Are you wondering what exactly a health exchange is? It’s a hot topic with the 2012 election candidates. The term is even buzzing around Facebook and Twitter. Steve clears up the confusion in this simple to follow summary. Every state will be required to have a health exchange by the year 2014. President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act last March and it is now taking action. The purpose of such an exchange is to make health insurance more affordable and easier to purchase for small business and individuals. The exchange will let individuals and small business to compare costs and coverage
Enrollment Up in High-Deductible Health Plans
By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today WASHINGTON — Enrollment in high-deductible health insurance plans that are tied to health savings accounts (HSAs) grew by nearly 14% in the past year, according to America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), an industry trade group. As of January 2011, 11.4 million Americans are covered by high-deductible plans, which are eligible to be coupled with an HSA that can be rolled over from year to year and can be used at any time to pay medical expenses. AHIP, which takes an annual census of enrollment in HSA-eligible plans, found that enrollment in the plans has nearly doubled over the
Pros & Cons of California’s Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP)
What is a Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP)? The Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan is a federal program that offers health coverage to medically-uninsurable individuals who live in California. This federally-funded health coverage program is the result of federal health care reform and is meant to help individuals who are unable to obtain traditional, individual health insurance due to a pre-existing condition. To qualify for the PCIP, a person must: Be a California resident Have no health insurance coverage for the past 6 months prior to application date Be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, or lawfully present individual Provide a social security number Have been denied
A shift toward smaller health insurance networks
Thousands of employers in California and nationwide are opting for ‘narrow network’ HMOs, which offer notable savings on insurance premiums but also offer fewer medical providers. By Duke Helfand April 3, 2011, Thousands of employers in California and across the country are slashing expensive doctors and hospitals from their insurance rosters in a move to hold down rising healthcare costs — a trend that is gaining favor with corporate bosses, if not the rank and file. The savings on insurance premiums — nearly 25% in some cases — are gained when companies switch their health plans to “narrow network” HMOs that offer fewer choices of
California small businesses still unclear on provisions of healthcare reform law, poll finds
A poll commissioned by supporters of the healthcare law finds that 57% of small businesses surveyed are unfamiliar with new tax credits that small employers can use to offset the cost of an employer-provided health plan. Also, 62% did not know about new state-regulated insurance markets. March 20, 2011|By Noam N. Levey, Washington Bureau Nearly a year after President Obama signed his landmark health overhaul, most small businesses in California are still unaware of provisions in the law designed to help them provide their employees with health benefits, according to a new poll. The survey of more than 800 businesses with fewer than 20 employees
The Top 10 Health Insurance Companies in California
The 10 biggest health insurers in California are listed below, ranked by market share according to the latest data available from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in early 2011. Rank Insurer #1 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. #2 Blue Cross of California #3 Health Net of California, Inc. #4 California Physicians’ Service #5 Pacificare of California #6 Anthem Blue Cross Life & Health Ins. Co. #7 Delta Dental of California #8 Aetna Health of California, Inc. #9 Unitedhealthcare Ins. Co. #10 Aetna Life Ins. Co. Source: US Health News
Anthem Blue Cross reduces rate increases
March 21, 2011|By Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times Anthem Blue Cross plans to raise rates for more than 500,000 individual policyholders in California 9.1% on July 1, down from 16.4%, state officials say. In addition, 80,000 members would see rate cuts. California health insurer Anthem Blue Cross, scaling back rate increases for the second time in less than a year, has agreed to cut nearly in half average increases for more than 500,000 individual policyholders. State officials said California’s largest for-profit health insurer would reduce average July 1 increases to 9.1% from 16.4%. Anthem said it also would put on hold until January plans to
State Opens Health Insurance Plan to Provide Coverage to Uninsured Californians
Achieving a major milestone in health care reform, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced California’s Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) has opened for enrollment with coverage beginning today, Monday, October 25, 2010. The PCIP is one of the first major provisions of national health care reform to take effect and is designed to bridge the gap between now and 2014, when insurers will no longer be allowed to decline health coverage or charge higher premiums to individuals with pre-existing conditions. “Today’s action is a major achievement in implementing health care reform in California,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Operating the high-risk insurance plan is a win-win for our