A new nationwide study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics examined uninsured rates. Nearly 29 million Americans across the country currently lack a health insurance plan. This is a considerable reduction in the uninsured rate. In 2010, almost 49 million Americans didn’t have health insurance coverage. Californians are faring even better than the rest of the country in terms of their coverage rates. That said, on the other end of the spectrum, Texans are the Americans least likely to have a health insurance plan. In that state, 20…
Read MoreTag: medicaid expansion
Graham-Cassidy health care bill may doom future GOP attempts to kill ACA
Insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, patient groups and even John McCain have vehemently opposed the bill. The Graham-Cassidy health care bill is facing widespread opposition from many directions, including from a key member of the Republican party. Should this most recent effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) fail, it may prove to be the end of the effort. Hospitals, doctors, health insurance companies and other groups rallied together to oppose the bill. This represents an alliance of groups that are very rarely all on the same side. However, the…
Read MoreHealth insurance benefits improve infant mortality rates
A new study conducted by NC Child revealed that these rates are closely linked to coverage. Children’s health care advocacy group, NC Child, released the outcome of a recent health insurance benefits study it conducted. The organization looks into best health practices by collecting data from North Carolina families and communities. This most recent research looked specifically at the infant mortality rates and their relationship with health plans. The study indicated a direct relationship between health insurance benefits and improved infant mortality rates. NC Child director of research and data,…
Read MoreArkansas Insurance Commissioner advocates expansion of Medicaid program
Arkansas health insurance could be affected by expansion of Medicaid Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford has begun touring the state in order to promote the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program. The state’s Legislature is set to vote on a bill on February 1 that will provide the necessary funding for health care initiatives. According to Commissioner Bradford, expanding the state’s Medicaid program should be a top priority for legislators that are concerned about health care and the availability of health insurance in Arkansas. Bradford works to make information more…
Read MoreStates seek alternative to Medicaid health insurance expansion
Lawmakers continue to wrangle with health insurance requirements The Affordable Care Act will become fully enacted next year, leaving states throughout the U.S. relatively little time to comply with the federal law’s numerous provisions. One of these provisions, in particular, has been somewhat controversial in several states. That is the mandatory expansion of Medicaid. While the Medicaid program is, technically, overseen by the federal government, each state has its own division of the program which they are required to govern. Per the Affordable Care Act, all states must expand their…
Read MoreHealth care reforms Medicaid expansion debate in Texas hurts some more than others
The working poor in the state have the most to lose. The health care reforms in Texas are currently focused on the debate as to whether or not the state wants to choose to expand its Medicaid program, as it was given the choice by the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Many in the state earn too much for Medicaid but cannot afford medical insurance. It is individuals and families in that situation that are at the very heart of the health care reforms…
Read MoreThird day of litigation of Affordable Care Act still focused on insurance mandate, Justices touch briefly on Medicaid expansion
The third day of arguments concerning the Affordable Care Act took place on Wednesday this week. Though the schedule laid out by the Supreme Court earlier this month indicated that the third day of litigation would concern the health care law’s changes to Medicaid and Medicare, the Court’s Justices were keen to keep their attention on the law’s health insurance mandate. Justices are no longer focusing on the constitutionality of the mandate; however, they are now seeking an answer to a simple question: Can the health care law survive if…
Read More