Two new studies highlight the heavy impact that state decisions not to expand Medicaid under the federal healthcare reform law will have on low-income Americans and community health centers that serve them.
Across the country, about 5.2 million low-income uninsured adults across the country will remain uninsured in 2014 because they fall into a coverage gap in the 25 states that so far have not expanded Medicaid to adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
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A credit analyst for not-for-profit healthcare providers is cautioning that the new state health insurance exchanges may introduce more short-term risk than benefit.
Moody's Investors Service said in a report Friday that while the exchanges may lead to a bump in the number of insured patients, the larger unknowns will be what happens with insurance contract terms; the potential migration of patients who currently have private insurance to exchange plans; and bad debt for patients.
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Many people visiting the federal government's health insurance marketplace in 36 states complained that they couldn't window-shop for health plans without creating an account.
But visitors to the glitch-plagued HealthCare.gov site now can bypass the temperamental application interface and compare plans anonymously, as some of the state-run exchanges previously made possible. HHS added the feature Thursday, following 10 days marked by system outages and lengthy wait times.
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PhRMA has sued to block implementation of a rule that lets providers in the 340B drug discount program buy orphan drugs at reduced prices if the drugs are used to treat non-orphan conditions.
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Having trouble logging in to healthcare.gov? Have no fear. In response to opening-day technical glitches and heavy traffic to its insurance marketplace website, HHS posted data Tuesday afternoon showing available plans and premiums across the 36 states with federally facilitated insurance exchanges.
A total of 140 insurance issuers are offering 1,779 different insurance plans across the marketplace, according to the data.
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Keehan
Ascension Health, Bon Secours Health System, the American Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association and the Federation of American Hospitals are among more than 900 organizations, providers and businesses helping Americans learn about the healthcare reform law and sign up for health insurance coverage, HHS announced one day before open enrollment begins on the law's health insurance exchanges.
Called “Champions for Coverage,” these volunteers—which include faith-based organizations, community health centers and bloggers—will use digital and print materials from the CMS to educate people about their options in the state health insurance exchanges that were created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment on the exchanges will last from October through March, and those who enroll by Dec. 15 will have coverage starting on Jan. 1, 2014.
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The Federal Trade Commission has thrown a few wet blankets in the go-go world of healthcare corporate transactions in recent years, in the form of litigation to block mergers. But the agency's new director says most of the FTC's enforcement of antitrust laws actually happens in the less-discussed context of out-of-court settlements known as “consent orders.”
Deborah Feinstein, director of the FTC's Competition Bureau, told audiences at a legal conference in New York on Tuesday that litigation is too slow, costly, uncertain and imprecise to be used in every situation. Whenever the commission has a “workable settlement offer” that repairs the competitive harm, commissioners may decide a settlement is in the public's best interest.
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A report released Thursday by the Center for Studying Health System Change suggests that New York state, particularly Long Island, will not see much in the way of health insurance expansion in the coming months and years.
According to “Long Island Follows Bumpy New York Road to National Health Reform,” part of that is because New York already has a generous Medicaid program, and Long Island also is one of the most affluent communities in the state, with a high rate of privately insured residents.
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More companies are sending their retirees into private insurance exchanges for their retiree health coverage. That may result in retirees paying more out of pocket.
Both IBM and Time Warner recently announced plans to move retirees who are of Medicare-eligibility age to private exchanges. They will receive a fixed amount of money from companies and choose among health plans—including Medicare supplemental and Medicare Advantage plans, offered through the private marketplaces.
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The Obama administration has basically told House Republican lawmakers to go fly a kite in response to their recent demand that organizations receiving federal funds to help Americans sign up for health coverage on the state insurance exchanges provide extensive information on their operations by Sept. 13.
Navigator groups and Obamacare supporters, including Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), had accused the Republicans of using the time-consuming information request to delay the navigators' efforts in the crucial run-up to the Oct. 1 launch of open enrollment on the exchanges.
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The Obama administration has basically told House Republican lawmakers to go fly a kite in response to their recent demand that organizations receiving federal funds to help Americans sign up for health coverage on the state insurance exchanges provide extensive information on their operations by Sept. 13.
Navigator groups and Obamacare supporters, including Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), had accused the Republicans of using the time-consuming information request to delay the navigators' efforts in the crucial run-up to the Oct. 1 launch of open enrollment on the exchanges.
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