Tag: health insurance

Health Insurance Costs in Virginia Rising Despite Low Levels of Healthcare Spending, Study Finds

Kaitlin Housler

The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) is bringing awareness to a new study showing health insurance premiums and deductible costs among Virginians are rising despite the state’s overall healthcare spending remaining below national levels.

“When it comes to health care spending, Virginia is in the enviable position of having expenditure rates that remain well below national levels. The same cannot be said for health insurance costs, unfortunately,” the VHHA said in a press release. “On the contrary, the amount that individuals and families across the Commonwealth spend on annual health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket deductibles continues to rise sharply year-over-year.”

Read the full story

Health Insurance Premiums Cutting into Employees’ Wages

Admin
Doctor and Patient

A new study reveals that rising health insurance premiums have been dramatically cutting into the pay that employees should be earning.

As Axios reports, the findings by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open determined that families with workplace health insurance may have lost as much as $125,000 in earnings over the last 30 years. This trend is especially impacting low-income employees.

Read the full story

Health Insurance Costs Expected to Spike at Highest Rate in over a Decade

Admin

Employer health insurance costs are expected to increase significantly in 2024, affecting costs for both workers and businesses as hospital operating costs rise, according to data reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Next year, the costs for health insurance coverage from employers are expected to increase by around 6.5%, which could be the biggest increase in more than a decade, according to survey data acquired by the WSJ. Driving the increase in health insurance costs are inflated labor costs for hospitals and a large demand for expensive new diabetes and obesity drugs, which are being passed down to insurance companies in new contracts with the hospitals.

Read the full story

Bipartisan Pennsylvania Bill Would Allow ‘Personal Option’ Through Association Health Plans

Bradley Vasoli

A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state lawmakers are championing legislation enabling small-business association healthcare plans to offer workers affordable coverage. 

Such plans facilitate lower costs by allowing business and industry organizations to pool their members and negotiate insurance prices. The measure’s author, Representative Valerie Gaydos (R-Moon Township), was among numerous sponsors who told The Pennsylvania Daily Star they experienced firsthand how governmental burdens have made it harder for companies to provide their members with inexpensive medical coverage. Gaydos said this is particularly true since the Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed by President Barack Obama in 2010, heavily restricted association plans. 

Read the full story

Court Rules Georgia Sheriff Department Discriminated Against Deputy for Denial of Insurance Coverage for Sex Change

Addison Basurto

United States District Court Chief Judge Marc T. Treadwell has ruled a Houston County Police Department’s exclusion of a worker’s insurance coverage request for gender reassignment surgery to be “facially discriminatory,” and that her equal protection claim “will proceed to trial.”

“I have devoted more than a decade of my life to a job that I love with the backing of supervisors and colleagues who truly respect my work,” said Houston County Sheriff Deputy, Sergeant Anna Lange. “Despite my dedicated years of service, the County has singled out and excluded the medically-necessary care that I need simply because I’m transgender. I just want to be treated fairly and earn the same benefits as my co-workers who serve on the force.”

Read the full story

‘Effectively Overcharges Seniors’: AARP Rakes in Record Profits Selling Brand Royalties While Overcharging Members

Admin
old man and woman walking outside together

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) raked in massive profits in 2020, mostly from royalties on branded health insurance policies, not memberships, according to company financial documents.

AARP’s 2020 Form 990 shows that the organization reported $1.6 billion in revenue, with roughly $1 billion, or over 60%, from royalty revenue. Meanwhile, membership dues contributed under 20% of total revenue.

AARP’s 2019 Form 990 reported $1.72 billion in revenue, with royalties making up nearly 56% of revenue while membership dues contributed just 17%.

Read the full story

Florida Lawmakers Looking to Expand Health Insurance for Children

Grant Holcomb

Florida’s lawmakers are considering expanding state-funded health insurance for children. The idea has gained traction among Republicans and Democrats, and two competing proposals would increase the amount of money beneficiaries can make.

Currently, families making less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for the state’s program, KidCare. However, the same families do not qualify for Medicaid.

Read the full story

Tennessee Rheumatology Society Calls on Congress to Focus on Access to Precision Medicine

Bradley Vasoli
Doctor with arms folded, holding stethescope

In a recent letter, the Tennessee Rheumatology Society and similar organizations from elsewhere in the U.S. have urged members of Congress to prioritize the development of predictive drug-response testing and other elements of precision medicine.

The model of precision medicine, also referred to as personalized care, calls for collecting and assessing information specific to a patient’s condition, including genetics, health history and living environment. Treatments and preventive measures prescribed after such analysis can then be better suited toward each individual. Heretofore, healthcare prescription has usually followed a one-size-fits-all paradigm that doesn’t work best for every patient.

Read the full story

Michigan Medical Group Calls on Congress to Increase Access to Precision Medicine, Targeted Therapeutics to Combat Autoimmune Disorders

Bradley Vasoli

In a recent letter, the Michigan Rheumatism Society and similar organizations from elsewhere in the U.S. have urged members of Congress to prioritize the development of predictive drug-response testing and other elements of precision medicine.

The model of precision medicine, also referred to as personalized care, calls for collecting and assessing information specific to a patient’s condition, including genetics, health history and living environment. Treatments and preventive measures prescribed after such analysis can then be better suited toward each individual. Heretofore, healthcare prescription has usually followed a one-size-fits-all paradigm that doesn’t work best for every patient.

Read the full story

Insurance Company Drops $5 Million for University of Minnesota’s Anti-Racist Health Center

Admin

The University of Minnesota is mobilizing a $5 million donation to launch an antiracist health center.

According to a February 24 announcement from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, the “Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity” is dedicated to “addressing and uprooting structural racism’s impact on health and healthcare.”

The center will “develop education and training on structural racism and health inequities,” “foster authentic community engagement to address the root causes of racial health inequities and drive action,” “change the narrative about race and racism to one that does not hold up whiteness as the ideal standard for human beings,” and “serve as a trusted resource on issues related to racism and health equity.” 

Read the full story

Virginia Senate to Vote on Legislation Giving Certain Health Insurance Plans Abortion Coverage Option

Jacob Taylor

The Senate of Virginia on Friday will vote to pass legislation out of the body that would allow for private health insurance companies offering plans through the state exchange to have the option for abortion coverage.

Senate Bill 1276 was introduced by Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond City), who is also a gubernatorial candidate seeking the Democratic nomination, and co-sponsored by three other Democratic legislators.

Read the full story

Report: Millions Lose Health Insurance Because of COVID-19 Shutdowns

Admin

More than 5 million people lost their health insurance coverage over the past several months because of COVID-19 restrictions as costs for lifesaving medications and treatments for cancer also skyrocketed.

A new study by Families USA found that more than 5.4 million people who lost their jobs are uninsured, compared to 3.9 million who were in a similar situation during the Great Recession.

Read the full story

Tim Ryan Distances Himself from Eliminating Private Health Insurance Despite Being Cosponsor of Bill That Does Just That

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), now a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said in a recent CNN interview that he doesn’t support the elimination of private health insurance. Ryan, however, is cosponsoring a bill that would eliminate most private insurance, which is one of the explicit goals of the bill’s lead sponsor. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) introduced her “Medicare for All” bill in late February, and explicitly states in the bill that starting on “the effective date described in section 106(a), it shall be unlawful for a private health insurer to sell health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act.” While speaking with reporters, Jayapal said that her bill “really makes it clear what we mean by ‘Medicare for All.’” “We mean a complete transformation of our health care system, we mean a system where there are no private insurance companies that provide these core comprehensive benefits that will be covered through the government,” she said, according to NBC News. Jayapal’s staffers told Roll Call that the bill would eliminate most private insurance under its prohibition on duplicate coverage. Ryan joined the bill as a cosponsor on February 27 along with 107 of his Democratic colleagues…

Read the full story

Sen. Lamar Alexander Says ‘Unlikely’ Supreme Court Would Rule Obamacare Unconstitutional Despite District Court Decision Ending It

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said he believes that the Supreme Court will not find Obamacare to be unconstitutional – but even if it did, the federal government can swoop in and provide protections for people with pre-existing health conditions. Tennessee’s senior senator made the remark Saturday following the historic court ruling effectively declaring Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), dead. Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas on Friday night ruled the ACA unconstitutional based on the individual mandate that requires people to have insurance and how that affects a new tax law that sets the penalty for no coverage to $0. Alexander issued a statement on Twitter that said: “If the U.S. Supreme Court eventually were to agree that Obamacare is unconstitutional — which seems unlikely, however poorly the law was written — I am confident that any new federal law replacing it will continue to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions who buy health insurance.” My statement on the ruling in Texas v. Azar. pic.twitter.com/NrFtFRK9tH — Sen. Lamar Alexander (@SenAlexander) December 15, 2018 The Supreme Court in 2012 said the ACA was constitutional in a 5-4 vote in a case titled NFIB v.…

Read the full story

States Have a New Opportunity to Lower Health Insurance Premiums and Expand Options

Admin

by Mary Fishpaw   The Trump administration is offering welcome relief to Americans struggling with high premiums under Obamacare premiums and a lack of insurance choices. The administration has taken a series of regulatory actions to do the following: Make short-term, limited duration policies widely available and give consumers the right to renew those policies. Make it easier for small businesses and independent contractors to band together for greater insurance purchasing power. Propose to allow employers to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, which their workers could then use to purchase portable insurance coverage. The Department of Health and Human Services also has made it easier for states to promote more affordable, flexible insurance coverage options by obtaining waivers from restrictive Obamacare regulations. These “State Empowerment and Relief Waivers” enable states to tap money that the federal government would have paid directly to insurance companies in the form of premium subsidies. States could repurpose this money to design and implement their own premium assistance programs. Such programs could distribute subsidies through defined contributions to consumer-directed accounts established for low-income individuals. States also could provide premium subsidies for insurance policies that don’t conform to Obamacare’s rigid requirements. States that obtain these waivers would…

Read the full story

Ocasio-Cortez Likens Private Health Insurance to ‘Death Panels’

Admin

by Jason Hopkins   Democratic Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez compared the private health insurance market to “death panels” during a back-and-forth exchange on Twitter Sunday. “Actually, we have for-profit ‘death panels’ now: they are companies + boards saying you’re on your own bc they won’t cover a critical procedure or medicine,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted to the president of a conservative think-tank. “Maybe if the GOP stopped hiding behind this ‘socialist’ rock they love to throw, they’d actually engage on-issue for once.” Actually, we have for-profit “death panels” now: they are companies + boards saying you’re on your own bc they won’t cover a critical procedure or medicine. Maybe if the GOP stopped hiding behind this “socialist” rock they love to throw, they’d actually engage on-issue for once. https://t.co/4P2TrflkFX — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) December 2, 2018 The tweet was in response to Jim Hanson, president of the Security Studies Group. The two had been exchanging barbs over government involvement in the U.S. health care system. The phrase “death panels” was coined by former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in 2009 to describe the rationing of government-run health care. The term was used to characterize former President Barack Obama’s health insurance reform plan. Ocasio-Cortez,…

Read the full story

Bredesen’s Socialized Healthcare Plan Endangers Insurance, Medicare, Ad Says

Jason M. Reynolds

Senate Leadership Fund on Tuesday launched a new advertising campaign discussing U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen’s support of single-payer health care, saying it “threatens our healthcare.” The $1.2 million buy will run statewide on a combination of broadcast and cable television, radio and digital.  It is available to watch here. Bredesen, a former Tennessee governor, is running for the Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN). His opponent is U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07). “Multimillionaire Phil Bredesen is dropping a fortune on ads portraying himself as a moderate, but his plan for a government takeover of health care would give Bernie Sanders palpitations,” said Senate Leadership Fund Spokesman Chris Pack. “Bredesen just isn’t the moderate he wants Tennessee voters to believe he is.” The ad brings attention to Bredesen’s book, “Fresh Medicine,” calling for socialized healthcare. The ad points out “Even the liberal Los Angeles Times called it ‘radical stuff,’” referring to a March 3, 2011 book review by David Lazarus for the newspaper. Also, the ad says Bredesen’s plan would eliminate employer-sponsored health insurance, “making you dependent on the government.” The plan would eliminate Medicare “as we know it, jeopardizing seniors’ care.” The ad ends with this…

Read the full story