Live Insurance News

Arkansas pauses development of health insurance exchange

September 30, 2015September 29, 2015 S.Vagus

Governor issues request to insurance exchange board to halt development for the time being Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has informed the Department of Health and Human Services that he has asked the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace Board to pause the development of an exchange for individual consumers. The board is in charge of overseeing the development of such a marketplace, which is meant to serve as a place for consumers to find affordable, yet comprehensive coverage. Governor Hutchinson wants the board to wait while a legislative task force develops recommendations…

Health insurance rates to spike in Kansas

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 Logan B.

State regulators approve health insurance rate increases Health insurance rates are expected to go up in Kansas next year. The Kansas Insurance Department has approved rate increases for individual coverage after having received proposals from many companies operating in the state. Rate increases are expected to affect those seeking coverage through the state’s insurance exchange as well as directly from insurers. For some, the premium hikes may present more financial strain, as state regulators have approved significant increases. Premiums expected to rise by an average of 25.4% Initially, some insurers…

US health insurance co-ops are struggling

August 21, 2015August 20, 2015 Nordstrom

HHS audit finds that insurance co-ops are failing to generate profit The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently conducted an audit of 23 health insurance co-ops in the United States and found that the majority are struggling financially. These insurance co-ops were established by the Affordable Care Act to serve as non-profit alternatives to exchanges. The co-ops are operated by the federal government and provide consumers with a way to find relatively inexpensive insurance policies that may not be available through other markets. All but one co-op has…

Missouri falls behind in mitigate increase in health insurance rates

August 7, 2015August 6, 2015 Marc

State has been unable to halt the growth of health insurance premiums Missouri may be falling behind in protecting its residents from significant health insurance rate increases. In 2016, insurance policies are set to become more expensive nationwide due proposals from insurers. Typically, state regulators investigate rate increase proposals in order to determine whether or not they are needed. In Missouri, however, regulators are not tasked to investigate rate proposals. Instead, this burden falls to the federal government, which may be leaving consumers open to significant rate increases that could…

Arizona health insurance co-op is finally finding some traction

August 7, 2015August 5, 2015 S.Vagus

Insurance co-op reports skyrocketing enrollment numbers this year Arizona’s non-profit health insurance co-op has seen a major increase in enrollment following poor enrollment predictions in 2014. Last year, the co-op was audited by the Department of Health and Human Services, which found that enrollment numbers were abysmal, with the co-op only providing coverage for some 869 people. This is only 4% of the co-op’s enrollment target of 24,000, making it one of the worst performing health insurance co-ops in the country. Meritus is finding traction among consumers in Arizona Despite…