Institute of Medicine submits recommendations for national health care package

The Institute of Medicine, a non-profit independent organization comprised of medical and insurance professionals, has submitted recommendations to the federal government concerning a health care initiative that would make basic benefits available to all Americans. The organization was tasked by Congress to determine action regarding the initiative earlier this year. Researchers have been examining the potential impact the plan would have on the nation’s economy and how it would synergize with the overarching health care law. According to the Institute, such a plan is well worth the effort. According to…

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Georgian judges rule against federal health insurance mandate

A federal appeals court in Atlanta, Georgia, has ruled against the federal insurance mandate as laid out by the Affordable Care Act. The ruling from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is only the second in the nation where judges founding the mandate unconstitutional. This is a major victory for opponents of the health insurance mandate as the ruling will hasten the law to the Supreme Court where its ultimate fate will be decided. Georgia has opposed the concept of a federally imposed health insurance mandate since the law was…

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States rally against health care reform, petition Supreme Court to solve the problem

Twenty-six states and several small business advocacy groups have officials petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the issue of the Affordable Care Act. The states are urging federal judges to strike down the entirety of the law, ruling every provision as unconstitutional. The Affordable Care Act, signed into law last year, was meant to bring sweeping changes to the nation’s health care system, but the law has, thus far, succeeded only in spawning a great deal of controversy and opposition. The health care law, once fully enacted in…

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Tennessee advocacy groups seek to raise awareness of coming health insurance exchanges

The full breadth of last year’s health care reform will come into effect beginning in 2014. Many states have yet to take the appropriate steps to conform to new health care regulation set up by the federal government and residents of states are still suffering from a lack of knowledge regarding the coming changes. Tennessee officials have been laboring to teach citizens about health care reform by showing them how the changes will affect their lives. While many in the state may disapprove of the federal reform, Tennessee officials have…

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Obama’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…

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State 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…

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Franchises to face a potential struggle from burden associated with health insurance tax

Franchise owners who are struggling to come through the economic crisis in an environment where poverty is rampant, and are starting to wonder if their ability to improve the employment situation may be related to the health insurance tax that was established as a part of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and which will begin as of 2014. The health insurance tax will require employers with 50 or more employees to pay a tax of $2,000 per worker, if the company chooses not to offer health insurance…

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