Cutting individual insurance mandate could have dire consequences for health care, says RAND

A new study from the RAND Corporation, a non-profit institution that provides research and analysis for various political endeavors, suggests that axing the mandatory health insurance provision from the Affordable Care Act could be a costly mistake. The health care law has generated a large amount of controversy for its various provisions that introduce dramatic changes to the nation’s tax, insurance and medical services structure. None of these provisions have been quite as contentious as the health insurance mandate. The mandate, and the law as a whole, will be heading…

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Idaho to shun federal financial aid for building a health insurance exchange

Idaho legislators are opposing the idea of using federal grants to build a health insurance exchange in the state. Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services rewarded $20.3 million to the state in order to help with the project. Governor C.L. Otter was eager to use the money to push ahead the construction effort and prepare the state for a new health insurance system. Legislators failed to approve a plan that would put the money to use, however, they are now looking to build an exchange without federal…

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Will the healthcare overhaul be capable of keeping its promises of affordability?

The entire design of the healthcare reforms has been intended to make sure that Americans will be able to have access to an improved level of health care, but at an affordable price. What individuals are waiting to discover is whether or not it will be able to live up to its promises. The reason that this new healthcare system design was chosen was to make it significantly more efficient, so that its focus would be placed primarily on the patient’s health and the outcomes that are achieved, instead of…

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Vermont to begin working toward a health insurance exchange by the end of the year

Vermont lawmakers are expected to determine how the state will build its own health insurance exchange system by the end of this year. The state has been sluggish in its efforts to build an exchange due to some uncertainty and lack of guidance from the federal government. The Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that oversees the exchange effort throughout the country, has granted states with enough flexibility to establish an exchange in a way they see fit. Vermont’s slow pace may put the exchange effort at risk…

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Final simplification rules for insurance policies issued by the Obama administration this week

The Obama administration has issued the final rules regarding how insurance companies will make policies easier to understand this week. The government has been working on the rules since the passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The endeavor aims to make the language of insurance policies more clear and straightforward. There have been some delays in the initiative as insurance groups asserted that some policies could not be simplified because they did not cover simple circumstances. Nonetheless, the final rules have been issued this week, requiring all insurers…

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