Study highlights cost of health insurance for state employees

Health Insurance time decision

States are spending $31 billion a year on covering their workers A new study from Pew Charitable Trusts shows that states have paid some $31 billion to ensure that their workers have health insurance coverage. The study is meant to offer some insight into the largest source of a state’s health care spending. Medicaid spending pales in comparison to the amount of money spent on keeping state workers covered through insurance plans. The amount of money being spent by states varies and is largely based on the insurance plans that…

Read More

Affordable Care Act targeted by legislation in South Dakota

affordable care act

Insurance agents will not suffer from the Affordable Care Act in South Dakota The Affordable Care Act looms in the U.S. and there are still several questions concerning the federal health care law that have yet to be answered. One of these questions concerns independent health insurance agents and how the federal law will affect them. In South Dakota, lawmakers are moving to address this issue. Early this week, legislators took steps to ensure than the state’s independent insurance agents will be included in the state’s health insurance exchange. Agents…

Read More

Crop insurance in the US braces for costly impact

Crop Insurance

Crop insurance payouts could be a costly issue The U.S. has been battered by an extensive and severe drought that has destroyed farmlands throughout much of the country. The drought has been a significant problem for some time and has been at the center of arguments and legislative action concerning the issue of crop insurance. Even before the drought took hold of the country, crop insurance was a hot issue. Now, the economic impact of insurance payouts that many have feared are becoming a reality. Analysts suggest insurance payouts could…

Read More

South Dakota health insurance exchange now responsibility of federal government

Court rules mandatory health insurance is not fair

Lawmakers nix plans for South Dakota health insurance exchange South Dakota lawmakers have determined that the state will not build its own health insurance exchange. Instead, work to build the South Dakota health insurance exchange will be taken up by the federal government. The Department of Health and Human Services will be tasked with operating and paying for the development of the exchange program as required by federal law. The move represents the state’s continued opposition to the Affordable Care Act. State continues opposition of Affordable Care Act South Dakota is…

Read More