Aetna provides individual health insurance policies to Illinois Costco members

Health insurance sold at costco

Aetna has announced a new individual health insurance plan for members of Costco in Illinois. Aetna has just unveiled its latest individual health insurance product which is now being offered to residents of Illinois with a Costco membership. The product is called the Costco Personal Health Insurance program, and it offers five different types of policies from which its members can choose. These offer a wide doctor and hospital network, a range of different major medical benefits, as well as a spectrum of useful services, information, and tools that are…

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Medical loss ratio provision could have saved Illinois residents millions according to Commonwealth Fund report

Health care reform medical loss ratio study The Commonwealth Fund, an independent foundation based in New York that researchers health care policies, has released a new report concerning the medical loss ratio (MLR) provision of the Affordable Care Act. The MLR provision requires insurance companies to spend no less than 80% of the money they collect from premiums on improving medical care. If insurers cannot meet this standard, the money must be returned to policyholders. The provision took effect in 2011, but has been mired in litigation and bureaucracy, which…

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California insurance regulators clash with Aetna over insurance rate hikes

California health insurance industry go head to head with regulators Aetna Life Insurance has raised the health insurance rates for small employers in the state of California this month. The company has plans to raise rates by an average of 8% for this sector each year. The plan has struck a chord with the state’s insurance regulators, with Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones accusing the company of being unreasonable. According to the state’s Department of Insurance, Aetna’s health insurance rates for small businesses will jump by more than 30% over the…

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Xavier University decides to cut contraceptive coverage for employees

The Xavier University of Ohio will be making cuts to the insurance it offers employees in July of this year. The university, which is one of the oldest Catholic colleges in the country, will stop providing coverage for birth control, railing against rules imposed by the federal government requiring all faith-based organizations to provide such coverage to their employees. The university’s decision has struck a chord with the Obama administration, which is now accusing the college of standing in the way of a regulation that would be beneficial to women’s…

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Things you might not know about group health insurance

Though most people feel that group health insurance – such as the plans offered by many employers – are highly beneficial, it should be noted that they were not all created equal, and that there are many surprising things that consumers can learn about those policies that might change their opinions about their value. Consider the following often unknown issues regarding group health insurance: • Some group health plans don’t provide pregnancy coverage – as a result of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, the majority of health insurance plans…

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