Recent insurance industry figures show that more Americans are receiving health insurance coverage than in previous years. This may be due, at least in part, to the Affordable Care Act, which has pushed many insurance companies to offer more affordable policies. In the first quarter of 2011, insurance companies around the nation were reporting that 600,000 Americans obtained some form of health coverage. The majority of these people were under the age of 26, showing that younger people are finding access to the coverage they need. The amount of young…
Read MoreTag: truth about health care reform
New legislation proposed to watch over health insurance rate increases
As one of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, the nation’s insurance companies will be required to spend at least 85% of the money they collect from premiums on improving the quality of medical care. However, the law does not designate any governing body as the regulatory of the mandate. This has led Senator Dianne Feinstein of California to propose new legislation that would give the Secretary of Health and Human Services regulatory authority over proposed rate increases of 10% or more. Feinstein asserts that insurance premiums are rising…
Read MoreThe battle over health care reform dominance continues with a few good swings
The newly enacted Health Reform law is taking hits again. The House Republicans voted to repeal grant funding for a part of the health care law that would create insurance exchanges across the states. These marketplaces would let individuals and (small) businesses shop and compare policies and their prices. The Republicans voted to deny the funding for the insurance marketplace plan, which is a key element of the reform law. The Republicans feel that it gives too much power to the government to set coverage and plan details. The Republicans…
Read MoreAffordable Care Act: What will be the next move?
The federal government has been embroiled in a battle regarding last year’s health care reform. One of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and one that is most indignantly contested, calls for states to establish a health insurance exchange. Thus far, the federal government has provided states with funding to help them toward this goal. Republicans, many of whom oppose the health care overhaul, have been trying to bar the government from providing money to states for, what they say, is an unconstitutional measure. Late Wednesday, the U.S.…
Read MoreHealth care reform deadlines are forcing states to make a move
The Department of Health and Human Services recently established a deadline one of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The health care reform law mandates states to create health insurance exchanges by 2014, and the HHS says they must show they have made ample progress toward this goal by 2012. Should states fail to adhere to these deadlines; the federal government will take charge of the exchange and establish one itself. The looming deadline has left many states scrambling to get their programs off the ground, and has…
Read MoreOregon struggles with agreeing on health care reform mandates
Lawmakers in Oregon are getting ready to convene and approve the acceptance of a federal grant that would help the state establish their own health insurance exchange. The $48 million grant is being offered by the Department of Health and Human Services as part of its initiative to help states handle the cost of constructing exchanges. There are some in the state’s Senate that are leery of accepting government money for the program, as it is a part of the hotly contested health care reform. The Affordable Care Act mandates…
Read MoreHealth Care Reform Timeline – The clock is ticking!
Many states are currently locked in the legislative throes of establishing a new health insurance exchange, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. While states are not required to have a fully functioning exchange in place until 2014, the government has issued a mid-term deadline. Kathleen Sebelius, secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, says that the deadline is slated for some point in 2012. If states cannot show that they have made sufficient progress in establishing exchanges the federal government will take over the plan. Several states…
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