Census report shows one in five residents of the state did not have coverage in 2010. Nearly one in every five people in Arizona were without health insurance coverage in 2010, according to a report from the Census Bureau that was recently released. In counties facing greater struggles, that uninsured rate rose to one quarter. The report indicated that the overall rate of uninsured individuals under the age of 65 in Arizona was at 19.3 percent that year. This was slightly worse than the average across the country in 2010,…
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Census report highlights lack of health insurance
Report provides further insight into the health insurance problem of some states A recently released report from the U.S. Census Bureau highlighted the shortfalls in health insurance across the country. The report draws attention to where health insurance coverage is scarce and attempts to provide some insight as to why this may be the case. Kansas made insurance news headlines late last month as it was highlighted in the report, but the Census Bureau notes that the state is not the only one suffering from lack of health insurance coverage.…
Read MoreReport: Arizona consumers to receive health insurance rebates
Affordable Care Act brings refunds to Arizona The future of the Affordable Care Act may be uncertain, but for now it is bringing some degree of financial benefit to consumers throughout the country. A new report from Consumers Union, a non-profit testing and information organization shows that Arizona insurance consumers can expect to see refunds this year, thanks to the health care law’s medical loss ratio (MLR) provision. According to this provision, health insurers are required to spend no less than 80% of the money they collect from premiums toward…
Read MoreStates to look for alternatives if the Affordable Care Act does not survive
Arizona claims health care reform should happen on the local, not federal, level Arizona is among the 26 states that have risen up to challenge the Affordable Care Act, the federal health care law often referred to as “Obamacare.” These states claim that the federal government has overstepped its boundaries in passing the law. These claims primarily concern a handful of provisions found within the Affordable Care Act, one of which makes health insurance coverage mandatory for all U.S. citizens. Arizona, in particular, believes that the key problem with the…
Read MoreNew Arizona health insurance law permits religious employers to cut birth control coverage
Critics are calling this change in medical plans an attack on women. On Friday, May 11, 2012, Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill that reduced the Arizona health insurance rules for the coverage of contraception, in a move that has caused a tremendous amount of controversy in the state. Those supporting the bill are calling it a religious freedom in the state. The new measure states that employers that are formally identified as a religious organization will be permitted to eliminate the coverage of contraception that is used for the…
Read MoreAARP Arizona teams with insurance regulators to attempt to open up the state’s rate review process to consumers
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, insurers in Arizona are pushing for double-digit rate increases. The matter has not escaped the notice of the state’s Department of Insurance, of course, and regulators are reviewing the rate proposals from the companies involved. AARP Arizona has begun engaging regulators on the behalf of consumers. The organization believes that consumers should have a larger role in the rate review process, especially since it is them who will feel the impact of higher insurance rates. AARP officials are working with the…
Read MoreAlmost 20 percent of Californians don’t have health insurance
New statistics released by the U.S. Census have shown that many Californians are going without health insurance, as almost one in every five did not have this coverage within the last three years. This is one of the highest rates of uninsured individuals in the country. According to the census, from 2008 through 2010, 18.9 percent of the residents of California – nearly 7 million people – did not have any form of healthcare coverage. The same census showed that the national average during that same period was 15.8 percent.…
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