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.

Massachusetts insurance enrollment remains strong as unemployment spikes

G. Turner
Massachusetts insurance enrollment - American Flag, money and stethoscope

The state has the country’s worst unemployment rate, but residents are keeping up their coverage. Massachusetts insurance enrollment has remained strong despite the state’s unemployment rate, which is currently the worst in the United States. New data has revealed that despite losing their jobs, consumers have kept their health plans. The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) revealed new data last week which showed that overall Massachusetts insurance enrollment stayed essentially stable through May. At that time, there were more than 6.4 million residents of the state covered by…

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Kentucky health insurance marketplace prepares to restart

Logan B.
Kentucky health insurance marketplace - file - stethoscope

The state intends to restart Kynect, its own exchange allowing residents to enroll in plans. Governor Andy Beshear has announced the state’s intention to reopen Kynect, the Kentucky health insurance marketplace. The exchange makes it possible for residents who don’t have coverage through an employer to enroll in a plan or sign up for Medicaid if they are eligible. The exchange was originally dismantled in 2017 by former Governor Matt Bevin. Kentucky Voices for Health director of policy advocacy Cara Stewart explained that state residents who want to purchase coverage…

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Cosmetic surgery insurance claims way down as millions of procedures postponed

Julie Campbell
Cosmetic surgery insurance - Surgeons operating

Elective procedures have been delayed by weeks, months, or longer due to the pandemic. Cosmetic surgery insurance claims have ground to a virtual halt as elective surgeries face massive postponement waits due to the pandemic crisis. Hospitals are battling with months of backlog for surgeries to meet medical requirements. Around the world, hospitals and clinics have had to cut back on the number of routine procedures they are able to perform in order to maintain patient and staff safety, said a report in the Economist. This measure was also taken…

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2 in 3 Americans don’t understand health insurance options if they lose coverage

Marc
Health insurance options - Not knowing options

New research shows that 68 percent don’t know what they could do if their plan wasn’t available. The majority of Americans don’t know what health insurance options are available to them in the incident that they lose their existing coverage. This is a troubling statistic as this scenario is currently an unfortunate reality for millions of Americans. Layoffs resulting from the pandemic have left many people without their employer sponsored health plans. Regardless, only just under 1 in 3 people know the options available to them. The healthinsurance.com survey determined…

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Michigan seeks to broaden addiction treatment insurance coverage

Nordstrom
Addiction treatment insurance - syringe - pills

The goal is to offer more to residents addicted to opioids and to boost opioid reversal medication availability. Michigan is working on expanding its addiction treatment insurance coverage. The idea is to make sure there is more help available for those addicted to opioids and to ensure that reversal medications are more accessible. The state plans to make this widened coverage available to its residents in 2022. The reason the state wants to broaden its addiction treatment insurance coverage is that it wants to reduce the number of people dying…

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Covered California enrollment nearly triples compared to last year

Nordstrom
Covered California Enrollment

The state-sponsored health plan sign-ups have sharply spiked over the last three weeks. Covered California enrollment has spiked sharply as more than 58,000 state residents have signed up over the last three weeks. This represents a rise of almost three times the number of people enrolled when compared to the same time in 2019. Officials gave state residents an extension on the sign-up period to help with coverage in the outbreak. The Covered California enrollment period was extended from January to June. The purpose was to make it possible for…

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Florida children’s health insurance available to parents who lose their jobs

G. Turner
Florida children’s health insurance - family - health

The state is making coverage available to kids in families that have experienced layoffs. Florida children’s health insurance is being made available to families in which parents have lost their jobs and, therefore, their employer-based coverage. The state has created a program to assist families that have lost their jobs and the benefits that went with them. The Florida children’s health insurance program is called Florida Kidcare. Its purpose is to make medical and dental coverage affordable for families with kids and that lost their benefits due to layoffs. The…

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