Category: Health Care Reform

America’s health care system is undergoing many changes – it’s hard for insurance professionals to keep updated let alone consumers. Here we make it easy and publish daily articles on the changes and challenges that health care reform has ahead.

HHS to invest over $49 million into health care for kids and parents

H. Cutner
Health care - Investment - Piggy Bank

The funds will be in the form of 36 awarded grants to strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced through its Centers for Medicare & Medical Services (CMS) that it is awarding grants worth a total of $49 million to organizations working to reduce the rate of uninsured Americans and to bring health care access to more kids and parents alike. This represents the largest outreach and enrollment effort from the HHS through Connecting Kids to Coverage. The investment…

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Under half of American adults have basic health insurance literacy

G. Turner
Health insurance - Confusion about coverage

People across the US have widespread misconceptions about important coverage concepts. Many adults across the United States have a weak health insurance literacy, according to a new Forbes Advisor survey. Americans are struggling with issues such as basic terms and concepts regarding their coverage. The survey from Forbes Advisor showed that as much as 77 percent of Americans were confused by basic terms used in their health insurance policies, such as co-payment, co-insurance and deductible. The survey was conducted online and involved the participation of 2,000 US adults with a…

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Covered California rates announced and they’re on their way up

Marc
Covered California - Health Insurance rate increase

Coverage purchased through the state health insurance marketplace will rise by an average of 6 percent. The Covered California rates have been announced for next year, and the cost of coverage will be increasing by an average of 6 percent for 2023. Officials cautioned that coverage could be far more expensive for some if federal aid isn’t renewed by Congress. They cautioned that some consumers could see their premiums as much as doubling if Congress chooses not to renew federal aid. The rate hike announcement represents the largest increase Covered…

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Americans’ third biggest living expense is health insurance

Marc
Health Insurance - money - piggy bank

Premiums have risen to the point that they require 10.69 percent of an average annual salary. Health insurance premiums comprise a large amount of the average annual income of Americans and consumers are being forced to weigh their priority with other essential expenses, say the results of a new NiceRx study. The premiums paid represent about one dollar out of every ten the average American earns. To arrive at its results, the researchers from NiceRx used data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Value Penguin, World Population Review, and Patriot…

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New York health insurance rates could rise by double digits

Marc
Health insurance Coverage Rates - New York

Both consumers and small businesses alike are expected to see the rise in monthly premiums. New York health insurance companies are currently filing for rate hikes to be applied in 2023 on their small group plans and for individual consumers. Insurers are seeking to hike rates as much as 46 percent on plans covering companies with under 100 employees. New York health insurance companies have also asked for increases as high as 35 percent for customers who aren’t a part of groups with plans, but who will be buying their…

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California health insurance to be made available for undocumented immigrants

Nordstrom
California Health Insurance - Sign and form

The coverage will be offered to the millions of people in the state who spend and pay taxes there. Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that California health insurance will be offered to all undocumented immigrants throughout the state. This will make the state the first in the country to make the plans available to all undocumented immigrants. “This is a victory for the millions of undocumented Californians who contribute $3.7 billion in state and local taxes and over $40 billion in spending power to our economy ever year,” said State…

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California health insurance can help people find housing in the state

Julie Campbell
California health insurance - homes - houses

A new experimental plan has been rolled out through Medi-Cal for added support to plan members. A new experimental California health insurance program has been launched to help ease the massive homelessness crisis occurring across the state. The idea is that state residents will be able to obtain housing assistance through their coverage. The program is called CalAIM. It is a unique, experimental California health insurance program that brings healthcare together with housing across the state for the first time. This new strategy allows certain Medi-Cal recipients that are at…

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