Last year’s Affordable Care Act continues to be a point of contention for many of the nation’s legislators. One provision of the controversial act has generated more opposition than others – that is the provision that makes health insurance mandatory for every citizen of the U.S. Those opposing the overarching health care reform call the measure unconstitutional as it imposes, what they call, an unfair requirement on citizens that may be unable to pay for health insurance. The provision has garnered even more opposition for levying strict repercussions against those…
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New York legislators reject federal funding for health insurance exchange
New York has long stood as a bastion for what the federal government stands for. The state boasts of one of the most populated and diverse cities in the world where the shortfalls and accolades of the government are highlighted in stark contrast. The state is also home to more than 2.6 million uninsured residents, most of whom cannot afford health insurance. Given the high number of those living in the state without insurance coverage, it would seem that lawmakers in New York would be welcoming to federal health care…
Read MoreWhat will health and auto insurance have in common in 2014?
By far, the most sensitive element of the Affordable Care Act is that it requires the majority of Americans to obtain health insurance coverage. Making health insurance just like car insurance, mandatory and required by law, for most. In response to this requirement, there are currently a total of 26 different federal lawsuits working to try to reverse the law. The very foundation of this battle is the “individual mandate”, around which there is significant debate as to whether or not it is constitutional. That said, many experts are agreeing…
Read MoreSouth Carolina rejects federal money that would help build insurance exchange
Reeling from the impact of Hurricane Irene, South Carolina has not lost sight of opposing federal health care reform. Tony Keck, head of the state’s Health and Human Serviced Department, announced Thursday that the state would be rejecting millions of dollars in federal grants that would have been used to help the state build a health insurance exchange. The exchange would have helped residents of the state find affordable insurance coverage and, theoretically, reduce the overall cost of insurance policies within the state as insurers fought for customers. South Carolina…
Read MoreStates that do not meet federal deadlines may still have a chance to run health insurance exchanges
The federal government has been relenting on its once strict mandates regarding health insurance exchanges, namely on the deadlines given for states to establish such programs. Originally, states that rejected the notion of exchanges outright would relinquish this responsibility to the federal government, who would then run the exchanges. In this scenario, state officials would have no say in the practices of the exchange programs. Spurred by complaints over the lack of guidance from the government, however, the Obama administration is relenting on these strict mandates and giving states another…
Read MoreConstitutional legality of health insurance mandate headed for the Supreme Court; President Obama is confident in its passing
Mere days after a federal appeals court in Washington declared that the individual insurance mandate posed by the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional; President Obama has proclaimed his confidence that the Supreme Court would uphold the measure. Several states have questioned the constitutional legality of the Affordable Care Act, but only a handful have sought to fight the federal law in court. The matter will, indeed, be heading for the Supreme Court, but it may be several years before it can be resolved, especially with an election year rapidly approaching.…
Read MoreHealth insurance requirement likely headed to Supreme Court following rejection by appeals court
The panel at a federal appeals court has ruled against the heart of the Obama Administration’s healthcare reform, bringing into question whether or not Americans will actually be required to purchase a healthcare policy. The next step will be the U.S. Supreme Court. The panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals was made up of three judges. They were not unanimous, but ruled that Congress had stepped beyond its authority when they passed what is being called the “individual mandate”. Experts in the healthcare industry are saying that the…
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