Starting next year, health insurance companies will have greater leeway when it comes to increasing premiums for their plans. In a final rule issued in April 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made changes to the regulations that govern rate hikes. Beginning in 2019, insurance companies will have to submit new rates for… Continue Reading ›
House Speaker Paul Ryan announced in early April that he will be leaving office in January after a nearly 20-year career in Congress. The response has been mixed, not to mention divided along party lines. Ryan will vacate his position in government without accomplishing two of his more highly publicized political goals: entitlement reform and… Continue Reading ›
Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law in 2010, it’s been a controversial measure in the history of American healthcare. Like any hot topic, Obamacare has its naysayers and supporters, its pros and cons. But the arguments haven’t ended with its namesake’s presidential term. In fact, the ACA remains in the spotlight as politicians… Continue Reading ›
Dismantling the Affordable Care Act has been one of the hallmarks of the Trump administration, and its latest action in this regard could weaken the so-called Obamacare program with reduced funding that will likely translate into higher policy premiums. President Donald Trump was unable to score a political victory when he tried to repeal the… Continue Reading ›
A report released in May by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) found that about 3 million more people will be uninsured in 2019 than originally projected in September 2017. According to the report, the CBO revised its methods for estimating the impact that elimination of the individual mandate… Continue Reading ›
Medicare Won’t Be Bankrupt by 2026 – But It’s Not in Good Shape Headlines this week proclaimed that Medicare would be insolvent by 2026, three years earlier than predicted in last year’s Trustees report from Social Security. Per this year’s report on the state of finances for both Social Security and Medicare, both programs are… Continue Reading ›
With midterm elections looming and many experts predicting a Democratic sweep, Republicans may be considering another attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This would be the fourth attempt by the GOP to repeal the national healthcare act, something many Republican candidates promised constituents during the 2016 campaign season. Although there is little indication… Continue Reading ›
CMS Reports 11.8 Million People Signed Up for Health Insurance Using Exchanges in 2018 Final numbers for the 2018 open enrollment period indicate that about 11.8 million people used federal or state marketplaces to sign up for health insurance. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final report in April tallying the… Continue Reading ›
Without Congressional intervention, insurance companies indicate that insurance premiums will rise again in 2019. Insurers only have until summer to decide if they will continue to participate in the insurance marketplace, and many claim they are suffering significant losses due to coverage of Americans with greater medical needs. Death Spiral Chet Burrell, CEO of CareFirst… Continue Reading ›
The deadline for comments on the Department of Health and Human Services proposal to give Americans a choice to buy short-term health insurance plans for one year has expired. According to the Washington Post, the agency received a multitude of responses asking the department to modify the proposal. The Trump administration plans to make monthly… Continue Reading ›
Can you afford to get sick? View Infographic ›
Open Enrollment 2018 Who, What, Where, When & Why? View Infographic ›
How does cost sharing work? View Infographic ›