Alabama is moving closer to establishing its own health insurance exchange as the state’s Health Insurance Exchange Study Commission finishes its work this week. The agency was formed earlier this year at the order of Governor Robert Bentley. The agency was tasked with determining the proper course of action to take when the time comes to make an exchange program. The Commission plans to submit its proposals for the program later this week, at which point the state Legislature will vote on the fate of a state-run insurance exchange. Exact…
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President Obama`s healthcare law and the Supreme Court
The United States and the healthcare industry were shaken up with the federal statute entitled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Before it was passed, during the discussions and voting and even today, there is much debate on whether or not this statute is unconstitutional. While there have been numerous cases going through the appellate courts in different areas of the country, the findings are typically mixed. The Supreme Court has the ability to pick and choose the cases it takes on. In March of 2012, there are over…
Read MoreHealth insurance regulation receives growing support
Though the public still continues to debate over the benefits of the new mandate that will require all Americans to have health insurance, a new CNN/ORC International Poll has suggested that the support for this central element to the 2010 healthcare reform legislation has been increasing since June 2011. The results of this survey were released just as the Supreme Court has taken on the decision of whether or not the massive healthcare system changes by President Barack Obama, which was passed by a Democratic Congress, is indeed constitutional. It…
Read MoreU.S. Supreme Court to review Obama’s healthcare overhaul
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to perform a review of the healthcare overhaul by the Obama administration in order to determine if it is constitutional. This debate will no doubt be a topic that will help to decide the shape of the presidential election in 2012, and will help to determine how much power the federal government will have over healthcare and insurance. The Supreme Court justices have said that they will be considering the constitutionality of the healthcare overhaul’s requirement that all Americans must purchase health insurance by…
Read MoreD.C. court upholds the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act
If there was ever any doubt that the Affordable Care Act would make it to the Supreme Court, a new ruling from a federal appeals court in the District of Columbia may have made it a sure thing. A panel of judges from the Court of Appeals in D.C. has ruled that the Affordable Care Act, particularly the provision for mandatory health insurance, is constitutional. The ruling conflicts with that coming from other appeals courts throughout the country that have deemed the law unconstitutional. To date, 26 states have filed…
Read MoreState 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 MoreLegal 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…
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