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Mississippi challenge to Affordable Care Act dismissed

September 19, 2012September 19, 2012 Nordstrom

Affordable Care Act challenge dismissed by federal judge After the Affordable Care Act was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this year, the 26 states opposing the federal health care law continued working to dismantle it while simultaneously complying with its provisions. Mississippi, however, was quick to file a follow up lawsuit challenging the law. This lawsuit managed to make its way to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, where federal judge Keith Starrett ruled that the challenge was “premature.” Challenge ruled as premature According to…

New tool calculates impact of Affordable Care Act

September 13, 2012September 13, 2012 Nordstrom

BancorpSouth Insurance provides new service to help companies cope with Affordable Care Act BancorpSouth Insurance Services, a subsidiary of BancorpSouth Bank, has announced the launch of a new tool that will help its clients and others determine the financial impact of the Affordable Care Act. The federal health care law – which was ruled to be constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court – brings a significant number of changes to the country’s insurance landscape. The law introduces and changes many regulations that governed the insurance industry and how companies do…

Massachusetts insurance exchange awarded funds to help it fall in line with the Affordable Care Act

February 24, 2012May 5, 2013

Massachusetts is currently one of the few states that has a working insurance exchange in place. The state’s online marketplace has been a boon for those looking for affordable health insurance policies but it does not comply with the standards established by the Affordable Care Act. Instead of requiring the state to scrap the project and start from scratch, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and auxiliary arm of the Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded the state with funding to help legislators make necessary changes. He…

Partnership Launches First-of-its-Kind Website to Help California Businesses

February 8, 2012 Guest Author

California’s leading business organizations announced that they have joined together to launch a first-its-kind business-oriented website aimed at providing accurate and easy to understand information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Health Law Guide for Business, tailored specifically for the business community, will help business owners navigate through all 2,409 pages of the health care law with one simple website www.healthlawguideforbusiness.org. “The Health Law Guide for Business is a practical and fact driven website that houses the most current information regarding the new health care law. It…

Department of Health and Human Services issues legal briefing regarding Affordable Care Act

January 31, 2012January 31, 2012 Nordstrom

As the Affordable Care Act continues its slow march toward the Supreme Court, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued a legal brief regarding the matter. The federal health care law has come under fire largely due to one of its provisions. The provision requires all U.S. citizens to purchase some kind of health insurance. 26 states have come together to combat this provision, along with some of the other aspects of the law. The HHS claims that if the individual insurance mandate is declared unconstitutional, the Supreme…

Insurance regulators pass controversial resolution to amend the Affordable Care

November 23, 2011May 7, 2013

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) gathered this week to vote on a controversial resolution that would have drastic effects on a consumer protection clause of the Affordable Care Act. The provision would have saved consumers nationwide approximately $1 billion in premiums while offering them protections from future rate hikes. The provision is also part of the controversial medical loss ratio provision of the health care law – which requires insurers to pay no less than 80% of their premium money on medical care. Regulators have been divided on…

Wyoming looks to build its own health insurance exchange

November 23, 2011 Nordstrom

Wyoming has taken its first tentative steps in building its own health insurance exchange. The state has launched the Wyoming Health Benefits Exchange Steering Committee. The members of the committee are tasked to examine the benefits and failings of an exchange program and determine how the state can successfully implement such system. While the federal health care law is shrouded in uncertainty as it awaits a constitutionality ruling from the Supreme Court, Wyoming legislators are not willing to spend more time speculating on the exchange. According to federal law, each…