The Texas Department of Insurance has been reviewing health insurance rate proposals since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010. Regulators have been scrutinizing any insurer that aims to raise rates by 10% or higher, but their efforts may be in vain. According to the Department of Insurance, regulators do not have the authority to block any rate proposal that they deem excessive. They also do not have the means to distribute information regarding rate hikes amongst consumers. This is because the state does not have the laws to…
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Texas health insurance waiver denied by the federal government
The federal government has announced that it has not approved Texas’s request for exclusion from a new law that places limitations on allowable amount of overhead spending by health insurers. The law from which Texas wanted to be excluded is one of the changes made in 2010 as a part of the Affordable Care Act for federal health care. Officials in Texas are claiming that this part of the Act is unconstitutional. It is called the medical loss ratio requirement, and it states that health insurance companies must spend a…
Read MoreThe answers to frequently asked questions about health insurance rate increases
Many consumers are facing increases to the insurance premiums that they pay for health coverage every month, and as a result of this, several questions are arising. In response, the industry is working to make information more readily available to help to answer these questions. Some of the more common question include the following: • Does the health care reform overhaul prevent health insurance companies from making their typical annual rate increases? The answer is “no”. However, the health care reforms do force insurance companies to take certain steps to…
Read MoreTexas consumers eligible for health insurance rebates may see a lower amount than originally thought
In Texas, some 690,000 consumers may receive approximately $160 million in insurance rebates in August. The money comes as part of the medical loss ratio provision of the Affordable Care Act, which dictates that insurers must pay at least 80% of the money they collect from premiums on medical care and if they cannot meet this standard they must return the money to policyholders. This may be good news for consumers, but state regulators are looking to cut the amount of rebates by three quarters. The state’s Insurance Department is…
Read MoreTexas petitions federal government to delay enactment of the medical loss ratio provision of the Affordable Care Act
As some states seek exemptions from the controversial medical loss ratio provision of the Affordable Care Act, Texas officials are looking to the enacted of the plan delayed. The provision requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% of the money they collect from premiums on improving medical care. Insurers have been opposed to the provision since it was passed in 2010, arguing that it would hurt their ability to stay competitive in the market. Federal regulators have, thus far, been unwilling to cave to the concerns of insurers. State…
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