news: The rate of growth slowed for the second year in a row, according to economic experts at the federal Health and Human Services department.
To qualify, you must have a health insurance policy with a deductible of at least $1,350 for an individual or $2,700 for a family. This year, you can contribute up to $3,450 if you have single health insurance coverage, or up to $6,900 for family coverage. Next year you can contribute slightly more- up to $3,500 for single coverage or up to $7,000 for family coverage.
The Trump administration wants to see the nation’s health-care system move away from government mandates and toward a more free-market direction. A report outlines some recommendations, including expanding availability of health savings accounts (HSAs).
New analysis from Avalere finds that health plans with more restrictive networks, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and exclusive provider…
NASHVILLE — While the American health care landscape continued to evolve in 2018, some of the most significant changes were…
State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees, one of the state’ s largest purchasers of health care services, pays providers in an effort to produce an estimated savings of $300 million for taxpayers and $65 million for plan members annually. To do that, the new payment structure will greatly reduce reimbursements to health care networks.
CARMEL, Ind., Nov. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Washington National Insurance Company, a national provider of supplemental health and life insurance products…
Under this new guidance, states are empowered to innovate new health care programs aimed at strengthening their health insurance markets, expanding choices of coverage, and targeting public resources to those most in need.
Nov. 29– MILWAUKEE– Gov.-elect Tony Evers says he’ll enlist the health care industry and visit Republican-leaning areas to sell a deeply skeptical GOP Legislature on a cornerstone of his first budget plan: to expand Medicaid health coverage to 80,000 Wisconsinites. Scott Walker have resisted the move for years, making Wisconsin one of 17 states that has not…
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants issued the following news release:. When it comes to finding the perfect job, a newly published American Institute of CPAs survey of 2,026 U.S. adults, among whom 1,115 were employed, suggests it’s about a lot more than the money. “A robust benefits package is often a large chunk of total compensation, but it’s…
The contingency planning is all the more striking because the Trump administration has refused to defend Obamacare in the lawsuit, effectively siding with the states that say the law is now invalid after Congress last year eliminated the individual mandate requiring almost all Americans to hold insurance. We want to make sure that people with preexisting…
Through this new fully integrated platform, consumers and brokers will be able to go directly to the approved enrollment partner’s website to for the entire application and enrollment experience without being redirected to HealthCare.gov.
In addition to explosive growth in the range of available voluntary benefits in recent years, their popularity among employees is reaching new heights as well. The evolution of benefits is expected to continue in 2019 and several trends are expected to pick up momentum.
CVS Health Corp. has agreed to spend $40 million for health insurance education and other conditions to win approval from New York regulators, clearing the way for its acquisition of Aetna Inc., state officials announced Monday. Aetna shares rose 2.3 percent, to $210.14.
Humana and Walgreens are reportedly in talks to expand their current partnership, The Wall Street Journal reported.
CVS Health Corp. expects to close on its $69 billion acquisition of Aetna Inc. after Thanksgiving, the pharmacy giant said Monday in a regulatory filing. CVS won conditional approval in October from the U.S. Department of of Justice. The two companies agreed to shed Medicare prescription businesses as a condition of federal backing.
To improve affordability for those who buy their own coverage, America’s Health Insurance Plans is offering 12 new policies that federal or state leaders can implement to drive down premiums, increase participation in the marketplace, and offer savings to consumers.
A senior couple has the potential to deduct over $10,000 for their long-term care insurance premiums paid according to the director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. Higher deductible levels for 2019 were just announced.
