University of California Students Petition to Lift Insurance Caps

Students at the University of California are calling for an end to the caps that are currently part of the student health insurance plans offered by the university. The Affordable Care Act does not require self-funded plans to adhere to the health reform law’s requirements. This could leave students who have a serious medical issue paying for their care out of pocket. In the news this week, there are many articles discussing the problems that students who attend self-funded universities could be facing due to their inadequate student health insurance. This is definitely an issue to look into if you … Continue reading →

Some Student Health Plans are Exempt from ACA Requirements

Does the university your child attends have a fully insured student health plan? Or, is the university self-insured? The answer to that question is important. Some plans that are self-insured are exempt from providing the protections that the Affordable Care Act requires. The Affordable Care Act provides consumers will many protections that did not exist previous to the implementation of the health reform law. It prohibits private health insurance companies from denying coverage for people who have a preexisting condition. It prohibits health insurers from creating plans that come with an annual coverage cap, or a lifetime coverage cap. These … Continue reading →

Clarification on the Birth Control Mandate

The Obama administration has released a clarification on the rules regarding the birth control mandate. It is the portion of the Affordable Care Act that requires health plans to cover contraception. Do you understand what changed and what stayed the same? This blog will give you the facts. The birth control mandate is part of the Affordable Care Act. As of August 1, 2012, all health plans are required to cover women’s preventative health care without charging for a co-pay, coinsurance, or deductible. It includes coverage for all forms of contraception that were approved by the Food and Drug Administration. … Continue reading →

Does it Make Sense to Charge Smokers More?

Health insurance companies tend to charge a higher premium for people who smoke. Employers may impose a higher premium on workers who are smokers than they do for workers who are non-smokers. Does this make sense? This is a question many are asking right now. It is a rather controversial concept. Should people who smoke, or people who are obese, pay more for their health insurance premium than people who are healthier? Is it fair to impose a higher rate on a group of people who are less healthy than the others? Does the penalty really influence people to change … Continue reading →

South Carolina Votes Against State-Based Exchange

Quite some time ago, the Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, decided that her state would not create its own health insurance exchange. Now, the South Carolina House of Representatives have officially voted against a state-based exchange. People who live in the state will still have access to a federal exchange. In September of 2011, the South Carolina Department of Insurance received a federal Planning Grant of $1 million. The purpose of the money from a Planning Grant was to help a state begin working on a state-based health insurance exchange. The governor established the South Carolina Health Planning Committee … Continue reading →

ACLU Ends Legal Challenge to Kansas Insurance Law

This is the end of a court case that had been going on for a very long time. The ACLU sued the state of Kansas over a law that would require health insurance companies to exclude coverage for abortion from policies. The case was scheduled to be heard in March. The settlement prevents the ACLU from raising the same claims in future cases. This particular insurance court case has been going on since 2011. The original judge assigned to the case passed away before the case could be heard. The case was passed to another judge, and then to a … Continue reading →

Washington Considers Reproductive Parity Act Bill

There are two bills that have been introduced to the legislature in the state of Washington. Together, the two are called the Reproductive Parity Act. The purpose of the bills is to help women maintain their current health insurance coverage when the state health insurance exchange opens in October of 2013. First, a little history. An earlier version of the bills that are collectively being called the Reproductive Parity Act passed the Washington House of Representatives in early 2012. The bill was called HB2330. The Washington Senate decided to vote against the possibility of hearing about, and then officially voting … Continue reading →

What’s New at HealthCare.gov?

If you haven’t visited HealthCare.gov recently, you will want to go back and take another look. There have been many changes made. Previously, the website was a resource to learn more about upcoming changes in insurance. It still is, but the focus has shifted to helping people get ready for the health insurance Marketplace. HealthCare.gov was specifically mentioned in a recent post by Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services. The post first appeared on HealthCare.gov, and also can be read at the White House Blog. The post is titled Countdown to Affordable Health Insurance. It has information about … Continue reading →

Sebelius Announces Countdown to Affordable Insurance

Kathleen Sebelius has written a very interesting post on HealthCare.Gov today. It is titled “Countdown to Affordable Health Insurance”. It gives exciting details about the upcoming health insurance exchanges, and how to access them. Some of you might be able to get help with the cost of coverage right now! Kathleen Sebelius is the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You have probably heard her name mentioned quite a lot in regards to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (which is also called Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare”). Right now, you can go to HealthCare.Gov to read her post … Continue reading →

After Much Bickering, Mississippi Begins Work on Exchange

A total of 20 states have had their plans for a health insurance exchange approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. The state of Mississippi has had their application put on hold, until the state’s Governor and Insurance Commissioner managed to agree about the type of exchange Mississippi will have. The Affordable Care Act requires all states to have a functioning health insurance exchange that is ready to go by January 1, 2014. A total of 20 states have gained approval. (or conditional approval) for their plans for an exchange. The majority of them selected a state-based health … Continue reading →