California enrollment period for Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan coming to a premature end

In California, enrollment in the federal Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan may be coming to a premature end. The plan is an offshoot of the Affordable Care Act and aims to bring affordable insurance coverage to those with chronic illnesses and other pre-existing conditions that kept private insurers away for years. Lawmakers had originally set the enrollment limit in California to 23,000 people. The costs of running the program, however, seem to be much more than first estimated, and California legislators have lowered the enrollment limit to a scant 6,800. With…

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Missouri residents in the highest risk group will have lower health insurance rates

Missouri officials have announced that they will be decreasing the rates for the high risk healthcare pool by 23 percent for both current and new participants in the program. In 2010, Missouri created a new health insurance pool for the highest risk group, but though it was anticipated that there would be about 3,000 people who joined the program, less than 600 have done so, as many claim that the premiums are simply too expensive. The reduction in the rates are being made possible by both federal funds and policyholder…

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Low enrollment in federal insurance program spurs a drop in premiums

Earlier this year, the federal government expanded the eligibility of a federal health insurance program to include those with preexisting conditions. The initiative was originally slated to take effect in 2014, along with the rest of the Affordable Care Act, but the Department of Health and Human Services enacted the new rules in an effort to ensure more people were receiving health insurance. The program, however, has been fraught with low enrollment, spurring the HHS to lower premiums by an average of 18% throughout the nation. The HHS hopes that…

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Pre-existing conditions insurance rules loosened

The federal government is making moves to make health insurance more affordable for those with pre-existing conditions. Today, officials expanded a program that was established as part of the new healthcare laws. Throughout the country, the government is lowering insurance rates on special policies that cover those with chronic conditions like cancer and diabetes. Furthermore, restrictions on who can apply for pre-existing condition insurance plans have been loosened, allow for more people to purchase such policies. Originally, the program was designed to help those with chronic illnesses receive temporary coverage…

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Living organ donors have a hard time finding health insurance

Living organ donors are facing some major challenges when it comes to obtaining insurance coverage. Organ donation can often be a tricky subject. Donation isn’t often associated with organs coming from a living patient, but rather one that is recently deceased. Living donors are commonplace, providing a kidney or a part of their liver to those in need. Many health insurers are now claiming that organ donation is equivalent to a pre-existing condition, making affordable coverage a real issue for living donors. While insurers are barred from explicitly denying coverage…

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