Six states and DC sue Trump administration over abortion insurance coverage mandate

Abortion insurance coverage - gavel - lawsuit

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser called the separate billing policy an administrative nightmare. Six states and the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration over an abortion insurance coverage billing mandate. This regulation requires insurers to submit a second, separate invoice for reproductive health care. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy became effective last Tuesday. The new HHS mandate applies to states that permit insurers on their individual exchanges to sell reproductive health and abortion insurance coverage. The lawsuit is led by California and was…

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Iowa employers to pay more for health insurance rate increases, but won’t stop

Health insurance rate increases - cost of health insurance - pills - money

Companies may be paying a great deal more, but they are still offering these benefits to their workers. Iowa employers who offer medical coverage as a part of their employee benefits will be facing far higher health insurance rate increases. That said, those companies are not dropping the benefit and are continuing to cover their teams of workers. The average Iowan employer will see health insurance benefits premiums rising by 8.4 percent. This figure was compiled by a survey conducted by consultant David P. Lind. They found that employers with…

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Health insurance coverage could increase ER visits

health insurance coverage emergency room ER visits

A study has suggested that those who are newly insured may start visiting emergency rooms more often. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist has indicated that previous predictions that the reduction in the cost of heading to the ER through a rise in health insurance coverage rates would cause the number of visits to increase, have not lost their relevance. Research has now indicated that the newly insured among the poor are more likely to head to the ER. The research was conducted in the Boston area and offered evidence…

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Nevada health insurance exchange fees approved by state board

Nevada health insurance commissioner State Legislature Building

Nevada health insurance exchange policies will have fee attached Nevada has been working to develop its own health insurance exchange in recent months. Late last year, the state announced that it would be building its own exchange program. Many of the details have yet to be worked out, but state officials have made some headway concerning the Nevada health insurance exchange this week. The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange board, which was formed to help formulate the governance of the state’s exchange program, has approved fees that will be associated…

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Utah health insurance exchange moves forward under state control

Utah flag health insurance

Utah health insurance exchange to be run by the state Utah will move ahead with its own health insurance exchange, according to an announcement made late last week by Governor Gary Herbert. The Utah health insurance exchange will be developed, built, and operated by the state itself, rather than the federal government. State officials are drafting plans for the exchange in the hopes that it will comply with federal standards. Some lawmakers are unclear as to what those standards are, however, because of the lack of guidance coming from the…

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New Jersey health insurance exchange off the table

New Jersey Health Insurance

New Jersey health insurance exchange slammed with veto from Governor Christie Plans for a New Jersey health insurance exchange are off the table due to a veto from Governor Chris Christie. The Governor has become the latest in a long line of state officials that have rebuked the concept of a health insurance exchange in their representative states. The recent veto marks the second time this year that Governor Christie has nixed legislation concerning the New Jersey health insurance exchange. The Governor claims that the federal health care law introduced…

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Health insurance premiums set to rise due to new tax

Health Insurance Premiums Rise

New tax threatens to increase health insurance premiums A tax associated with the federal Affordable Care Act could lead to significantly higher health insurance premiums in the U.S., according to a new report from Oliver Wyman, a leading management consulting firm. The report was commissioned by America’s Health Insurance Plans, one of the leading trade groups in the country’s insurance industry. The tax is linked to health insurance and the report suggests that it could end up making the Affordable Care Act less deserving of its namesake. Affordable Care Act…

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