Illinois has Insurance Exchange Approved

The Department of Health and Human Services has granted conditional approval for Illinois’ plan for a health insurance exchange. The state will have an exchange that is a federal-state partnership. In this blog, I also have an update about what each state is doing with their exchange. On February 13, 2013, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, announced that the state of Illinois has been granted conditional approval for their plan to operate a health insurance exchange. The state has decided to create a partnership exchange. This means it will be run, in part, by … Continue reading →

Pre-Existing Condition Plan is Suspending Enrollment

The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, (PCIP) one of the first portions of the Affordable Care Act to go into affect, is suspending enrollment. The short answer as to the reason why is because the funding is running out. Those currently enrolled will still be covered by the plan. The Pre-Existing Condition Plan (PCIP) is part of the Affordable Care Act. It was created in 2010, and was one of the very first health reform changes to go into affect. The main purpose of the PCIP was to guarantee health insurance coverage for people who had previously been struggling to find … Continue reading →

Today, I Go to the Dentist

Some dread going to the dentist, but not me. I finally have dental insurance again, which means I can afford to actually go to the dentist for preventative care. My new plan is a good one, and inexpensive. After years of not being able to pay the cost of going to a dentist, I am glad to be able to go today. The last time I saw a dentist was sometime during 2009. At the time, I had the type of job that offered not only health insurance, but also coverage for dental. As you may recall, 2009 was right … Continue reading →

Fewer Young Adults Lacked Health Insurance in 2012

Gallup does polls about all kinds of things. They ask people specific questions, and keep track of the answers. According to Gallup, fewer young adults in the United States lacked health insurance coverage in 2012 than that age group did in previous years. In 2010, a specific provision of the Affordable Care Act went into affect. As of September 23, 2010, young adults who were between the ages of 18 and 26 were able to be covered by their parent’s health insurance policies. Previous to this health reform law, insurers were only allowing parents to include coverage for their children … Continue reading →

My Broker’s Advice About My Discontinued Policy

In August of 2012, my health insurance company, Anthem, sent me a letter telling me that my policy had been discontinued. Naturally, I panicked. I need health insurance, and this was the only plan I could afford. Later, they sent a letter telling me they were raising the premium cost. What to do? Here’s what my insurance broker advised. After several unsuccessful attempts to find affordable health insurance, I went to see an insurance broker. This brilliant woman found me a plan that was comprehensive and that had a premium that was low enough for me to afford. If I … Continue reading →

Mississippi’s Exchange has been Rejected

This is a first. The federal government has rejected Mississippi’s plan for a state-based health insurance exchange. This is a result of disagreements between the state’s Governor and Insurance Commissioner. It is still possible for the state to create a partnership exchange. The state of Mississippi has a unique situation going on in regards to its health insurance exchange. Governor Phil Bryant and Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney have had disagreements about what kind of exchange their state would have, and over who has the authority to make that decision. In November of 2012, Commissioner Chaney sent a letter to the … Continue reading →

USCCB Rejects Clarification on Birth Control Mandate

Not long after the Obama administration issued a clarification on the birth control mandate, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that they don’t like it. This is unsurprising, because the USCCB has been against the birth control mandate since it was first made into law. Their opinion does not cause a change to the law, however. Here we go again! One could describe the battle for birth control coverage as resembling a ping pong match. The Obama administration includes contraception as preventative care and requires insurance plans to cover the cost of it. The United States Conference of … Continue reading →

A few More Words from the ACA Glossary

Have you been paying attention to the Affordable Care Act? If not, then there may be a lot of words and phrases that people use to talk about the ACA that you could be unfamiliar with. Fortunately, there is an Affordable Care Act Glossary. Here are a few more words from the ACA Glossary that you should know. Community Rating: A rule that prevents health insurers from varying premiums within a geographic area based on age, gender, health status, or other factors. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): A Federal law that guarantees up to 12 weeks of job protected … Continue reading →

More from the Affordable Care Act Glossary

The Affordable Care Act is a set of health reform laws that were designed to make it possible for individuals and small businesses to be able to find affordable health insurance. It offers several protections to consumers that did not exist before the law. Here are some terms and jargon to help you understand more about the Affordable Care Act. When you were in school, there was probably a glossary in the back of at least one of your textbooks. Your teacher directed you to take a look at it whenever you didn’t understand a word or phrase that you … Continue reading →

The Affordable Care Act Glossary

By now, you have undoubtedly heard of the Affordable Care Act. When it is discussed, people tend to use jargon and phrases that you might not entirely understand the meaning of. Fortunately, there is an Affordable Care Act Glossary at HealthCare.gov that can help you. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also know as the Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare”) was signed by President Obama in 2010. It is a series of health reform laws and regulations that are designed to help consumers find affordable health insurance coverage. There are a whole lot of terms that people use when … Continue reading →