The Texas Consumer Health Assistance Program, a state-run program meant to help consumers find affordable health insurance, is scheduled to be shut down this April after only a year of operation. The program was established in January last year with the help of a $2.8 million federal grant. More than 6,000 consumers had used the service to find insurance coverage and the program was responsible for over 160 events geared toward raising awareness of insurance options. Despite the benefits the program had brought consumers, however, it will be shutting down…
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Federal leeway on insurance benefits may push back plans for a health insurance exchange in Oregon
Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced that it would allow states to take control of the benefits they offer to consumers through their health insurance exchange program. While hailed as a major boon for states, the added leeway may push back efforts to form an exchange, such is the case in Oregon, where legislators have delayed current plans to further investigate how an exchange will affect the state’s insurance industry and its consumers. Director of the Oregon insurance exchange Howard “Rocky” King claims that the exchange could extend coverage to…
Read MoreFederal government allows state insurance authorities to choose their own insurance benefits packages
The federal government has released the benefits framework attached to the Affordable Care Act that will help shape the benefits millions of people will receive with their health insurance policies in the coming years. The government began working on the framework after states issued complaints about the health care law not being clear on how it would affect benefits. States have been vying for control of the matter, and now the federal government has agreed to allow state insurance regulators to decide the specifics of the benefits given to consumers.…
Read MoreColorado approves federal grant for health insurance exchange
Legislators in Colorado have approved of a $18 million grant from the federal government that will help the state build its own health insurance exchange in a 9-1 vote late last week. The money will be used to fund the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange, which aims to provide a virtual marketplace where consumers can find affordable insurance products. Earlier this year, lawmakers approved of the building of an exchange and assigned a group of legislators to oversee the exchange and determine the benefits it would bring to the state’s insurance…
Read MoreHealth care reform faces more dangers than those posed by the Supreme Court and 2012 elections, say health care specialists
While the Affordable Care Act faces a questionable future with the coming Supreme Court hearing and the 2012 elections, the rising U.S. deficit may pose the greatest threat to the law. Both current and former health care professionals working with the Obama administration claim that the health care law may run aground, financially, as early as 2013 if the deficit is not addressed. The problems may be due to sluggish action from Congress and the rampant infighting between the two ruling parties of the government. The Affordable Care Act makes…
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