Live Insurance News

Covered California launches massive health insurance data collection campaign

June 25, 2015June 24, 2015 S.Vagus

Covered California will be collecting data to better understand the insurance market California’s health insurance exchange, called Covered California, is set to launch a large-scale data-mining project that will aim to shed light on the way people are using their insurance coverage. The organization will collect information from the insurance companies providing policies through the exchange and it will also collect data concerning how these policies are used. Covered California will also record doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescription information. Some are concerned about the security of their information With…

Legislation aims to expand health insurance in California

June 2, 2015May 30, 2015 Logan B.

State seeks to make insurance coverage accessible to undocumented residents New legislation in California could extend health insurance coverage to undocumented residents. The legislation is currently being considered by the California State Senate Appropriations Committee. If the legislation manages to make its way through the legislative process and becomes law, undocumented immigrants will gain access to health insurance benefits and, perhaps, subsidies that will allow them to afford the coverage that they need. This coverage would be available through the state’s insurance exchange. Estimated 1 million undocumented residents lack insurance…

Health insurance must be purchased by Californians by today

April 30, 2015April 28, 2015 Julie Campbell

The residents of that state will need to buy their coverage or they will face a tax penalty for the full year. Californians who haven’t yet purchased their health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act have until the end of the day, today, to obtain their coverage and stop themselves from facing a tax penalty for the whole year. The second, extended enrollment period for the health care reform is now coming to an official close. Technically speaking, the health insurance enrollment period was supposed to have come to…

California legislation could extend health insurance coverage to undocumented immigrants

April 15, 2015April 13, 2015 Marc

1 million undocumented immigrants could gain access to health insurance coverage New legislation in California could make it possible for undocumented immigrants to receive health insurance coverage through the state’s Medicaid program and its insurance exchange. If successful, the legislation would expand coverage to an estimated 1 million immigrants that live in the state. The legislation is currently before the California Senate, where lawmakers are determining whether the initiative will be in the best interests of the state and its residents. Many could gain access to the state’s Medicaid program…

California could fall short of its health insurance enrollment goal

February 16, 2015February 14, 2015 S.Vagus

Covered California may not reach its enrollment goal this year California may be falling short of its goal to enroll 1.7 million people into its health insurance exchange, called Covered California. The state has been heavily promoting its insurance exchange, hoping to raise awareness of the availability of health insurance coverage for those that do not have it. During the last open enrollment period, the state managed to enroll hundreds of thousands of people into the exchange, but enrollment rates have slowed considerably during the last days of the latest…

Contract dispute creates health insurance controversy in California

January 22, 2015January 20, 2015 S.Vagus

280,000 people may be affected by contract dispute between Blue Shield and Sutter Health A contract dispute in California may create some turbulence for health insurance consumers in the state. The dispute is between Blue Shield of California, one of the state’s largest health insurance providers, and the Sutter Health network of medical professionals and hospitals. The dispute may have an impact on some 280,000 consumers in Northern and Central California, forcing these people to find new doctors and hospitals that they can use with their insurance coverage. Consumers may…

Health insurance choice limitations frustrate many Californians

January 19, 2015January 17, 2015 G. Turner

For people living in some parts of the state, they are not seeing the selection that they feel they were promised. When Peter Lee, the executive director of Covered California, spoke about the health insurance exchange in the state, last July, he gave the impression that Californians would be able to use the marketplace to purchase their plans and would always have at least two plans from which to choose. However, depending on where they live, this is not always the case for many people across the state. Lee’s announcement…