health insurance plans

Judge temporarily blocks Major Adams from switching NYC retires to Medicare Advantage

sarah09/07/2023 23 Views

A trial court judge has temporarily blocked Major Adams from switching retired city workers to a cost-cutting Medicare Advantage Plan.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lyle Frank granted a temporary restraining order Thursday that, until he issues a final ruling, prevents roughly 250,000 city retirees and their dependents from losing their current health insurance.

The retirees who brought the lawsuit “have shown that numerous promises were made by the City to then New York City employees and future retirees” about their coverage, according to court documents.

The court found a likelihood of it ultimately ruling in their favour, and that any

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4 min read

Health Insurance

What is an Irrevocable Trust?

sarah07/07/2023 20 Views

A trust is an estate planning tool that allows a person to control their assets during their lifetime and make provisions for incapacity and death. Many trusts are revocable, however, irrevocable trusts can be an incredibly useful way to plan for your future.

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One thing you should know about irrevocable trusts is that, unlike revocable or living trusts, irrevocable trusts cannot be changed or amended. They are set in

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3 min read

Health Insurance

Pritzker signs bills altering Illinois’ health insurance market

sarah29/06/2023 19 Views

"Oh, I’m signed!” exclaims Mon. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, as she realized that her bill giving the Department of Insurance new oversight authority had been approved by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. — “Oh, I’m signed!” exclaims Sen. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, as she realizes that her bill giving the Department of Insurance new oversight authority had been approved by Gov. JB Pritzker.

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday that will dramatically alter the health insurance market in Illinois.

The measures establish a state-based exchange for policies sold under the Affordable Care Act and give the Illinois Department of Insurance the authority to modify or reject proposed rate increases.

“Since day one of my administration, I’ve been committed to making health care more equitable and holistic and accessible,” Pritzker said at a

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4 min read

Health Insurance

California poised to spend $19 billion on Medicaid and other health care programs

sarah29/06/2023 24 Views

Once federal funds are factored in, the state will be able to spend north of $35 billion, said Jennifer Kent, a former administration official who helped the coalition propose a structure for the tax.

It would be the largest-ever investment in Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid system.

“We’re trying to serve a Medi-Cal program that’s the size of some states’ total population,” said Linnea Koopmans, CEO of the Local Health Plans of California, who was part of the coalition. “It takes an investment of this magnitude to have a meaningful impact.”

To pull it off, doctors and health plans, hospitals and organized

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5 min read

Health Insurance

Humana joins UnitedHealth in flagging cost hit from rising surgeries

sarah22/06/2023 29 Views

June 16 (Reuters) – Humana Inc (HUM.N) on Friday joined larger health insurer UnitedHealth (UNH.N) in warning of a jump in medical costs this year due to higher-than-expected demand for surgeries and other medical procedures.

Pandemic-driven restrictions and hospital staffing shortages had led to long delays in elective procedures such as hip and knee replacements, especially among older adults at higher risk of severe contracting COVID-19.

“Now with restrictions being lifted and the public health emergency coming to an end officially at a national level, we’re going to see that (surgeries) come back,” said Pavani Rangachari, a professor of healthcare

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2 min read

Health Insurance

Meaningful Healthcare Access Requires So Much More Than Insurance Coverage

sarah16/06/2023 25 Views

Victor Agbafe, Matt Alexander, Jesper Ke, and David Velasquez are medical students.

*Patient name has been changed

Millions of Americans are expected to lose health insurance coverage with the end of the pandemic protections on health insurance enrollment, and hundreds of thousands already have. While much of the discussion has been rightfully centered around how to minimize losses in health insurance coverage, we must also consider last-mile challenges that affect access to healthcare.

Patients can struggle to obtain access to healthcare because of issues beyond insurance. The social, environmental, and economic factors that shape our lives, known as upstream drivers

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5 min read

Health Insurance

4 Accident & Health Insurers to Watch as Exposure Increases – May 25, 2023

sarah28/05/2023 39 Views

The Zacks Accident and Health Insurance industry is expected to ride on the increase in underwriting exposure. Aflac (AFL – Free Report) , Unum Group (UNM – Free Report) , Employers Holdings (EIG – Free Report) and AMERISAFE (AMSF – Free Report) should continue benefiting from prudent underwriting standards. However, a rise in claims frequency could weigh on the positives.

The industry has been witnessing soft pricing over the past several quarters, which is not expected to change any time soon. Nonetheless, a rise

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7 min read

Health Insurance

Rising Mental Health Demands Require an Innovative Insurance Model | National Business

sarah25/05/2023 31 Views

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 17, 2023–

Sidecar Health consumer driven health plans offer robust major medical coverage with first of its kind access and no network restrictions or prior authorizations. In honor of Metal Health Awareness month, the company published an article on how a new approach to health insurance can help nearly 20% of adults experiencing mental illness get access to care.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230516006064/en/

Rising mental health demands require an innovative insurance model (Graphic: Business Wire)

As the need for mental health treatment continues to rise, the gap between providers and

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4 min read