Oregon is one step closer to passing a bill that would allow for the creation of a health insurance exchange. Late last week, the House Health Care Committee approved the bill, which will now await a final vote in the Senate. The bill will also establish a public agency that will oversee the exchange and regulate rate changes therein. The agency will be funded from a portion of fees collected by insurance companies that are participating in the exchange program. State officials expect that the program will be operational in…
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Latest in health care reform trends and oppositions
Recent insurance industry figures show that more Americans are receiving health insurance coverage than in previous years. This may be due, at least in part, to the Affordable Care Act, which has pushed many insurance companies to offer more affordable policies. In the first quarter of 2011, insurance companies around the nation were reporting that 600,000 Americans obtained some form of health coverage. The majority of these people were under the age of 26, showing that younger people are finding access to the coverage they need. The amount of young…
Read MoreSouth Carolina health care reform change on the way
South Carolina is taking the first steps to establishing a working health insurance exchange programs. The state is using money it received from the federal government, an initiative to assist in the formation of exchanges, to build a website that will monitor health insurance rate increases. According to state officials, the website will act as a way for consumers to obtain more information on policies. It will also be used to stem the tide of what state officials consider “unreasonable rate hikes.” The state received more than $1 million in…
Read MoreHas Oklahoma started a trend for states opposing health care reform?
If the federal government gave your state more than 50 million dollars, what do you think they would do with it? Would they give it back? It isn’t often that you would see a state turning down federal money, but that is exactly what is happening in Oklahoma. They are turning down 54 million dollars in federal grant money. The 54 million dollars in federal grant funding was going to be given to the state as a part of the new federal healthcare law. The Department of Health and Human…
Read MoreOklahoma sends more than a message back to capital hill
The Oklahoma Insurance Department is sending back more than $1 million in funding to the federal government. The money would have been used to review the state’s health insurance premium regulations. It will never be used for its intended purpose as Insurance Commissioner John Doak asserts that “Oklahomans do not want the federal government making decisions about their health care.” The funds have yet to make their way back to the government – the state is awaiting federal officials to retrieve the money. The money is being returned along with…
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