Tag: health insurance exchange

State-run health insurance exchanges contain security flaw

Julie Campbell
health insurance website problem security alert computer

An investigation has discovered that the California, Vermont and Kentucky sites left personal data vulnerable. In a recent investigation of state-run health insurance exchange websites, “significant cybersecurity weaknesses” were discovered in California, Vermont and Kentucky, according to federal officials. These flaws in the websites may have left the personal information of residents of those states open to hackers. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) discovered the vulnerabilities. This independent agency functions as a watchdog organization over Congress. The investigation it conducted looked into the health insurance exchange websites of the individual…

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Top California health insurance barriers include premiums and eligibility

H. Cutner
California Health Insurance

The results of research conducted throughout 2014 showed that there were very specific reasons for remaining uninsured. A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has determined that among the individuals without California health insurance coverage in 2014, two out of every three were deemed eligible but chose not to enroll as a result of the cost. The other third of the uninsured residents of the state were…

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Health insurance plans to be rated based on size of network

Julie Campbell
health insurance exchange

The Obama administration will now use the number of included doctors and hospitals in the ratings. In response to complaints from consumers with respect to the way health insurance plans are rated on the exchanges, the Obama administration has now said that it will provide a rating for each plan based on the number of hospitals and doctors that are included within that plan’s network. Equally, there will also be an increase to the maximum annual out-of-pocket amount that consumers can pay. For individuals, the maximum out-of-pocket expenses for health…

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Obamacare sees 12.7 million health insurance enrollments

G. Turner
Health Insurance exchange

The federal and state exchanges have now surpassed the predictions made by the government. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, has announced that the health insurance exchanges established through Obamacare have now enrolled approximately 12.7 million Americans, which means that this year’s predictions have been exceeded. The most recent open enrollment period came to a close at the end of January with strong results. The government first started offering individual health insurance subsidies under Obamacare in 2014 but, at the same time, it applies a penalty to the…

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Aetna insurance company sees surge in profits but still sees weaker forecast

Julie Campbell
Health Insurance company merger Aetna

Despite the fact that the insurer has seen a strong close to 2015, its predictions aren’t as strong as Wall Street’s. The Aetna insurance company has closed 2015 with a very strong surge in its last quarter earnings, which rose by 38 percent when compared to its previous quarter. Even though its performance was better than predicted, its 2016 guidance has fallen short of Wall Street’s forecast. The insurance company is the third largest health insurer in the United States. Earlier this week, it announced that it is predicting adjusted…

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