Shannon Pettypiece is senior policy reporter for NBC News digital. There is widespread anecdotalevidence that compliance is spotty thus far (and the maximum annual penalty for non-compliance would only amount to about $100,000, which is equal to about four hospital admissions), but CMS is currently conducting an audit of some hospitals to determine whether theyre in compliance with the new rule. Health Insurance | Latest & Breaking News on Health Insurance | Photos, Videos, Breaking Stories and Articles on Health Insurance you are here: Home News Health insurance Health. Although the incoming Biden administration can make changes to 1115 waivers via a review process, Margo Sanger-Katz reported last week that CMS has sent letters to all 45 states that have active waivers, asking them to sign contracts that would make it harder for a new administration to terminate waivers on a political whim.. Florida also planned to push kids with serious health conditions and other vulnerable groups to the end of the review line. IE 11 is not supported. Last fall, the Trump administration published the proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2022. His administration is holding on to revenue raised from the so-called individual mandate the requirement that people have health coverage or pay a fine. Some people dropped from Medicaid will have to forgo filling prescriptions and cancel doctor visits because they cant afford care. Gov. Recipients would lose their coverage if they don't meet the hourly or monthly income requirements for three consecutive months during the year. Health insurance (officially called accident or health and sickness) is one of the major, or general, lines of authority (LOAs) defined by the National Dec 19 2022 // Health insurance plans offered by Covered California are continuing to get more expensive. Sign up for their free insurance news updates by email or mobile! The requirements could also threaten coverage for people who are working the required hours or should be exempt if they arent communicated clearly and the reporting is too onerous, said Laura Harker, a senior policy analyst with the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Who can afford it? New Hampshire has moved most families with children to the end of the review process. Even so, more people than he expected are not returning renewal forms. We need to make sure people not only have health coverage, but that they can also afford to actually use it, said Ronald Coleman Baeza, a healthcare lobbyist with the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. House Democrats from the state petitioned Republican Gov. Ruben Castaneda and Christina PratherApril 5, 2023. Newsom now argues that federal health insurance subsidies that offset the cost of monthly premiums are sufficient. Learn the ins and outs of Medicare coverage with the basics of Medicare guide from U.S. News. Georgia is the . The average employee paid $1,242 for single coverage in 2019. Adult coverage is determined by the state. His administration defended the push to funnel money into the general fund, saying revenues would be repaid to a special health fund and be available to use on healthcare eventually, if the federal government cuts back existing premium subsidies. This annual rulemaking document is wide-ranging and typically addresses a variety of issues related to the health insurance exchanges, special enrollment periods, risk adjustment, etc. May 26, 2023 05:16 AM SPRINGFIELD MOVES TO CONTROL HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, INDIVIDUALS: Proposed legislation making its way through Springfield aims to tighten. California began fining the uninsured in 2020, raising an estimated $1.1 billion over the first three years and the Newsom administration projects it will bring in more than $700 million more over the next two years, bringing the projected five-year total to $1.8 billion, according to the state Department of Finance. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. In Arkansas, about 40% were kids. Letters that shes seen say your Medicaid for this period is ending rather than providing a specific reason for disenrollment, like having too high an income or incomplete paperwork. A panel Feb 22 2023 // Health insurance companies are required to provide a summary of benefits and coverage written in simple language. Insurance News for the Property Casualty Insurance Industry from Insurance Journal. Explore the newest/trending Health Insurance content. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, It was a holiday reunion for a family split between L.A. and Hawaii. It feels like were trying to save it on the backs of our low-income communities, said Democratic state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, who represents San Fernando Valley. The Department is accepting public comments on the proposal until March 3. High cancellation rates in those states should level out as the agencies move on to people who likely still qualify. Although Newsom and his Democratic allies have passed major expansions in coverage, the state does not have universal healthcare. Soaring out-of-pocket healthcare costs, including for insurance premiums and deductibles, are leading people to forgo healthcare. Heres what to know. We dig through the news and compile it into quick read articles delivered to your inbox. One insurer denied 49% of claims in 2021; another's turndowns hit an astonishing 80% in 2020. He argues spending the money to slash deductibles, for instance, would be unsustainable. His proposed budget would instead keep the money for the states general fund, to be used for anything California wants to spend it on. That is infuriating fellow Democrats who accuse him of breaking a promise and disregarding the millions of Californians who cant afford their deductibles and copays. Lipman, the states Medicaid director, said his biggest worry is that a child will end up uninsured. Jun 1, 2023. Will my health insurance cover the costs of coronavirus testing and treatment? At Health Affairs, Katie Keith has an excellent in-depth analysis of the partial final rule. Missouri has not yet expanded Medicaid eligibility under the ACA, but that will change this summer, thanks to a ballot initiative that voters in the state passed last year. Every data point shows that, and it helps people move forward, said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Tuesday. I dont know what were waiting for. His agency has directed states to automatically reenroll residents using data from other government programs like unemployment and food assistance when possible. (A companion bill, S.F.1029, has since been introduced in the Minnesota Senate). And while agencies are required to assist enrollees who dont speak English well, many are sending the forms in only a few common languages. Under an Arkansas program enacted in 2018 similar to the Medicaid work requirement being proposed by Republicans, 17,000 people lost coverage while there didnt appear to be a significant change in the number of hours people were working, in part because more than 95% of those targeted by the policy already met the requirement or should have been exempt, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. AHIP is your source for the latest health policy news and information, fact sheets, press releases, expert interviews, in-depth reports, and more. State and federal health insurance news headlines. Insurance Latest KFF Health News Stories Denials of Health Insurance Claims Are Rising And Getting Weirder By Elisabeth Rosenthal May 26, 2023 KFF Health News Original The Department of Health and Human Services is tasked with monitoring denials both by Obamacare health plans and those offered through employers and insurers. We need to keep our promises, Schiavo said. If you have questions or comments on this service, please contact us. Upstart insurance company Friday Health Plans will be placed under state supervision due to its lack of funds, the Georgia Department of Insurance announced this week . Legislation was introduced this month in Missouris Senate that calls for a Medicaid work requirement in the state, effective as of January 2022. Healthcare News: Health Insurance, Health Studies & Treatments - NBC News | NBC News Follow NBC News Health Care Buglewicz for The Washington Post via Getty Images file Business. 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Tochi. Home > Blog > The Scoop: health insurance news January 13, 2021, HHS has extended the COVID-19 public health emergency through mid-April. And a KFF Health News analysis of state data shows the vast . After Saturday, residents in those states will need a qualifying event in order to enroll or make changes to their 2021 coverage. They would be making good on a deal advocates secured with state Democratic lawmakers last year to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket costs in Covered California and scrap deductibles entirely for a mid-tier plan. Get Free Insurance Industry News Updates Delivered to Your Email! Erin Woodiel / USA Today Network via Imagn, Erin Woodiel / USA Today Network via Imagn, 'So much relief': South Dakota voters pass Medicaid expansion, Open enrollment is here. Image: Kit Leong / stock.adobe.com The monopoly is about to end. The clear intent of the Legislature was that this money was meant to go to affordability., Wood said he might have rejected Newsoms plan had he known the revenue it generated would be deposited directly into the general fund. An independent three-member panel of . Democratic leaders said Newsoms tactic of holding back the money for the general fund is a rip-off., Money from the mandate should stay in healthcare, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins told KFF Health News, arguing the state should be distributing money now to help people afford health coverage. For the past three years, people have been told to ignore the mail around this, that the renewal was not going to lead to a termination. Suddenly that mail matters, he said. The Scoop: health insurance news - January 13, 2021 A round-up of state and national headlines regarding individual health insurance and health reform HHS has extended the COVID-19 public health emergency through mid-April. Listen to all the latest news including global insurance premium income revealed. May 18, 2023, 7:22 AM PDT By Shannon Pettypiece WASHINGTON As Republicans and Democrats debate a plan to raise the nation's debt ceiling, millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid for their. One official responded that theyll learn and improve over time. Copyright 2023 by Wells Media Group, Inc. 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People who are no longer eligible or dont complete paperwork in time will be dropped. At the same time, health economists estimate there would be added administrative costs for states that have to set up a system of regularly tracking and monitoring peoples work hours since Medicaid is currently designed only as a health insurance program. Jargon alert: How doctors speak could cause 'harm' for patients. | Image: Alexander Raths / stock.adobe.com. Local governments, short on money after three years of zero Covid and faced with many more retirees, are raising costs and overhauling benefits. These waivers are for Medicaid managed care, and also provide federal funding for uncompensated care which is more of a problem in states like Texas and Florida, due to their failure to expand Medicaid and the resulting coverage gap for low-income residents. Virginia is one of 26 states where health insurance plans sold in the marketplace/exchange are not allowed to provide coverage for abortions. Congressional Republicans had gutted the federal penalty part of the Affordable Care Act in 2017. For those who lose coverage, they will still need medical care and the costs would have to be borne elsewhere in the health care system, like by hospitals or health clinics providing free or low-cost care, physician groups and health economists said. Open enrollment for 2021 health coverage is still ongoing in five states and Washington, DC (plus a COVID-related special enrollment period for uninsured residents in Maryland). The COVID public health emergency is over in the US. It was a tough sell for a new governor, and Newsom needed strong allies among state Democratic leaders, who at the time, in 2019, voiced concern about essentially levying a new tax on Californians unable to afford the rising cost of healthcare. LATEST . A brokerage taking mental health seriously. 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Please contact Medicare.gov or 1800 MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. But there is little evidence to suggest work requirements for Medicaid recipients would have a benefit, and Democrats have said other factors aside from work requirements are largely responsible for improving economic outcomes since they were first put in place during welfare reform in the 1990s. HF11, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Shultz (DFL, District 7A), was introduced in Minnesota last week, calling for various changes to the MinnesotaCare program that would allow more people to enroll. Montana, Alaska, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming are among the latest states moving to provide health coverage for up to a year after pregnancy through the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people. Others have since announced similar decisions, including PhRMA, and to a lesser degree, Cigna. There was a clear commitment that these dollars were going to be used to bring down heathcare costs, and we havent done it, said Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, a Democrat representing the Santa Clarita Valley, who introduced a bill that would require any revenue raised from the individual mandate be permanently set aside for healthcare. Im just concerned that were going to be learning as a result of people losing coverage, Clere replied. Now 3 are dead and 2 missing, Deal extends L.A. school year, restores 3-week winter break, Fight erupts at anti-Pride Day protest outside L.A. school where trans teachers flag was burned, 50 years after a classmates slaying, three amateur sleuths set out to find her killer, Celebs dodged millions in L.A.s mansion tax. Meet the industry guarding their wealth, Ex-NFL player thought Shark Tank would launch his barbecue empire. Several states are first reviewing people officials believe are no longer eligible or who havent recently used their insurance. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. A trusted independent health insurance guide since 1994. Listen to all the latest news including global insurance premium income revealed. Democratic lawmakers are expected to continue ratcheting up pressure on Newsom in hopes of reaching a deal by their June 15 deadline to pass a budget bill. Cuddy did not respond to questions about issues raised in the petitions. Some people moved and didnt update their contact information. Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new report showing that the national uninsured rate reached an all-time low of 8 percent in early 2022, with 5.2 million people having gained coverage since 2020, coinciding with the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration in January 2021. But millions of others, including many children, will become uninsured and unable to afford basic prescriptions or preventive care. With respect to Medicare: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Last week, the Trump administration announced that it was finalizing some aspects of the proposal including the most controversial ones but that the rest of the proposed rule changes would be finalized in an additional rule that will be issued at a later date. That will be under the Biden administration, which is also likely to delay the rule the Trump administration finalized last week (currently slated to take effect March 15) and reissue a new proposed rule, with a new comment period. May 26, 2023 Report: As Pandemic Policies End, Hundreds of Thousands Have Lost Their Health Insurance Many people who potentially qualify for Medicaid have lost coverage, including children.. Democrats, who, then as now, controlled the state Legislature, ultimately backed Newsom in exchange for a promise: The state would levy the fine but use that money to provide financial assistance to offset out-of-pocket costs for Californians purchasing health insurance on the state exchange, Covered California. A survey by Covered California in 2022 found that 48% of its consumers delayed important medical care due to cost. But then their pay was slashed, sometimes in half. But block grants for Medicaid funding have been widely panned by public health experts, and are strongly opposed by leading patient advocacy groups due to the potential for reduced benefits, increased costs for enrollees, reductions in payments to providers, and state budget shortfalls. Would love your thoughts, please comment. For Republicans, the plan is part of a decadeslong push to link federal assistance to work requirements, while Democrats say the move would unfairly strip people of their health coverage and push more Americans into poverty. Most people will find health coverage through new jobs or qualify for subsidized plans through the Affordable Care Act. This second provision would primarily help people with income near or a little above 400 percent of the poverty level, and could make a substantial difference in the affordability of coverage for some households that currently have to pay full-price for their coverage sometimes amounting to well over a quarter of their income.