Colorado approves federal grant for health insurance exchange

Legislators in Colorado have approved of a $18 million grant from the federal government that will help the state build its own health insurance exchange in a 9-1 vote late last week. The money will be used to fund the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange, which aims to provide a virtual marketplace where consumers can find affordable insurance products. Earlier this year, lawmakers approved of the building of an exchange and assigned a group of legislators to oversee the exchange and determine the benefits it would bring to the state’s insurance…

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Department of Health and Human Services softens 2013 deadline for insurance exchange plans

 Health care reform has been an issue for several states since its came to being back in 2010. The Affordable Care Act, which was meant to streamline both the insurance and health care industries, has been met with either extreme repulsion or lukewarm favor. Those of the former opinion have been keen to strike down the provisions of the law. One provision, however, has received almost universal acceptance. While the enthusiasm of this acceptance varies, the notion of a health insurance exchange program for each state has become popular. This…

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Health exchange sees serious challenges in Arkansas for 2012

Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford, the lead insurance official in Arkansas, has said that he will “go down fighting” in support of the establishment of insurance exchanges within the state under the newly overhauled federal healthcare program. It has started to look as though great – possibly insurmountable – odds are building against Bradford, but he has insisted that he has not given up on the chance to put the exchanges into place. He also indicated that he may begin a new push in February when the new fiscal season has…

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Forecast predicts a third of companies will cut health benefits

A new study from prestigious consulting firm McKinsey & Company suggests that as much as 30% of the nation’s employers will be making drastic changes to the insurance they provide to their employees. The firm suggests that the more these companies learn about upcoming insurance changes stemming from last year’s Affordable Care Act the more likely they are to make such changes. The study anticipates that these businesses will cease offering health care benefits or restrict access to such benefits to a select few in their service. If the study…

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