As large insurers step out of many of the federal exchanges, the state is looking to lead the way with alternative options. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones supports a new state-level strategy that could enhance health insurance marketplace competition. The intention is to implement a public option within the state which could possibly make California a guinea pig for launching similar ideas in the rest of the country. “I think we should strongly consider a public option in California,” said Jones. California Insurance Commissioner Jones explained that the state is…
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Health insurance coverage is growing, says Census Bureau
A new report has just been released and has showed that there continue to be fewer uninsured Americans. The Census Bureau has now released its Health Insurance Coverage in the United States for 2015 report. It revealed that last year saw greater progress in reducing the number of people who are uninsured. This maintained a trend that was recorded the year before when there was a considerable plummet in the number of people without a health plan. Last year, the rate of uninsured people fell to 9.1 percent after having…
Read MoreHealth insurance exchange enrollment is nowhere near predictions
In fact, current statistics show that participation is less than half of what it was expected to be by now. Health insurance exchange enrollment is currently less than half of initial predictions. The lack of participation in the health care law as predicted has caused these marketplaces to undergo a considerable shift. Several major insurers have stopped selling their health plans due to the expense associated with them. Recent Kaiser Family Foundation forecasts indicate that consumers will have far less choice next year. Health reform analyst from the Kaiser Family…
Read MoreHealth insurance cost is leading concern for consumers
Choice is not as high up on the importance list when it comes to health plan shoppers. A federal analysis revealed the top concern as health insurance cost among consumers shopping for coverage. Millions of people purchase their health plans on the insurance exchanges in order to comply with the Affordable Care Act. Their top goal when buying health insurance is to be able to save money on the plan they purchase. Several different factors were taken into consideration when examining the issues that mean the most to consumers. Health…
Read MoreWashington health insurance rates expected to see double-digit increases
In fact, the going prediction is that premiums could rise by over 13 percent on average across the state. According to the state’s commissioner, Mike Kreidler, the Washington health insurance rates are slated to increase by an average of 13.5 percent and apparently this doesn’t come as a surprise to him. There have already been thirteen health insurance companies that have filed their 2017 plans. Those insurers are asking for an average 13.5 percent increase on Washington health insurance rates across a total of 154 individual plans for 2017. This…
Read MoreGeorgia insurance exchange will not include UnitedHealthcare
Officials in the state have said that the health insurer will not be selling its plans over the marketplace for 2017. Georgia officials have now stated that UnitedHealthcare will no longer be selling its health plans over the state’s insurance exchange after this year, and the insurer has now become the only one that has said it won’t be continuing forward on the marketplace. The insurance department in the state has said that UnitedHealthcare is the only one no longer selling on the exchange. In the state, over 500,000 residents…
Read MoreState-run health insurance exchanges contain security flaw
An investigation has discovered that the California, Vermont and Kentucky sites left personal data vulnerable. In a recent investigation of state-run health insurance exchange websites, “significant cybersecurity weaknesses” were discovered in California, Vermont and Kentucky, according to federal officials. These flaws in the websites may have left the personal information of residents of those states open to hackers. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) discovered the vulnerabilities. This independent agency functions as a watchdog organization over Congress. The investigation it conducted looked into the health insurance exchange websites of the individual…
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