A new direction for healthcare...
Late last week, the Departments of Health & Human Services (HHS), Labor and Treasury released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), the new, consumer friendly health insurance summary established by the Affordable Care Act. Consumers will see the SBC for the first time when they shop for Continue Reading
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Today the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-partisan group that covers health care issues, released a new report summarizing national and state level data of estimated insurance refunds coming soon for millions of Americans. The report shows that insurers will owe an estimated $1.3 billion in rebates by August 1, 2012 because insurers failed to spend Continue Reading
New rules that demand better value from health insurance companies are beginning to change business practices at some of the nation’s largest insurance companies and consumers will soon be due millions in rebates, according to data released early this month. Enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act, better known as the health reform law Continue Reading
Our routine polling tells us that health insurance costs are among the biggest concerns for Americans and when it comes to healthcare reform, lower rates are at the top of the list of priorities for families. New rules created by the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. “Obamacare”, took dead aim at lowering rates and new evidence Continue Reading
April 3, 2012 Texas Health Insurance Companies Dropping Rates to Comply with Healthcare Law According to recently released information from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), several health insurance providers, including that state’s largest insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield, are dropping health insurance rates ahead of new Medical Loss Ratio rules that will soon force Continue Reading
Last night, a pro-consumer bill we strongly supported died in the Washington State Senate as lawmakers missed an opportunity to improve protections for families and small businesses struggling with rising premiums. The bill (SSB 5247) would have required the Insurance Commissioner to consider nonprofit health insurance companies’ surplus when deciding whether premiums are reasonable for individuals Continue Reading
While millions of Americans spent last week focused on family, friends and Thanksgiving dinner, a behind-the-scenes group of state regulators voted in favor of a plan that could undermine billions in rebates due consumers from insurance companies. The closely divided vote pitted insurance industry giants against families and small businesses who buy health insurance on their own. At issue was a key component Continue Reading
On Friday, it was announced that the Department of Health and Human Services rejected North Dakota’s request for a waiver to the new requirement that insurers spend at least 80% of premiums on medical care. The new requirement aims to increase a company’s medical loss ratio, or MLR, to the benefit of consumers who’ll see Continue Reading
Connecticut residents finally got a break from huge health insurance rate hikes in December when the state’s insurance department rejected a 20 percent requested increase from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Unfortunately, this one rejection was the exception, not the rule. Connecticut has a history of approving double-digit rate hike requests. A recent study from Continue Reading
Last summer we told you about the new federally funded “Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan” or PCIP for short. We had high hopes for this new option for people with previous health conditions but learned early on that the program needs tweaking. Consumers wrote back to us describing how even though the cost for this new Continue Reading
