Live Insurance News

Health insurance costs have risen by 62 percent

December 15, 2012April 30, 2013

Family coverage has skyrocketed since 2003, showing the increasing expense for those paying for plans. According to the latest health insurance data from the Commonwealth Fund in a recently released report, the total cost for a family plan – for both employers and for employees – broke the $15,000 mark last year, which represented an increase of 62 percent since 2003. Wages, on the other hand, increased by only 11 percent during that same period of time. The cost of commercial health insurance has undergone an increase in its price…

Health insurance law opposition causes harm to Darden Restaurants

December 7, 2012April 30, 2013

Health Insurance for employees at the Olive Garden

The parent company of the Olive Garden and Red Lobster is seeing struggles from its resistance. Darden Restaurants has made a concerted effort to reject the healthcare law requirement that employers provide their workers with health insurance, and this has caused the company to experience a backlash that it may not have expected. Americans have been boycotting the restaurants in support of the hours and benefits of its workers. The company had previously announced its intentions to cut back the hours of its employees in order to ensure that it…

Health insurance policy changes at Walmart deny coverage to some new employees

December 4, 2012April 30, 2013

This sends the burden of coverage for some workers to the new healthcare system and to Medicaid. The latest updates to Walmart’s company policy have revealed that the largest employer in the United States, Walmart, will not be providing health insurance to its new hires when they will be employed for a workweek that is shorter than 30 hours. The new policy will also allow coverage to be denied to current workers if their weekly hours fall. Employees whose hours drop below the 30 hours per week mark may also…

Health insurance benefits regulations released by HHS

November 23, 2012April 30, 2013

The department has now provided additional information to assist the states. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has now issued additional details regarding health insurance benefits requirements that have to do with coverage of prescription drugs. The cover has now been further strengthened for the millions of people who will be buying plans. These prescription drug benefits regulations will apply to health insurance policies that will come available late in 2013, in time for the official complete opening of the state exchanges, as per the overall healthcare overhaul…

Aetna provides individual health insurance policies to Illinois Costco members

April 26, 2012April 30, 2013

Aetna has announced a new individual health insurance plan for members of Costco in Illinois. Aetna has just unveiled its latest individual health insurance product which is now being offered to residents of Illinois with a Costco membership. The product is called the Costco Personal Health Insurance program, and it offers five different types of policies from which its members can choose. These offer a wide doctor and hospital network, a range of different major medical benefits, as well as a spectrum of useful services, information, and tools that are…

California insurance regulators clash with Aetna over insurance rate hikes

April 7, 2012April 6, 2012 Marc

California health insurance industry go head to head with regulators Aetna Life Insurance has raised the health insurance rates for small employers in the state of California this month. The company has plans to raise rates by an average of 8% for this sector each year. The plan has struck a chord with the state’s insurance regulators, with Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones accusing the company of being unreasonable. According to the state’s Department of Insurance, Aetna’s health insurance rates for small businesses will jump by more than 30% over the…

Xavier University decides to cut contraceptive coverage for employees

April 4, 2012 S.Vagus

The Xavier University of Ohio will be making cuts to the insurance it offers employees in July of this year. The university, which is one of the oldest Catholic colleges in the country, will stop providing coverage for birth control, railing against rules imposed by the federal government requiring all faith-based organizations to provide such coverage to their employees. The university’s decision has struck a chord with the Obama administration, which is now accusing the college of standing in the way of a regulation that would be beneficial to women’s…