Setting Opinions Aside: An Objective Look at Wildfire Insurance In the wake of devastating wildfires across the country, the House Financial Services Committee has taken a significant step towards addressing the growing concern over insurance coverage for damages resulting from such disasters. With a strong bipartisan backing, the committee has forwarded a bill that mandates a comprehensive study on the state of wildfire insurance. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. and chair of the committee, emphasized that the conversation about wildfires must transcend the usual debate on climate change, focusing on observable…
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California Wildfire insurance expansion act passes House
HR 8483 has now passed the House and will require studies by FEMA and the GAO. House Committee on Financial Services Chair Rep Maxine Waters (D) has announced that “The Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act” has passed the House, including her bill HR 8483, “The Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act of 2022”. The next step will involve studies to provide assessments regarding the rising danger of the blazes. HR 8483 will require that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct assessment studies to…
Read MoreUS health insurance exchanges are exposed to fraud
GAO report highlights the fraud problems that many exchanges have to deal with A new report from the Government Accountability Office has found that health insurance exchanges set up through the Affordable Care Act are still exposed to fraud. Exchanges have long had a problem with fraudulent applications, with fake Social Security Numbers and falsified immigration details being applied to these applications in order for people to acquire insurance coverage. These issues were first discovered more than a year ago, but efforts to curb fraud have had limited impact. Many…
Read MoreArizona health insurance co-op is finally finding some traction
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…
Read MoreReport highlights the problems of the small business health insurance exchange network
GAO report shows that enrollment in SHOP is not meeting expectations The U.S. Government Accountability Office has released a new report concerning enrollment in the federal Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). The program is meant to serve as a health insurance exchange catering specifically to small businesses. In most cases, these businesses are required to offer their employees insurance coverage due to the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but these companies cannot find coverage through conventional insurance exchanges. SHOP was designed to address this issue. Only 12,000 health…
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