This is an important week for the health insurance industry in Illinois. The state has entered the national limelight as it draws closer to making a decision regarding the establishment of a health insurance exchange. Legislators have been torn on the issue since the passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. A law that would make the exchange a reality is currently before the state Legislature and lawmakers are expected to determine the fate of the exchange initiative by the end of the week. If the law is passed,…
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State Governors voice their concerns for state autonomy as health insurance exchanges become a reality
The National Governors Association has written a letter to the U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding federally mandated health insurance exchanges. The exchanges have received mixed reviews from state officials, many of whom are still grappling with the vague guidelines provided to them by the Department of Health and Human Services. In the letters, Governors detail how the exchanges may damage a state’s autonomy, as the federal government may end up taking control of certain aspects of the exchange initiative. While the letter does not decry the establishment of exchanges,…
Read MoreInstitute of Medicine introduces new recommendations concerning insurance exchanges
Health insurance exchanges are, perhaps, the most accepted provision of last year’s Affordable Care Act. While some states have railed against the notion of the federally mandated program, most have been eager to explore their options. States have been slow to pass legislations making the exchanges possible, but have wasted no time in making preparations for the system. According to a new report from the Institute of Medicine, however, the future of insurance exchanges may be in jeopardy if federal legislators cannot solve the expensive flaws in the system. Exchanges…
Read MoreWest Virginia continues to work toward a health insurance exchange backed by recommendations from state regulators
Despite the controversy and vague fate of the Affordable Care Act, West Virginia will be continuing to adhere to one of the provisions of the federal law. State lawmakers have determined that a health insurance exchange would serve the needs of the state well and, earlier in the year, tasked state regulators with researching the steps necessary to make the initiative a reality. Regulators have issued a series of updates to lawmakers, bringing them up to speed on what must be done and where money is needed most. A great…
Read MoreObama’s healthcare reforms cause tricky debate among federal judges
A federal appellate judge panel with conservative inclinations has expressed apprehension regarding the Obama administration’s healthcare laws, but has also indicated that it may be premature to challenge the overhaul. The case before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington involves a lawsuit that is arguing whether or not Obama’s massive healthcare reforms have caused Congress to step outside its authority in giving people the choice starting in 2014 to either purchase health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Former top George W. Bush aide, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who received…
Read MoreState representatives gather to discuss the coming of insurance exchanges
This week saw the gathering of representatives from 46 states and the District of Columbia at a hotel in Virginia. Representatives met with officials from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to discuss the topic of health insurance exchanges. While many states have shown support for the concept of insurance exchanges, most have been slow to adopt the system. The problem may lie in the lack of guidance provided by the federal government for a system that is to be established…
Read MoreMissouri postpones further health insurance exchange efforts
Following the voicing of concerns by several Republican senators, insurance officials from Missouri have taken a step back away from intentions to begin spending millions of dollars from the federal government on an investment into the computer technology that would be required to put a central element of the new federal health care law into place. In August, Missouri had been awarded a federal grant of $21 million to be applied to the preparation for the health insurance exchange to be created and run by the state and would allow…
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