The Department of Health and Human Services has exercised one of the new authorities it has been granted under the Affordable Care Act this week. The agency has denied a rate proposal request from Everence Insurance of Pennsylvania. This marks the first time the agency has made use of its new authority over the nation’s insurance companies. Everence Insurance must now rework their rate proposal so that it aligns with what the HHS defines as reasonable. Earlier this year, Everence submitted a rate increase proposal to the Pennsylvanian Department of…
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Indiana’s request for exemption from the medical loss ratio rule is denied
Earlier in the year, Indiana’s Department of Insurance submitted an official request to the federal government seeking to free the state’s insurance companies from the medical loss ratio requirement of the Affordable Care Act. The health care law dictates that all insurers should spend no less than 80% of the money they collect on premiums on improving medical care. According to the law, if companies fail to meet the requirement, they must return the money to consumers. Indiana’s request for an exemption from the rule has been denied by the…
Read MoreAmerican Medical Association suggests physicians and consumers play a governing role in state-run health insurance exchanges
As states continue to show indecision regarding the establishment of health insurance exchanges, the American Medical Association has decided to enter the fray. The association, comprised of medical professionals throughout the U.S., has issued a number of recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services. The AMA has suggested a number of rules that would serve as protection for patients and physicians participating in the exchanges. The AMA has also stated that physicians and patients should have a governing role in a state’s health insurance exchange program. Though the…
Read MoreHealth insurance rates to rise by an average of 8% in New York
Data from the New York Department of Financial Services, which succeeds the state’s Insurance Department, shows that New Yorkers can expect to pay at least an average of 8% more on health insurance next year. In other, more populated areas of the state, such as New York City, the rates could get double-digit increases. Regulators have approved rate proposals from several insurance companies. The rate increases will affect more than 2 million policyholders throughout the state. Regulators approved the sleuth of rate increases in the hopes that the move would…
Read MoreObama administration requests lower rate increase from health insurance company
The Obama administration has used a new tool from their healthcare overhaul to pressure a health insurer with intentions to increase its rates in Pennsylvania reduce the size of this hike. Department of Health and Human Services officials have announced that they feel that it was “unreasonable” for Everence Insurance Co. to plan a 12 percent increase in the rates for approximately 5,000 individuals employed by small businesses within the state. According to Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services Secretary, the intended rate increase was not adequately justified by…
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