As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people unemployed has skyrocketed to more than 40 million, with April 2020 having the greatest net change in unemployment in the past decade. This has led to a significant increase in people eligible for Medicaid.
Arizona's Medicaid population has recently grown to 2 million and...National News
Controversy reigns supreme as the GOP argues that the case, Texas vs. US (formerly Texas vs. Azar) is not ready for SCOTUS' review, as the fifth district has sent the case back to Texas for reconsideration of the severability of the law. The Democrats and ACA advocates argue that uncertainty about the law should be resolved before the...Arizona News
Arizona Complete Health, BCBSAZ, Bright Health, Cigna and Oscar Health are all prepping for open enrollment November 1.
Arizona Complete Health, with a dozen silver plans, offers the most options to enroll in the most popular metal-level plan. The insurer expanded its sales territory in 2020 beyond Maricopa and Pima counties and...National News
In spite of obstacles, more than 8.8 million signed up through the federal marketplace.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said more than 8.8 million people have signed up in the 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website.
That compares to 9.2 million last year in the same states — or 96 percent of the...National News
Enrollment has faced numerous hurdles this year: shortened open enrollment period, reduced outreach effort, decreased online access, and more.
The deadline to signup for 2018 coverage is December 15. That's this coming Friday. Through Dec. 9, 4.68 million consumers signed up for the insurance in the 39 states that use the federally...National News
The Senate version touched on many issues besides taxes.
The Senate tax bill must still be reconciled with House legislation that does not include the mandate’s repeal. But that is unlikely to be a major issue, given support in the GOP conference for repealing the mandate.
No Democrats in either chamber voted for the GOP tax...Arizona News
Free family fun festival to make it easy to enroll in health insurance before December deadlines.
The deadline for enrolling in 2018 marketplace coverage created by the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) is at midnight Dec. 15. The Arizona Daily Star reports enrollment assisters at Saturday’s event can help you learn...National News
Conservatives have been clamoring to use the tax plan to nix ACA’s individual mandate after Republicans failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
The Hill reports Republicans have a narrow path to get their tax plan through the Senate. With a 52-seat majority they can only afford to lose two GOP senators and still let...
Confusion is rampant, with many hurdles to overcome for a successful season.
The New York Times reports the Affordable Care Act has survived blow after blow since President Trump took office in January, including repeated attempts by Congress to repeal it. But as the fifth open enrollment period starts Wednesday, the law is reeling...
Major health care providers come together to ensure consumers take advantage of available marketplace coverage.
This fifth open enrollment for the Healthcare.gov individual marketplace faces hurdles for consumers put in place by the Trump administration. Shortened enrollment period, markedly reduced outreach funding, periods when the...National News
US District Judge Vince Chhabria refused Wednesday to block President Trump’s order to end government subsidies required by the Affordable Care Act.
Trump said earlier this month that his administration would stop making monthly payments to insurers that reimburse them for reducing out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and...National News
Kaiser Family Foundation surveyed navigator organizations to learn their reaction to reduced federal funds.
Navigator organizations are responsible for helping consumers understand and sign up for health coverage in 2018 Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. Open enrollment begins November 1. They expect to limit their geographic...National News
In spite of Trump’s pronouncements, not only is the ACA not dead, there are signs that his administration is keeping it alive.
Next year, for the first time, the I.R.S. will reject your tax return when filed electronically if you do not complete the information required about whether you have coverage. If you file your tax return on...National News
Cost-sharing reductions in flux with enrollment beginning in 9 days.
Consumers are getting very mixed messages about what premiums may look like. President Trump has declared an end to the subsidies (CSR) to lower premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. He has gone on to declare the ACA dead in a White House press conference last...National News
3.5 million Americans have lost their health insurance since January and the uninsured rate is now the highest it's been since 2012, according to a Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index survey released Friday.
Those hardest hit by the increase, according to the survey, are Hispanics, the middle-aged and low-income workers -- and unless...National News
Markets and Marketplaces sure to shudder.
Thursday the Trump administration moved a wide-ranging executive order with the stated purpose of expanding lower-cost insurance options, allowing employers to give workers money to buy their own coverage and slowing consolidation in the insurance and hospital industries.
Critics said that,...National News
What can be seen is the Trump Administration placing hurdles to success.
Advocates say the Health and Human Services Department has done more to suppress the number of people signing up than to boost it. HHS has slashed grants to groups that help consumers get insurance coverage, for example. It also has cut the enrollment period in...
Navigator groups help educate and enroll consumers in the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges. Funding disappears and no contracts offered.
At the end of August, the CMS announced plans to slash funding for navigator groups by about 40%, but the agency did not indicate it would stop funding navigation services altogether. The CMS...
Five governors, Republicans and Democrats, testified before the Senate HELP committee Thursday.
The testimony of the governors of Massachusetts, Montana, Utah, Tennessee and Colorado came during the second of four hearings aimed at sketching out the policy options Congress has before 2018 insurance rates are finalized at the end of...
The first of four hearings seeking perspective and advice from outside the Beltway was held today.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said at the beginning of the hearing he hoped to reach consensus on “a small, bipartisan, stabilization bill” by the end of next...