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

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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Day two of Affordable Care Act hearing in Supreme Court focuses on controversial insurance mandate

The Supreme Court began its second day of hearing the case against the controversial Affordable Care Act on Tuesday this week. The focus of day two was centered on whether Congress could require Americans to purchase health insurance. The Obama administration’s top lawyers were ready to defend the insurance mandate imposed by the health care law, but conservative Justices of the Court were quick to issue their concerns regarding the matter. This could signal some serious problems for the future of the Affordable Care Act. Only three minutes into the…

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Former health insurance executive calls for health care reform

The Affordable Care Act has made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, making the fate of federal health care reform unknown. The subject of reform has been on steeped in controversy for more than two years. Opponents of the reform claim that the law is unconstitutional, while its supporters say that changes are needed to ensure the continued stability of the country. Like politicians, the insurance industry has been divided on the issue. Unlike politicians, however, the industry is keenly tuned to what changes need to be made to…

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91% of Texans to be insured by 2014, thanks to the Affordable Care Act

The Texas Medicaid Director, Billy Millwee, spoke to the House Public Health and Insurance committees this week regarding the Affordable Care Act. The director has been tracking the trends and effects that the federal health care law has birthed in the state and has come to a promising conclusion. Currently, 74% of the state’s residents have some form of health insurance coverage. Millwee claims that when the Affordable Care Act is fully enacted in 2014, this will jump to 91%. By that time, only 2.3 million Texans will have no…

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Louisiana’s Citizens Insurance group files emergency application seeking the aid of the U.S. Supreme Court

Louisiana’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, a state-run insurance group that accounts for the majority of the state’s insurance policies, has filed an emergency application for stay to the U.S. Supreme Court. The insurer is looking to bar further seizures from a 2009 class-action case that saw more than $90 million returned to consumers. The stay application, which was filed on Monday of this week, argues that the Louisiana Supreme Court violated the insurer’s right of due process by prohibiting the organization from mounting an appropriate defense during the litigation. The…

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