Live Insurance News

Top California health insurance barriers include premiums and eligibility

April 7, 2016April 6, 2016 H. Cutner

The results of research conducted throughout 2014 showed that there were very specific reasons for remaining uninsured. A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has determined that among the individuals without California health insurance coverage in 2014, two out of every three were deemed eligible but chose not to enroll as a result of the cost. The other third of the uninsured residents of the state were…

Health insurance plans to be rated based on size of network

March 9, 2016March 8, 2016 Julie Campbell

The Obama administration will now use the number of included doctors and hospitals in the ratings. In response to complaints from consumers with respect to the way health insurance plans are rated on the exchanges, the Obama administration has now said that it will provide a rating for each plan based on the number of hospitals and doctors that are included within that plan’s network. Equally, there will also be an increase to the maximum annual out-of-pocket amount that consumers can pay. For individuals, the maximum out-of-pocket expenses for health…

Obamacare sees 12.7 million health insurance enrollments

February 9, 2016February 7, 2016 G. Turner

The federal and state exchanges have now surpassed the predictions made by the government. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, has announced that the health insurance exchanges established through Obamacare have now enrolled approximately 12.7 million Americans, which means that this year’s predictions have been exceeded. The most recent open enrollment period came to a close at the end of January with strong results. The government first started offering individual health insurance subsidies under Obamacare in 2014 but, at the same time, it applies a penalty to the…

Aetna insurance company sees surge in profits but still sees weaker forecast

February 4, 2016February 3, 2016 Julie Campbell

Despite the fact that the insurer has seen a strong close to 2015, its predictions aren’t as strong as Wall Street’s. The Aetna insurance company has closed 2015 with a very strong surge in its last quarter earnings, which rose by 38 percent when compared to its previous quarter. Even though its performance was better than predicted, its 2016 guidance has fallen short of Wall Street’s forecast. The insurance company is the third largest health insurer in the United States. Earlier this week, it announced that it is predicting adjusted…

Health insurance premiums set to grow in Tennessee

February 3, 2016February 2, 2016 Marc

BlueCross Blue Shield intends to raise rates for 2017 coverage BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is preparing to request for additional rate hikes in the coming months. The company is the largest health insurance provider in the state and is looking to raise premiums in an effort to overcome financial losses. The insurer has estimated that it will have lost $150 million by providing insurance policies through exchange marketplaces. Exchanges were designed to make coverage more accessible, something which they managed to accomplish quite well. Insurers are fighting financial losses by…

Alaska health insurance regulators hope to assuage fears following Moda’s exit

February 2, 2016January 31, 2016 Julie Campbell

These officials are working with lawmakers, the governor’s office and others to draw a new insurer. Regulators for the Alaska health insurance industry have said that they will be working with the congressional delegation in the state, in addition to the state’s lawmakers and the governor’s office. Their goal is to make sure health insurance companies see the appeal of returning to the state. This action from the Alaska health insurance regulators has arrived on the heels of an announcement that Moda Health Plan has been suspended from being able…

Texas health insurance exchange continues to build enrollees

January 5, 2016January 3, 2016 H. Cutner

In the second last week of December, the number of people who signed up in the state rose by 56,000. Texans have recently started to flock to the Texas health insurance exchange and have been signing up for plans that will allow them to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, raising the numbers by a massive 56,000 people within the second last week of December alone. The total number of people who have enrolled in the state has reached just short of 1.1 million. These figures were released…