Live Insurance News

Maryland health insurance computer glitch leaves thousands uninsured

January 7, 2014January 4, 2014 H. Cutner

A problem with the exchange in the state may have left up to 5,000 enrollees without coverage. An issue that has been identified with the Maryland health insurance exchange has made it possible that a few thousand people in the state who believe that they have fully enrolled for the coverage required to comply with the individual mandate have not actually done so successfully. The state’s governor has acknowledged this issue, although a specific number of affected people is not known. Governor Martin O’Malley spoke on the subject of Maryland…

Connecticut insurance companies required to provide sex change coverage

January 2, 2014December 31, 2013 Julie Campbell

Insurers in the state must also provide their policyholders with treatment and counseling for the procedures. The Connecticut Insurance Department has now issued a directive that states that all insurers within the state must provide their policyholders with coverage for sex change operations, counseling, and treatments. The department recently put out a bulletin to the various carriers throughout the state that indicated this requirement. According to the report, Connecticut insurance companies must all make certain that “individuals with gender dysphoria … are not denied access to medically necessary care because…

Health insurance issues place regulators in a difficult position

November 26, 2013November 25, 2013 Logan B.

Health insurance regulations continue to cause problems Insurance Commissioners throughout the U.S. have been placed in a difficult situation. Earlier this month, President Obama announced that insurance companies could continue to honor substandard health insurance policies rather than cancelling these policies because they do not comply with the standards of the Affordable Care Act. This is meant to create a transition period wherein consumers can have a reprieve from cancellations and insurers can better prepare to comply with federal law. The problem, however, is that many Insurance Commissioners have been…

Health insurance mandate could be delayed for a year

October 31, 2013October 28, 2013 S.Vagus

Senators advocate delay of health insurance mandate Federal lawmakers are beginning to call on the Obama Administration to delay one of the Affordable Care Act’s most controversial provisions. The law requires that all U.S. citizens have active health insurance coverage beginning on January 1, 2014. Those that do not have appropriate health insurance coverage could face fines for every year they go without coverage. The provision is quite similar to federal law requiring all drivers in the country to have auto insurance coverage, but the health insurance mandate has managed…

Missouri imposes new law on health insurance navigators

July 24, 2013July 22, 2013 Marc

Health insurance navigators to seek state licensure A new law has been passed in Missouri that placed a strict requirement for counselors seeking to participate in the state’s health insurance exchange. These counselors, often called health insurance navigators, are meant to provide consumers with guidance concerning the policies offered through the state’s exchange program. Navigators are considered to be a boon by the federal government as they could help consumers find the best policies that suit their needs, thereby making health insurance exchanges more effective in their purpose. Law aims…

New health insurance regulations introduce changes to Affordable Care Act

July 11, 2013July 8, 2013 Nordstrom

Obama administration introduces more health insurance revisions As the Affordable Care Act inches closer to becoming fully enacted in the U.S., the Obama administration is making somewhat unexpected moves on the health care law and its provisions concerning health insurance. The federal law is set to go active in its entirety on January 1, 2014. Once the law has been fully enacted, it will be too late for states throughout the country to comply with its provisions, which is somewhat problematic due to the fact that most states have yet…

Health insurance research shows Americans remain uncertain as deadline approaches

June 7, 2013March 1, 2014 G. Turner

A new phone survey has indicated that the majority of adults in the U.S. are undecided about their future coverage. According to one of the latest studies conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, the majority of Americans haven’t yet decided whether they will be purchasing health insurance in order to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, or whether they would prefer to pay a penalty. The poll also indicated that in May, there remained a considerable amount of confusion about individual requirements. The team at Princeton Survey…