Insurance Journal » healthcare reform http://www.insurancejournal.com Insurance Journal delivers the latest business news for the Property/Casualty insurance industry Fri, 24 May 2013 22:09:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Report: Oklahoma Should Expand Insurance Program http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/05/13/291742.htm Mon, 13 May 2013 16:40:38 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291742 A consulting firm hired by Oklahoma to help answer the question of how to insure 200,000 people without health coverage told the state’s Medicaid board that an existing program could be used to build a broader system by 2015. Utah-based …

The article Report: Oklahoma Should Expand Insurance Program appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Revised Medicaid Expansion Backed by Louisiana House Panel http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/05/10/291584.htm Fri, 10 May 2013 16:25:36 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291584 A proposal that would tap into federal funding available to offer insurance to the working poor narrowly received the backing of the House health committee, after two Republican lawmakers sided with Democrats to advance the bill. But one of those …

The article Revised Medicaid Expansion Backed by Louisiana House Panel appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Ohio Insurance Director Warns of Healthcare-Related ID Scam http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/05/10/291581.htm Fri, 10 May 2013 16:22:52 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291581 Ohio Lieutenant Governor and Insurance Director Mary Taylor issued an alert after reports surfaced that telephone con artists are attempting to steal Ohioans’ personal information using the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a ploy. The scammers are claiming to be …

The article Ohio Insurance Director Warns of Healthcare-Related ID Scam appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Feds Say Insure Oklahoma Program Must Change http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/05/10/291500.htm Fri, 10 May 2013 05:57:56 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291500 An Oklahoma program that uses Medicaid funding to provide health insurance to 30,000 low-income Oklahomans must change in order to keep its funding, the federal government has said, even as a legislative plan that tries to make those changes seems …

The article Feds Say Insure Oklahoma Program Must Change appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> ACE Launches New Management Liability Options for Health Care Organizations http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/05/08/291318.htm Wed, 08 May 2013 16:59:08 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291318 The ACE Group has launched ACE Express Private Health Care Protection and ACE Express Not-For-Profit Health Care Protection policies specifically designed for the new exposures facing health care organizations. The policies address exposures such as an increase in False Claims …

The article ACE Launches New Management Liability Options for Health Care Organizations appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Arkansas, Oklahoma: No Plans to Move State Workers to Health Exchanges http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/04/29/290120.htm Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:20:12 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=290120 As lawmakers in the state of Washington consider moving some part-time government workers out of a state-sponsored health plan and into an insurance exchange developed under the nation’s new health care overhaul law, officials in Oklahoma and Arkansas say there …

The article Arkansas, Oklahoma: No Plans to Move State Workers to Health Exchanges appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Rules for Health ‘Navigators’ Head to Ohio Governor http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/04/29/290088.htm Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:59:35 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=290088 A bill to require training and certification for a new group of professionals who will be available to guide consumers through the new health insurance market is on its way to Ohio Gov. John Kasich. The House agreed 87-7 to …

The article Rules for Health ‘Navigators’ Head to Ohio Governor appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Arkansas House Passes ‘Private-Option’ Medicaid Funds http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/04/17/288705.htm Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:22:45 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=288705 The Arkansas House on Tuesday approved a plan to use federal Medicaid funds to buy private insurance for low-income residents, with many Republicans saying the approach is the best way to maintain some control over provisions of a new federal …

The article Arkansas House Passes ‘Private-Option’ Medicaid Funds appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Pennsylvania Senate Renews Bid to Limit Abortion Coverage http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2013/04/14/288304.htm Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:54:03 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=288304 State senators are renewing an effort to ban coverage of elective abortions by insurance policies that are offered in Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace that begins in 2014.The bill passed the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on April 9 on an …

The article Pennsylvania Senate Renews Bid to Limit Abortion Coverage appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Iowa Senate Panel OKs Small Business Health Coverage Tax Incentive http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/04/05/287192.htm Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:49:37 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=287192 An Iowa Senate panel approved a bill that would give a new income tax break to small businesses if they cover part of their employees’ health insurance. The measure passed a Senate Ways and Means subcommittee with bipartisan support and …

The article Iowa Senate Panel OKs Small Business Health Coverage Tax Incentive appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Arkansas Governor: U.S. Government Will Help With Private Insurance http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/04/05/287189.htm Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:46:25 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=287189 Federal officials have offered “conceptual support” for Arkansas’ plan to use Medicaid dollars to buy private health insurance for low-income residents, Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe announced as he urged the Republican-led Legislature to move forward with the proposal. In a …

The article Arkansas Governor: U.S. Government Will Help With Private Insurance appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Arkansas Legislative Leaders Back Insurance Expansion http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/04/03/287031.htm Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:50:36 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=287031 The Republican leaders of the Arkansas House and Senate have endorsed a proposal to purchase private insurance for thousands of low-income workers using federal funds, an idea lawmakers are considering as an alternative to expanding Medicaid’s enrollment under the federal …

The article Arkansas Legislative Leaders Back Insurance Expansion appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Backs Insurance Expansion http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/04/01/286639.htm Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:43:09 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=286639 Arkansas’ largest business lobbying organization backed a proposal to provide subsidized health insurance to thousands of low-income residents, a move that could help win over lawmakers skeptical of the alternative to expanding the state’s Medicaid program. The Arkansas State Chamber …

The article Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Backs Insurance Expansion appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> U.S. Appeals Court Grants Hobby Lobby Full Hearing http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/04/01/286628.htm Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:30:31 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=286628 A federal appeals court has granted Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby’s request for the entire court to hear its challenge of a federal requirement that it provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraceptives. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court …

The article U.S. Appeals Court Grants Hobby Lobby Full Hearing appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Judge Overturns Missouri Law on Birth Control Coverage http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/03/19/285139.htm Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:29:04 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=285139 A federal judge has struck down a Missouri law exempting moral objectors from mandatory birth control coverage because it conflicts with an insurance requirement under President Barrack Obama’s health care law. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig cites …

The article Judge Overturns Missouri Law on Birth Control Coverage appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Refuses to Enforce Affordable Care Act http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/03/18/285029.htm Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:02:23 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=285029 The Oklahoma Insurance Department will not be participating in a collaborative effort with the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) to enforce the Affordable Care Act, according to a letter released by Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. …

The article Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Refuses to Enforce Affordable Care Act appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Minnesota House Passes Health Exchange Proposal http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/03/06/283864.htm Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:48:32 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=283864 The Minnesota House passed a bill establishing the state’s health insurance exchange, the first step toward enactment of an online marketplace that aims to give more than a million Minnesotans a new place to purchase affordable health insurance. Rep. Joe …

The article Minnesota House Passes Health Exchange Proposal appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Assurex Global Launches Employee-Benefits Marketplace Platform http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/02/27/282965.htm Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:43:43 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=282965 Assurex Global has launched a new private marketplace employee benefits platform for employers to offer a wide-range of administrative flexibility and employee health benefit options. “Employers have been struggling for years with ever-increasing medical costs,” said Assurex Global President and …

The article Assurex Global Launches Employee-Benefits Marketplace Platform appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> AssuredPartners Selects Law Firms to Counsel Clients on Affordable Care Act http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/02/22/282383.htm Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:02:46 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=282383 AssuredPartners, Inc. and its Employee Benefits Committee for Affordable Care Act Compliance has formed a new partnership with national law firms BakerHostetler and Proskauer to provide Affordable Care Act compliance counsel to clients of AssuredPartners’ platform companies. BakerHostetler and Proskauer …

The article AssuredPartners Selects Law Firms to Counsel Clients on Affordable Care Act appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> New Jersey Hospitals Pioneer Cost-Cutting Model http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2013/02/19/281704.htm Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:10:34 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=281704 When a patient was moved from the intensive care unit to a regular hospital bed, it used to be routine for Dr. Anthony Granato to order 24 hours of heart monitoring, just in case. A few years ago, his thinking …

The article New Jersey Hospitals Pioneer Cost-Cutting Model appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Emails Show Change in Oklahoma Health Exchange Policy http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/02/11/280827.htm Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:51:38 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=280827 A 2011 decision by Oklahoma’s insurance commissioner to return a federal health care grant came just days after a prominent conservative encouraged state officials to reconsider their approach to President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Insurance Commissioner John Doak announced …

The article Emails Show Change in Oklahoma Health Exchange Policy appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Ohio Health Insurance Company Sues State, Feds http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/01/23/278180.htm Wed, 23 Jan 2013 06:46:10 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=278180 An Ohio health insurance company is suing state and federal officials over confusion in rules for a program for patients with pre-existing conditions. At issue is a high-risk insurance pool created by President Barack Obama’s health care law targeting patients …

The article Ohio Health Insurance Company Sues State, Feds appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> What Employees Should Know About Healthcare Changes Ahead http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/01/17/277777.htm Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:29:02 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=277777 If you like your 401(k) retirement savings account, you’re going to love what healthcare reform does to your employer-provided health care plan. In a post-Obamacare future, expect more employers to adopt defined contribution healthcare plans. Instead of providing coverage, they …

The article What Employees Should Know About Healthcare Changes Ahead appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> IronHealth Launches Financial Risk Products for Healthcare Organizations http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/10/03/265425.htm Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:45:15 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=265425 IronHealth, the specialty healthcare unit of Ironshore Inc., has launched two financial risk products designed for healthcare organizations: Provider Excess Insurance (PEI) and HMO Reinsurance (HMORe). IronHealth’s new products address the ongoing evolution in the healthcare sector as healthcare providers …

The article IronHealth Launches Financial Risk Products for Healthcare Organizations appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Alabama Governor Won’t Implement Part of Health Law http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2012/10/03/265335.htm Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:46:08 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=265335 Gov. Robert Bentley announced this week that he won’t implement part of the federal Affordable Health Care Act in Alabama. Bentley’s aides said the Alabama governor sent a letter to Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius explaining that he’s an opponent …

The article Alabama Governor Won’t Implement Part of Health Law appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> ‘One Way or Another’ Agencies See Growth in Group Health http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2012/07/16/255862.htm Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:13:38 +0000 Don Jergler http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=255862 “One way or another.” Is that the best way to describe a sound investment strategy nowadays? Yes. If you’re talking about the growing number of agencies investing in group health benefits offerings. It’s the attitude being echoed by more and …

The article ‘One Way or Another’ Agencies See Growth in Group Health appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Mississippi Insurance Chief to Build Health Exchange Despite Critics http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2012/07/13/255535.htm Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:18:24 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=255535 Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said he’s going to continue with plans for a state-run insurance exchange, despite opposition from some in the Tea Party. More than 30 Tea Party members attended a meeting of a committee that’s drafting recommendations …

The article Mississippi Insurance Chief to Build Health Exchange Despite Critics appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> With Supreme Court Ruling In, Employers Turn to Healthcare Law’s Requirements: Mercer http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/07/10/254973.htm Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:13:24 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=254973 The majority of employers in a recent survey said they had been waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision before developing a strategy to respond to the law’s provisions slated to go into effect in 2014 and beyond. While 40 …

The article With Supreme Court Ruling In, Employers Turn to Healthcare Law’s Requirements: Mercer appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Texas Governor Refuses to Implement Insurance Exchange, Expand Medicaid http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2012/07/10/254903.htm Tue, 10 Jul 2012 05:49:07 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=254903 Texas won’t be working on the implementation of a health insurance exchange, one of the key provisions of the federal healthcare reform law that was recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, any time soon. In a letter to U.S. …

The article Texas Governor Refuses to Implement Insurance Exchange, Expand Medicaid appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]> Corporate Winners, Losers Under Supreme Court Healthcare Ruling http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/06/29/253680.htm Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:18:04 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=253680 Hospitals and insurers providing Medicaid plans for the poor emerged as the main corporate winners from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, while investors in large insurers were left deflated. The ruling paves the …

The article Corporate Winners, Losers Under Supreme Court Healthcare Ruling appeared first on Insurance Journal.

]]>