Insurance Journal » Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act http://www.insurancejournal.com Insurance Journal delivers the latest business news for the Property/Casualty insurance industry Sat, 25 May 2013 03:50:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 California Offers Glimpse Into Health Insurance Prices Under Obamacare http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/24/293200.htm Fri, 24 May 2013 13:25:16 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=293200 California unveiled prices on Thursday that consumers will pay for a selection of health plans offered through the state under the Affordable Care Act, providing a glimpse into how health care reform may look as it is rolled out across …

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]]> Employer Contraception Mandate Headed to Court for Ban Ruling http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/05/22/292931.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 14:02:19 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292931 The U.S. law requiring employers to provide health insurance coverage for birth control is set to come before an appeals court in cases brought by two businesses whose owners say they operate according to Catholic doctrine. The businesses, a construction …

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]]> GOP Questions Fundraising for Obamacare http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/05/21/292778.htm Tue, 21 May 2013 13:56:42 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292778 With the White House already reeling from three major controversies, some Republican lawmakers are zeroing in on what they perceive is another possible scandal tied to President Barack Obama’s landmark health reform law just as it nears implementation. On top …

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]]> Republicans Renew Push for Repeal of Obamacare http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/05/10/291532.htm Fri, 10 May 2013 13:14:10 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291532 The White House announced a new $150 million initiative on Thursday to get uninsured Americans covered under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law, as Republicans raised the volume on their calls for “Obamacare” to be repealed. The enrollment program will …

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]]> 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 …

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]]> Health Insurers Cautious About Joining State Health Exchanges http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/05/06/290952.htm Mon, 06 May 2013 14:28:32 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=290952 The nation’s largest health insurers are far from leaping at the chance to join new state health insurance exchanges under President Barack Obama’s reform law, making it likely that some markets will have little or no competition next year. These …

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]]> Senate Democrat Criticizes Healthcare Law Education; Sebelius Cites Lack of Funding http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/04/18/288863.htm Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:00:05 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=288863 A Democratic senator who helped craft President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law gave the administration “a failing grade” on Wednesday for its efforts to educate the public and small employers about sweeping changes due to take effect in eight months. …

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]]> Alabama Governor Says State Will Not Enforce Federal Health Law’s Protections http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/04/08/287466.htm Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:16:56 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=287466 Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has rejected another provision of the federal health care overhaul pushed by President Barack Obama, saying Alabama insurance regulators won’t enforce parts of the law aimed at protecting consumers. Bentley wrote a letter to federal officials …

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]]> Health Insurance Subsidy Could Bring Tax Sting http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/04/04/287223.htm Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:14:13 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=287223 Millions of people who take advantage of government subsidies to help buy health insurance next year could get stung by surprise tax bills if they don’t accurately project their income. President Barack Obama’s new health care law will offer subsidies …

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]]> Southern States Still Opposed to Obamacare http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/04/01/286595.htm Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:28:29 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=286595 As more Republicans give in to President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul, an opposition bloc remains across the South, including from governors who lead some of the nation’s poorest and unhealthiest states. “Not in South Carolina,” Gov. Nikki Haley declared at …

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]]> How Obamacare Could Affect P/C Insurance http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/03/28/286243.htm Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:22:05 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=286243 The key changes in federal health care reform remain months away but property/casualty actuaries are already trying to determine what impact they will have on their own lines of business, particularly workers’ compensation and medical malpractice. Elements of the Affordable …

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]]> Lobbyists Keep Battling As Obamacare Turns 3 http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/03/25/285848.htm Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:34:01 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=285848 Eight months before President Barack Obama’s health care law goes prime time, a confederation of industry and business groups is ramping up its lobbying apparatus for an 11th-hour assault on the web of new taxes and regulations. Medical device makers, …

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]]> Health Cost Savings Innovations Need Time: Obama Official http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/03/21/285374.htm Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:08:48 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=285374 The Obama administration on Wednesday said its experiments at controlling healthcare costs could need up to a year to produce results, frustrating congressional lawmakers eager to know if new innovations in care delivery can actually work. Dr. Richard Gilfillan, who …

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]]> Feds Would Set Florida Health Insurance Rates Under Senate Bill http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/03/21/285226.htm Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:00:15 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=285226 A state Senate health committee recommended this week that the state suspend the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s power to set rates for insurers under the Affordable Care Act and instead let the federal government handle that responsibility. With federal …

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]]> Washington Could Take Over More State Health Exchanges http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/03/15/284846.htm Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:38:51 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=284846 The U.S. government could have to run more state health insurance exchanges than expected under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, if U.S. states pursuing their own marketplaces cannot complete them on time, a senior official said on Thursday. The Obama …

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]]> Large Employers to Keep Health Insurance Benefit for Now: Survey http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/03/07/283932.htm Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:07:55 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=283932 Most large employers don’t expect to send their full-time employees to government health exchanges for insurance during the next five years, but some retirees and part-time workers will end up there, a new survey has found. The outlook for corporate …

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]]> Rate Cap for Older Insureds to Mean Higher Health Insurance Costs for Younger http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/02/25/282524.htm Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:37:32 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=282524 The Obama administration on Friday finalized new consumer safeguards for health insurance that impose tighter restrictions on what insurers can charge older customers, despite industry warnings that the young may be forced to pay more as a result. The Department …

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]]> Federal Government to Run 26 State Health Exchanges http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/02/20/281869.htm Wed, 20 Feb 2013 13:42:35 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=281869 The Obama administration said on Tuesday that it will operate federal online health insurance marketplaces in 26 of the 50 U.S. states with little or no input from local state officials. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced …

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]]> Florida Considers Partners for Health Insurance Exchange http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/02/06/280225.htm Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:04:39 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=280225 Florida lawmakers heard this week from two organizations that could serve as partners in running an insurance exchange under the federal health overhaul. Florida has missed the deadline to run its own online marketplace where people can shop for health …

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]]> Obama Offers Compromise on Birth Control Insurance Coverage http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/02/04/279797.htm Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:49:13 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=279797 The Obama administration on Friday sought to settle a dispute with religious leaders over whether employees at faith-affiliated universities, hospitals and other institutions should have access to health insurance coverage for contraceptives. The new set of proposals would instead guarantee …

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]]> Florida Facing $300M Fine Over Health Insurance for Part-Time Employees http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/01/18/277926.htm Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:32:38 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=277926 It turns out that the state of Florida has yet another major decision to make in the next few months when it comes to the federal healthcare overhaul. The state may be forced to make sweeping changes to its health …

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]]> 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 …

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]]> Four ‘Red’ States Get Health Exchange OK http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2013/01/07/276249.htm Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:15:16 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=276249 Injecting a rare shot of bipartisanship in the nation’s contentious health care overhaul, the Obama administration Thursday cleared four Republican-led states to build their own consumer-friendly insurance markets. With open enrollment for millions of uninsured Americans less than 10 months …

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]]> Federal Court Grants Firm Reprieve from Contraceptive Coverage Mandate http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/12/31/275592.htm Mon, 31 Dec 2012 17:25:48 +0000 Jonathan Stempel http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=275592 A divided federal appeals court has temporarily barred the U.S. government from requiring an Illinois company to obtain insurance coverage for contraceptives, as mandated under the 2010 healthcare overhaul, after the owners objected on religious grounds. More than 40 lawsuits …

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]]> Idaho’s Otter Opts For State-Based Insurance Exchange http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2012/12/14/274102.htm Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:07:38 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=274102 Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said a state-built health insurance exchange is the best option for Idaho under the federal government’s health care overhaul, but left the final decision up to lawmakers who return to Boise in January. Otter has criticized …

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]]> Small Business Owners Face Health Insurance Dilemma http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/12/06/272981.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:09:59 +0000 Joyce Rosenberg http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=272981 Rose Wang looks at her staff of 70 employees and wonders if she’ll have to lay off some of them to comply with the health care law. The owner of Binary Group Inc., an information technology firm based in Alexandria, …

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]]> Obamacare Medical Loss Ratio Saved $1.5 Billion in 2011: Report http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/12/05/272875.htm Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:00:43 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=272875 Consumers saw nearly $1.5 billion in insurer rebates and overhead cost savings in 2011, due to the Affordable Care Act’s medical loss ratio provision requiring health insurers to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on health care or …

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]]> Obamacare Rules on Pre-Existing Conditions, Benefits, Wellness Released http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/11/21/271322.htm Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:56:46 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=271322 The Obama administration on Tuesday proposed new health insurance rules aimed at ending discrimination against the sick and guaranteeing minimum benefits for millions of Americans who are expected to obtain coverage under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law. The rules, …

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]]> Florida Gov. Scott Seeks Meeting on Health Exchange http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2012/11/19/271003.htm Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:04:18 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=271003 Florida Gov. Rick Scott told federal health officials in a letter Friday that he isn’t convinced a state health exchange will lower health care costs for Floridians, and that he’s worried the actual costs could end up exceeding early estimates. …

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]]> Five Republican Governors Reject State-Run Health Exchanges http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/11/19/270990.htm Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:16:01 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=270990 Five Republican governors rejected on Friday a major provision of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law that calls on states to set up online health insurance markets where consumers can purchase private coverage at federally subsidized rates. That makes it …

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