Tag: medicare

Aetna announces plans to purchase Coventry Health Care

S.Vagus
Health Insurance company merger Aetna

Aetna plans acquisition of Coventry Aetna, one of the largest health insurance companies in the U.S., has announced its plans to purchase Coventry Health Care. The acquisition is currently estimated to cost $5.7 billion and would increase Aetna’s presence in the health insurance market. The move is expected to improve the company’s standing in the changing landscape of government-funded health insurance. The acquisition is expected to take place months before millions of uninsured Americans become eligible for the Medicaid program, which could mean significant financial gains for Aetna. Acquisition may…

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The uncontrolled growth of disability insurance

Disability Insurance

An update from the Medicare and Social Security trustees has shown that the cost of disability insurance is skyrocketing. The annual report published by the Social Security and Medicare trustees has shown that yet again, among all of the partisan disagreements, a critically important issue has failed to receive its due attention: the rapidly increasing cost of disability insurance. This coverage accounts for almost one out of every five dollars that Social Security spends, and the numbers are rising to a point that is simply out of control. Many are…

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Report suggests the end of the Medicare Advantage program

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Medicare Advantage

Government Accountability Office considers Medicare Advantage unsustainable A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, is calling for the end of the country’s Medicare Advantage initiative. The Advantage program provides expanded health care benefits to those participating. The report calls into question whether the program is financially sustainable for the country and suggests that current and future administrations should focus more on improving the benefits that are associated with the Affordable Care Act. Advantage program draining country resources The report notes that…

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Third day of litigation of Affordable Care Act still focused on insurance mandate, Justices touch briefly on Medicaid expansion

S.Vagus

The third day of arguments concerning the Affordable Care Act took place on Wednesday this week. Though the schedule laid out by the Supreme Court earlier this month indicated that the third day of litigation would concern the health care law’s changes to Medicaid and Medicare, the Court’s Justices were keen to keep their attention on the law’s health insurance mandate. Justices are no longer focusing on the constitutionality of the mandate; however, they are now seeking an answer to a simple question: Can the health care law survive if…

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Republican plan to change Medicare sparks controversy and gains support

S.Vagus

Republican Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Richard Burr of North Carolina have introduced a new plan that aims to overhaul the federal Medicare program. The Senators’ plan is quite ambitious and would have a major impact on all people receiving health insurance coverage through the federal program. As such, the overhaul plan has generated a fair amount of controversy. Both Senators claim that this is an opportunity to open up “grown-up” conversations between legislators and consumers and find resolutions for the problems that face Medicare. The overhaul plan seeks…

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