A legislative panel commissioned to determine whether Oklahoma should pursue building its own health insurance exchange system has finally reached a conclusion. The panel released a report to the state’s Legislature recommending action be taken on building an exchange in order to avoid the federal government taking charge and establishing its own. The state has had a rocky history with the concept of the exchange and has been slow to adopt legislation that would make the program possible. The panel is now stressing the importance of building an adequate system…
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Cutting individual insurance mandate could have dire consequences for health care, says RAND
A new study from the RAND Corporation, a non-profit institution that provides research and analysis for various political endeavors, suggests that axing the mandatory health insurance provision from the Affordable Care Act could be a costly mistake. The health care law has generated a large amount of controversy for its various provisions that introduce dramatic changes to the nation’s tax, insurance and medical services structure. None of these provisions have been quite as contentious as the health insurance mandate. The mandate, and the law as a whole, will be heading…
Read MoreFinal simplification rules for insurance policies issued by the Obama administration this week
The Obama administration has issued the final rules regarding how insurance companies will make policies easier to understand this week. The government has been working on the rules since the passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The endeavor aims to make the language of insurance policies more clear and straightforward. There have been some delays in the initiative as insurance groups asserted that some policies could not be simplified because they did not cover simple circumstances. Nonetheless, the final rules have been issued this week, requiring all insurers…
Read MoreIdaho insurers will be able to participate in federally-run insurance exchange
In Idaho, the issue of a health insurance exchange has been a controversial one since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010. State lawmakers have been divided on the issue primarily due to their uncertainty about whether or not the state’s insurance companies could participate in the exchange program. Legislators had been concerned that if they chose not to build an exchange and allow the federal government to do it for them that the exchange would only be populated by large insurance corporations such as Blue Cross Blue Shield.…
Read MoreDepartment of Health and Human Services issues legal briefing regarding Affordable Care Act
As the Affordable Care Act continues its slow march toward the Supreme Court, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued a legal brief regarding the matter. The federal health care law has come under fire largely due to one of its provisions. The provision requires all U.S. citizens to purchase some kind of health insurance. 26 states have come together to combat this provision, along with some of the other aspects of the law. The HHS claims that if the individual insurance mandate is declared unconstitutional, the Supreme…
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