Live Insurance News

Pennsylvania regulators make changes to health insurance proposals coming from insurers

October 21, 2015October 20, 2015 Marc

Highmark will be overhauling the health insurance plans it offers in the state Highmark Inc., one of the largest providers of health insurance coverage in Pennsylvania, has announced that it will be making changes to the policies it offers in the state. The decision follows action taken by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department to reduce several of the rate increase proposals that came from the insurer this year. Highmark had sought to increase premiums for 2016 coverage, but state regulators have determined that rates did not need to be increased by…

Pennsylvania consumers report surprise costs not covered by their health insurance

October 2, 2015September 30, 2015 Marc

Consumers are receiving unexpected bills from medical professionals that are not covered by their insurance policies Unexpected medical bills are proving to be a surprise to many consumers in Pennsylvania. Many consumers have reported surprise charges for their medical care, though they believed that their health insurance policies would cover these costs. The issue is placing some consumers under greater financial strain, as they were unprepared to cover the costs associated with medical care. The problem may be out-of-network care providers, which consumers are unaware of at the time that…

Pennsylvania issues warning to the insurance industry

September 4, 2015September 3, 2015 Marc

State has warned insurers not to practice price optimization as it is unfairly discriminatory Pennsylvania has joined seven other states in warning the insurance industry against practicing “price optimization,” a technique that insurers often use to raise premiums for those they deem unlikely to search for better deals. The Consumer Federation of America notes that this practice is unfair and illegal, as it often makes use of socio-economic information that insurers are banned from using to price coverage in some states. The organization suggests that this pricing practice is a…

New health insurance model to be tested in seven states

September 4, 2015September 2, 2015 S.Vagus

CMS announces that a new health insurance model will be tested to reduce the cost of medical care A new health insurance model is set to be tested in the United States, according to an announcement made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS). The model was designed to improve medical care while also cutting costs and the concept behind the model was designed over the course of 10 years at the University of Michigan. Called the Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design Model, the program is meant to…

States to play larger role in health insurance exchanges

June 18, 2015June 17, 2015 Nordstrom

Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Arkansas will have more control over their exchanges Three states have been granted conditional approval from the federal government to play a larger role in the health insurance exchanges that they established through the Affordable Care Act. Arkansas, Delaware, and Pennsylvania will expand their role in their insurance exchanges beginning in 2016. Currently, the federal government operates the exchanges in these states. Some of the exchange’s functions are managed by the states themselves, but the majority of operations are handled by the federal government through HealthCare.gov and…

180,000 Pennsylvanians receive coverage through state’s health insurance exchange

January 6, 2015January 3, 2015 Logan B.

Pennsylvania exchange is performing well More than 180,000 people in Pennsylvania have purchased health insurance plans through the state’s exchange during the first month of the open enrollment period, according to information released by the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency notes that many of the people seeking coverage for the new year were able to find policies using HealthCare.gov, the federal exchange that serves states that do not operate their own exchange system. Rapidly growing enrollment numbers have also shown that many of the issues that the…

Health insurance coming to 600,000 in Pennsylvania

October 3, 2014September 30, 2014 S.Vagus

Health care program seeks to provide coverage for transportation services to 600,000 people The Healthy Pennsylvania system will be offering heavily subsidized health insurance coverage to some 600,000 of the state’s residents beginning January 1, 2015. The program is meant to provide low-income residents with health care services, including transportation to and from any appointment they may have with a health care provider. The program will also offer reimbursement for those that use their own vehicles and those that take public transportation to such appointments. Those that want to receive…