As Pennsylvania continues its slow and steady march toward building a health insurance exchange, residents of the state are coming to the Department of Insurance with questions about how the exchange will affect them. The state’s Department of Insurance has been awarded a $1 million grant from the federal government to help keep consumers informed over the matter. With the money, the department has hired additional staff, whose purpose it is to answer the questions consumers have about the exchange and the Affordable Care Act. Pennsylvania has stood in opposition…
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California insurance commissioner issues report card for PPO
The California Department of Insurance has released the quality of care report card by insurance commissioner Dave Jones, called the “2012 Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)”. According to Jones, this report is a useful resource which provides consumers with a larger amount of practical data about the quality of the care they can expect to receive, so that they are better able to make decisions that will meet their healthcare requirements. He added that “I want to encourage all Californians to take a look at the findings of the PPO report…
Read MoreHealth insurance companies in California to increase rates by 8 to 14 percent
The largest health insurance companies in California will be raising their average rates by approximately 8 to 14 percent for hundreds of thousands of policyholders with individual coverage, leaping ahead of the overall medical care costs. According to government data, within the last year, the national average cost of products and services associated with health care increased by 3.6 percent. However, the insurance premiums have continued to climb at a more rapid rate within the state. The rate increases were defended by the California insurance companies, which said that they…
Read MoreInsurers to disclose information regarding their efforts to improve medical care this year
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that consumers will begin receiving information on how their premiums are being spent this year. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to spend no less than 80% of the money they collect from premiums on improving medical care. The federal law also requires insurers to inform consumers on how this money is being spent and how much has been spent thus far. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius believes that this is a major step toward keeping insurance companies accountable…
Read MoreControversial contraceptive care initiative emerges with compromise from President Obama
Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced that health insurance companies and health care organizations must provide coverage for contraceptive care. The announcement drew the ire of religious communities in the U.S. who claimed that the regulation infringed on their freedom to practice their beliefs. The outcry was not ignored by the administration and President Obama has announced changes will be made to the regulation for the sake of compromise. Despite this new development, however, religious organizations are still opposing the regulation as a whole. According to the new compromise,…
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