Live Insurance News

Health insurance program in Oklahoma set to expire

May 13, 2013May 25, 2013 Marc

Oklahoma health insurance program waiver denied by federal government Nearly 5,000 Oklahoma employers are to be notified that the state’s Insure Oklahoma program will expire at the end of this year. State officials had reached out to the federal government in order to receive a waiver for the program, but the federal government has denied this request. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the waiver was rejected due to the new health insurance opportunities that would be created through the Affordable Care Act next year. Small businesses…

Health insurance companies facing greater scrutiny in Massachusetts

May 10, 2013May 25, 2013 G. Turner

Mental illness coverage will be a considerable focus for the state’s law and its enforcement. Mental health insurance has become a very hot topic, as seven different insurers have now reached settlements to pay consumers and the state for their failure to meet the legal coverage requirements in Massachusetts. The most recent of these settlements has spawned a greater effort by the Attorney General to solve the issue. Martha Coakley, the Attorney General, has taken inspiration from the health insurance settlements over mental illness coverage, and has now issued a…

Health insurance rates increases of extreme levels may be premature

May 9, 2013May 7, 2013 G. Turner

Consumers are cautioned not to take estimates of hikes in premiums seriously, just yet. As the health insurance marketplaces are just being established and the very first estimates are starting to be released regarding the impact of these exchanges on the cost of the coverage, experts and officials are cautioning consumers not to take the numbers at face value, just yet. There are many different factors to consider, and they have not yet all been applied to the estimates. For example, in April, Maryland released the premiums that would be…

Health insurance rate proposals throughout US show troubling trend

May 7, 2013May 6, 2013 Logan B.

Maryland makes public health insurance rate proposals from insurers Last month, Maryland became one of the first states in the U.S. to make public the rate increases health insurance companies are planning to institute next year through the Affordable Care Act. State officials have noted that health insurance companies are planning to raise rates on coverage by an average of 25% throughout the state. This has caused some discomfort with Maryland residents that are not eager to pay more for the coverage they are receiving, and this sentiment may be…

Health insurance research shows coverage and being healthy are not the same

May 3, 2013March 1, 2014 H. Cutner

The Oregon Health Experiment has demonstrated that even people with a plan get sick and die. A study about the relationship between health insurance coverage and actually being healthy was conducted in Oregon and showed that having a plan doesn’t necessarily guarantee wellness. The project was lead by Amy Finkelstein, from MIT, and showed that the two are not the same. Called the Oregon Health Experiment, the research indicated that while some people who have coverage live long and healthy lives, others get sick and die. It also determined that…