Health insurance marketplace clambers to prepare for state exchanges

The entire health care system is facing a massive change with the upcoming implementation of the state insurance exchanges which are the heart of the overhaul to the system made by the Obama administration. Businesses ranging from pharmacies to insurance companies, and from therapists to doctors and virtually any healthcare-related industry are now being forced to prepare for the new shape of the insurance marketplace and are all coming up with their own unique opinions based on the circumstances in which they are finding themselves. Among all of those different…

Read More

State Governors voice their concerns for state autonomy as health insurance exchanges become a reality

The National Governors Association has written a letter to the U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding federally mandated health insurance exchanges. The exchanges have received mixed reviews from state officials, many of whom are still grappling with the vague guidelines provided to them by the Department of Health and Human Services. In the letters, Governors detail how the exchanges may damage a state’s autonomy, as the federal government may end up taking control of certain aspects of the exchange initiative. While the letter does not decry the establishment of exchanges,…

Read More

Legal battle regarding federal insurance mandate to take place in Minnesota this week

The latest development in the ongoing saga of opposition against the federal Affordable Care Act is set to take place the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Minnesota this week. The provision in question is an insurance mandate imposed by the new law that states that all U.S. citizens must purchase some kinds of health insurance or face major penalties. Two Missouri residents have filed a lawsuit against the federal government concerning the matter. While the lawsuit itself comes only from two people, they are backed by…

Read More

Institute of Medicine introduces new recommendations concerning insurance exchanges

Health insurance exchanges are, perhaps, the most accepted provision of last year’s Affordable Care Act. While some states have railed against the notion of the federally mandated program, most have been eager to explore their options. States have been slow to pass legislations making the exchanges possible, but have wasted no time in making preparations for the system. According to a new report from the Institute of Medicine, however, the future of insurance exchanges may be in jeopardy if federal legislators cannot solve the expensive flaws in the system. Exchanges…

Read More

West Virginia continues to work toward a health insurance exchange backed by recommendations from state regulators

Despite the controversy and vague fate of the Affordable Care Act, West Virginia will be continuing to adhere to one of the provisions of the federal law. State lawmakers have determined that a health insurance exchange would serve the needs of the state well and, earlier in the year, tasked state regulators with researching the steps necessary to make the initiative a reality. Regulators have issued a series of updates to lawmakers, bringing them up to speed on what must be done and where money is needed most. A great…

Read More