February 25th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: Sacramento Business Journal Premiums for employer-provided health insurance will increase around 5 percent a year over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This year, the average premium for employment-based insurance will be $6,400 for single coverage and $15,500, according to CBO. By 2025, that will increase to $10,000 for single coverage […]
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February 25th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: USA Today For tax year 2015, millions of Americans will be getting a new tax form related to health care reform measures. Will you know what to do with yours when it arrives? The Affordable Health Care Act, colloquially known as “Obamacare,” mandated three new tax forms to be used as a kind of […]
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February 17th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: USA Today The number of people who signed up for health insurance for 2016 on the state and federal exchanges was up to 40% lower than earlier government and private estimates, which some say is evidence that the plans are too expensive and that people would rather pay a penalty than buy them. In […]
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February 17th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: Kaiser Health News For the first time in three years, Blue Shield of California leads enrollment in the state’s insurance exchange while Oscar, a closely watched newcomer, experienced a slow start. The Covered California exchange said it won’t release enrollment figures by company until later this month, and insurers declined to share specifics until […]
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February 17th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: Kaiser Health News Obamacare is putting the agricultural industry in a tizzy. Many contractors who provide farm labor and must now offer workers health insurance are complaining loudly about the cost in their already low-margin business. Some are also concerned that the forms they must file with the federal government under the Affordable Care […]
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February 17th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: The Sacramento Bee Most of California’s health insurance companies said Wednesday they’re supporting Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to restructure a tax on health plans. As the administration worked to line up votes, state Assembly and Senate committees heard a generally supportive message from the industry that would pay the tax. Support from insurers, and […]
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February 16th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: California Healthline The cost of providing full Medi-Cal benefits to immigrant children who are in California unlawfully could be significantly more than the state’s health care agency has projected, according to experts and advocates. That’s because state officials may have underestimated the number of kids who will be eligible for the program – though […]
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February 16th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: The New York Times Eight states saw a significant drop last year in the number of residents going without health insurance, according to a government report out Tuesday that has implications for the presidential campaign. All but Florida had accepted a Medicaid expansion that is one of two major pathways to coverage under President […]
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February 16th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: Kaiser Health News Stung by losses under the federal health law, major insurers are seeking to sharply limit how policies are sold to individuals in ways that consumer advocates say seem to discriminate against the sickest and could hold down future enrollment. In recent days Anthem, Aetna and Cigna, all among the top five […]
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February 16th, 2016 | By Ross Rogers
Source: The Wall Street Journal The pharmaceutical industry, under fire this election season for rising drug prices, is ramping up a new advertising campaign designed to improve its reputation with lawmakers as it lobbies against any effort to rein in prescription costs. The sector’s largest trade group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or […]
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