Live Insurance News

Georgia to operate its own health insurance market under newly signed law

May 5, 2023May 5, 2023 Logan B.

The state government will be operating the exchange on its own for the first time. Governor Brian Kemp (R) has signed a bill into law that will have the Georgia state government taking over its own health insurance marketplace for individual coverage for the first time. Among the reasons the governor signed the bill is to boost competition and give consumers options. According to Governor Kemp, who spoke at a ceremony at the state Capitol, this new law will provide state residents with a better way of “knowing and comparing…

NY bill would require health insurance coverage for cancer biomarker testing

May 1, 2023April 28, 2023 Marc

Health insurance - Cancer biomarker test

Lawmakers and cancer survivors came together in support of the New York legislation. Last week, New York lawmakers and cancer survivors gathered by the hundreds in Albany in support of legislation that would require health insurance companies to cover patient testing for cancer biomarkers. Insurers, however, have expressed their opposition to the bill for this new coverage requirement. Cancer Action Day at the New York state Capitol was focused on the mandate which would apply to Medicaid all health insurance policies providing major medical coverage. They would all be required…

Bill to let health insurance companies and doctors in Florida deny patients care

April 14, 2023April 13, 2023 Logan B.

Health insurance companies - Access to health care denied

The state is considering a bill that is intended to provide insurers and healthcare providers choice. A Florida bill currently under consideration is aiming to provide doctors and health insurance companies in the state permission to drop a patient or to choose not to pay for their health care based on what is being referred to as a “conscience-based objection.” Concern was immediately raised regarding the risk of discrimination if HB1403 were to pass. The highly controversial HB1403 could leave the door open for a broad spectrum of discrimination against…

Michigan Governor Whitmer seeks to protect state’s preventive healthcare

April 12, 2023April 11, 2023 G. Turner

On the heels of the court decision in Texas, the governor is moving to keep this insurance coverage in place. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced that despite a recent court ruling in Texas, Michigan intends to maintain the requirement for preventive healthcare insurance coverage. The governor has announced that insurers representing all fully insured state residents will continue the coverage. The ruling that occurred in the Texas court was one that struck down an Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision. That provision had required health insurance companies to provide coverage…

Florida to expand KidCare children’s health insurance but not Medicaid

March 31, 2023March 29, 2023 Logan B.

Health insurance - Children's health care

State legislature is working to broaden eligibility for the kids’ coverage but not their uninsured parents. Lawmakers in Florida are working to expand the eligibility for the KidCare children’s health insurance program, but advocates are pointing out that the state won’t be following in North Carolina’s footsteps, where there was recently a vote to broaden Medicaid’s reach to an estimated 600,000 North Carolinians. It is unlikely that Florida will make similar changes to expand the availability of Medicaid in 2023, as has been the case in a number of Republican…

Tax Season Is Marketing Opportunity For Medicare Insurance Agents

March 30, 2023 Live Insurance News

April 15 is just around the corner and millions of seniors will be preparing their annual tax filings. For agents and brokers who focus on Medicare solutions, this is another ideal opportunity to solidify your role as the ‘go-to local Medicare professional’. The competition for Medicare business has never made it harder for independent insurance agents. Anyone taking the time to watch daytime television knows that one Medicare-focused commercial is almost immediately followed by another. You can’t beat the ability of these large entities to spend millions of dollars generating…

Private health insurance customers get 70% Eli Lilly insulin drug discount

March 7, 2023March 6, 2023 H. Cutner

Private health insurance - Money - medical

The drugmaker will cap the monthly cost of the medication at $35 per month for those policyholders. Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co. has announced that it will reduce the price tag on its most commonly prescribed insulin products for private health insurance customers. This discount is by 70 percent, with a cap at $35 per month at certain retail pharmacies. The price of the Lispro injection will be discounted to $25 per vial, starting on May 1, 2023. Lilly also announced that it would be reducing the price of…