individual health insurance new york

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

Town of Massena retirees happy with new health insurance plan

sarah27/06/2023 21 Views

Jun. 24—MASSENA — Town of Massena retirees say they’re happy with a new health insurance plan that will kick in on Jan. 1.

Zachary Zuckerman, a group benefits consultant at USI Insurance Services in Syracuse, outlined the new plan for the Massena Town Board, with several retirees in attendance. Among them were some who had served on a town committee that examined potential retirement health insurance plans.

Mr. Zuckerman said he was no stranger to Massena, having worked with village officials as well as current Deputy Town Supervisor Patrick M. Facteau when he was the chief financial officer for the

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5 min read

Health Insurance

Wider access to health insurance via Medicaid expansion improved cardiac care, finds study

sarah26/06/2023 23 Views

An expansion of the Affordable Care Act that extends Medicaid eligibility to more people improved patient outcomes, prevention measures and screening access, according to a review of research published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

A provision of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 extended Medicaid eligibility to all adults with incomes of up to 138% of the federal poverty level in states that elect to participate, with the federal government covering 90% of the costs. Medicaid provides health insurance coverage for people with low income, and the expansion ensures that as of June

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5 min read

Health Insurance

Congress acts to stop the flood of forms mailed to millions

sarah25/06/2023 44 Views

Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Paso Robles, in a 2021 file photo. He is sponsoring the Paperwork Reduction Act, intended to stop unnecessary federal health insurance mailings to millions of people.

Washington

Tired of getting some form in the mail from Washington about health insurance and wonder what it is?

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The “Paperwork Burden Reduction Act” is aimed at stopping unnecessary mailings, which now go to an estimated 154 million people.

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The measure, passed easily by the House, would make the health care form available only to those who request it. The Senate will now consider the legislation.

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Not only

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3 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

Health insurers slammed after UnitedHealth says more surgeries are driving up costs

sarah15/06/2023 34 Views

[1/2] The corporate logo of the UnitedHealth Group appears on the side of one of their office buildings in Santa Ana, California, US, April 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo/File Photo

June 14 (Reuters) – Health insurer stocks dropped sharply on Wednesday after UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) said its costs were on the rise due to an increase in surgeries among older adults.

Shares of UnitedHealth, the largest US healthcare provider by market value, closed down 6.4% at $459.86, wiping out roughly $29 billion from the industry bellwether’s market capitalization.

Medicare-focused insurer Humana Inc (HUM.N) closed about 11% down, and a broader

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3 min read

Health Insurance

Listen: How every American could get health insurance

sarah12/06/2023 20 Views