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.

Are health insurance companies required to cover home COVID-19 tests?

Logan B.
Health Insurance Companies - COVID-19 home test

The Biden-Harris Administration announced that insurers and group plans must cover FDA-approved tests. This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that health insurance companies and group plans will be required to cover FDA-approved home COVID-19 tests as of January 15. As of January 15, policyholders will be able to obtain those home tests without out-of-pocket costs. “This is all part of our overall strategy to ramp-up access to easy-to-use, at-home tests at no cost,” said Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “Since we took…

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Why Should You Get Health Insurance As An Expat In Canada?

Guest Author

For new expats living in Canada, the first thing that you should do is settle all of the necessary living needs before fully enjoying the country and its offers. Consider delaying trips and vacations for a short while and prioritize what is really needed for a convenient long-term stay in the country.  If you don’t know where to start yet, then availing health insurance is the best answer. Although some people are against health insurance mainly because Canada’s healthcare is free and it will just be additional fees to live…

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Employer-sponsored health insurance costs jumped this year

H. Cutner
Health insurance - Costs - money - stethoscope

The average cost of the coverage per worker rose by the largest amount in 2021 that it has since 2010. The average cost of employer-sponsored health insurance per worker saw its highest annual increase this year that it has since 2010. This occurred as the benefit costs rose faster than inflation and the earnings of the workers themselves. The Mercer 2021 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans showed that there was a 6.3 percent average increase in the cost of employer-sponsored health insurance this year. Employees and their families began…

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Employer-based health insurance premiums are skyrocketing

H. Cutner
Health insurance Premiums skyrocket'

The average family is paying 47 percent more than they were a decade ago, outpacing inflation and wage growth. Americans who receive their health insurance through their employers are paying substantially higher premiums in 2021 than they were in 2011, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation report. Employer-sponsored health insurance has seen a 47 percent rise in premiums, said the report. This health insurance premium rise has been moving faster than wage growth (31 percent) and inflation (23 percent) that took place during that same decade. This year, annual…

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Many consumers still can’t afford Virginia health insurance premiums

Nordstrom
Virginia health insurance costs

A new state Joint Commission on Heath Care report showed that silver plans remain costly. Though the American Rescue Plan has broadened subsidies and has brought plans within reach for more people through the Affordable Care Act, Virginia health insurance premiums remain high enough that many people still struggle to afford the costs. The state appears to be struggling to keep its health plan premiums under control. The state’s Joint Commission on Health Care determined that the average cost of silver Virginia health insurance plans – a mid tier level…

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Health insurance open enrollment has begun

Logan B.
Health insurance Enrollment Form

Across the country, Americans can now purchase their own plans, many of whom now have more choices. Across the country, Americans who purchase their own health insurance can now do so for 2022 on the federal or state exchanges as the enrollment window has opened. The open enrollment period will continue until next year into January 2022. In California, residents can purchase their health insurance through Covered California, the country’s largest state-run plan marketplace. The plans sold through the exchanges are for people who don’t already receive coverage through their…

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Colorado health insurance coverage must now include transgender care

Logan B.
Health insurance coverage - transgender flag in shape of heart

The state announced that medical policies must cover gender confirmation care for transgender people. State officials in Colorado have announced that as of 2023, health insurance coverage in the state must include gender-confirmation care for transgender patients. The change has received the federal government’s approval, referring to it as a “landmark step.” The federal government has called this change a “landmark step” in addressing health insurance coverage disparities. The state’s change means that private care plans must cover gender confirmation surgery, hormone therapy, and facial surgery for transgender people. “This…

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