The plan, which uses federal Medicaid expansion funds to buy private insurance for poor people, is being closely watched by other states.
Reported by NYTimes.com 1 hour ago.
Arkansas House Votes to Extend Health Insurance Program
↧
↧
Administration offers 2-year ObamaCare extension for canceled health plans
The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will let people keep health insurance plans that would otherwise be out of compliance with ObamaCare for another two years, in the latest major delay for the health care law.
Reported by FOXNews.com 6 hours ago.
↧
Consumers can keep old health plans into 2017, administration says
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration announced Wednesday that some Americans with health insurance policies that don’t meet consumer standards set by the Affordable Care Act will be allowed to keep their plans into 2017, three years later than originally envisioned.
Reported by ChicagoTribune 5 hours ago.
↧
Obama Announces 2-Year Extension For Canceled Health Plans
Warding off the specter of election-year health insurance cancellations, the Obama administration Wednesday announced a two-year extension for individual policies that don't meet requirements of the new health care law.
Reported by CBS 2 6 hours ago.
↧
Rep. Dan Maffei votes to delay penalties for those who fail to buy health insurance
Reported by syracuse.com 6 hours ago.
↧
↧
House votes to delay Obamacare’s individual mandate penalty
The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to delay the Affordable Care Act’s penalty on individuals who fail to sign up for health insurance.
Reported by Miami Herald 5 hours ago.
↧
People Can Keep Health Plans 2 More Years
Warding off the specter of election-year health insurance cancellations, the Obama administration today announced a two-year extension for individual policies that don't meet requirements of the new health care law. The decision helps defuse a political problem for Democrats in tough re-election battles this fall, especially for senators who in...
Reported by Newser 5 hours ago.
↧
Feds Offer Two-Year Obamacare Delay for Some
People with health insurance the government considers substandard may keep the policies for another two years, the Obama administration said Wednesday.
Reported by msnbc.com 5 hours ago.
Reported by msnbc.com 5 hours ago.
↧
Concilio Latino de Salud Presents Eighth Annual ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® Physical Activity and Hispanic Family Health Event
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company presenting Llaves para una mejor salud (Keys to a Healthier You) diabetes education pavilion. ACA and Medicaid health insurance pavilion providing one-to-one support.
Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) March 05, 2014
On Saturday, March 8, 2014, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health kicks off the 2014 ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® 10-event series in Phoenix, Arizona with local community-based organization partner, Concilio Latino de Salud. The event series promotes Hispanic family physical activity and good nutrition for better health and wellness for people of all ages and all sizes. The event this weekend is free and open to the public and will be held at the John R. Davis Elementary School at 6209 S. 15th Avenue in Phoenix, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
“¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® is a great opportunity to learn fun, safe, affordable, and effective ways for the whole family to be physically active,” said Elizabeth Ortíz de Valdez, President and CEO of Concilio Latino de Salud. “Physical activity helps prevent and manage disease, boosts energy, and is an important part of maintaining emotional health by reducing stress and improving one’s mood.”
¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® demonstrates the power of culture, family, and community to promote better health for all. Made possible by an extraordinary group of partners and volunteers, the Phoenix event will feature health information and screenings, including blood pressure, blood glucose, mammograms, and dental exams for kids; Zumba and youth soccer clinics; and on site support to answer questions about Medicaid and the new Health Insurance Marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Participants will also have the chance to win prizes, enjoy healthy snacks, listen to music, watch folkloric dances, and much more!
Title sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company are bringing their Llaves para una mejor salud (Keys to a Healthier You) diabetes education pavilion to a 10-city tour of the Alliance’s signature ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® event series. This fun and interactive pavilion will include music and dance demonstrations, good nutrition stations, and the chance to talk to a certified diabetes educator.
“We are proud to be the title sponsor for ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® as part of our ongoing commitment to the communities we serve, and education about diabetes and healthy living,” said Christopher Kaplan, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “We recognize we are part of a global community and our family of employees feels strongly about partnering with organizations like the Alliance to improve it.”
“The support we receive from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly), Newman’s Own Foundation, and the Healthy Americas Foundation allows us to serve 25,000 people at community family health events every year, like the one this weekend in Phoenix,” said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the nation’s leading Hispanic health advocacy group.
“We are proud to support the National Alliance for Hispanic Health in providing community-based health and nutrition outreach,” said Robert Forrester, president of Newman’s Own Foundation. “One of the Foundation’s priorities is the support of nonprofits whose focus is on nutrition, and ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® works to address a broad range of needs on the local level.”
All participants of ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® Phoenix will be eligible to register for the National Alliance for Hispanic Health’s Buena Salud® Club. This free membership club is designed to promote healthy lifestyles by providing year-round reliable and confidential health information and provider referrals.
About Concilio Latino de Salud
Concilio is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit, community-based organization that provides culturally competent and linguistically appropriate prevention education on a wide range of health topics of great concern to the Hispanic community including: HIV/AIDS and other STIs (sexually transmitted infections), cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, inhalant/substance abuse among young adults, preventative vaccinations for babies and children, tobacco use elimination, and others. Concilio actively pursues goals set by the national and state projects such as Healthy People 2020 through programming, advocacy, public policy analysis, workshops, community-wide education, service and resource referrals, applied research, and media links.
About the National Alliance for Hispanic Health
The Alliance is the nation’s foremost science-based source of information and trusted advocate for the health of Hispanics in the United States. The Alliance represents thousands of Hispanic health providers across the nation providing services to more than 15 million each year, making a daily difference in the lives of Hispanic communities and families. For more information, visit http://www.hispanichealth.org or call the Alliance’s Su Familia National Hispanic Family Health Helpline at 1-866-783-2645.
About ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!®
In its eighth year, ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® is the premier national family physical activity and healthy lifestyle event series in the nation. These family-oriented events are organized by leading Hispanic community-based organizations along with the support of over 400 local partners and hundreds of volunteers, and are tailored to the interests and cultures of each community. The National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the Health Foundation for the Americas present the series, along with title sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company; national supporter Newman’s Own Foundation; national media partner Univision Communication’s Salud es vida; and, national partners the Embassy of Mexico and the United States Tennis Association. For more information call 1-866-783-2645, or visit http://www.getupgetmoving.org or find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/healthyamericas/events. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) March 05, 2014
On Saturday, March 8, 2014, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health kicks off the 2014 ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® 10-event series in Phoenix, Arizona with local community-based organization partner, Concilio Latino de Salud. The event series promotes Hispanic family physical activity and good nutrition for better health and wellness for people of all ages and all sizes. The event this weekend is free and open to the public and will be held at the John R. Davis Elementary School at 6209 S. 15th Avenue in Phoenix, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
“¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® is a great opportunity to learn fun, safe, affordable, and effective ways for the whole family to be physically active,” said Elizabeth Ortíz de Valdez, President and CEO of Concilio Latino de Salud. “Physical activity helps prevent and manage disease, boosts energy, and is an important part of maintaining emotional health by reducing stress and improving one’s mood.”
¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® demonstrates the power of culture, family, and community to promote better health for all. Made possible by an extraordinary group of partners and volunteers, the Phoenix event will feature health information and screenings, including blood pressure, blood glucose, mammograms, and dental exams for kids; Zumba and youth soccer clinics; and on site support to answer questions about Medicaid and the new Health Insurance Marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Participants will also have the chance to win prizes, enjoy healthy snacks, listen to music, watch folkloric dances, and much more!
Title sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company are bringing their Llaves para una mejor salud (Keys to a Healthier You) diabetes education pavilion to a 10-city tour of the Alliance’s signature ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® event series. This fun and interactive pavilion will include music and dance demonstrations, good nutrition stations, and the chance to talk to a certified diabetes educator.
“We are proud to be the title sponsor for ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® as part of our ongoing commitment to the communities we serve, and education about diabetes and healthy living,” said Christopher Kaplan, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “We recognize we are part of a global community and our family of employees feels strongly about partnering with organizations like the Alliance to improve it.”
“The support we receive from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly), Newman’s Own Foundation, and the Healthy Americas Foundation allows us to serve 25,000 people at community family health events every year, like the one this weekend in Phoenix,” said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the nation’s leading Hispanic health advocacy group.
“We are proud to support the National Alliance for Hispanic Health in providing community-based health and nutrition outreach,” said Robert Forrester, president of Newman’s Own Foundation. “One of the Foundation’s priorities is the support of nonprofits whose focus is on nutrition, and ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® works to address a broad range of needs on the local level.”
All participants of ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® Phoenix will be eligible to register for the National Alliance for Hispanic Health’s Buena Salud® Club. This free membership club is designed to promote healthy lifestyles by providing year-round reliable and confidential health information and provider referrals.
About Concilio Latino de Salud
Concilio is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit, community-based organization that provides culturally competent and linguistically appropriate prevention education on a wide range of health topics of great concern to the Hispanic community including: HIV/AIDS and other STIs (sexually transmitted infections), cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, inhalant/substance abuse among young adults, preventative vaccinations for babies and children, tobacco use elimination, and others. Concilio actively pursues goals set by the national and state projects such as Healthy People 2020 through programming, advocacy, public policy analysis, workshops, community-wide education, service and resource referrals, applied research, and media links.
About the National Alliance for Hispanic Health
The Alliance is the nation’s foremost science-based source of information and trusted advocate for the health of Hispanics in the United States. The Alliance represents thousands of Hispanic health providers across the nation providing services to more than 15 million each year, making a daily difference in the lives of Hispanic communities and families. For more information, visit http://www.hispanichealth.org or call the Alliance’s Su Familia National Hispanic Family Health Helpline at 1-866-783-2645.
About ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!®
In its eighth year, ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® is the premier national family physical activity and healthy lifestyle event series in the nation. These family-oriented events are organized by leading Hispanic community-based organizations along with the support of over 400 local partners and hundreds of volunteers, and are tailored to the interests and cultures of each community. The National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the Health Foundation for the Americas present the series, along with title sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company; national supporter Newman’s Own Foundation; national media partner Univision Communication’s Salud es vida; and, national partners the Embassy of Mexico and the United States Tennis Association. For more information call 1-866-783-2645, or visit http://www.getupgetmoving.org or find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/healthyamericas/events. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
↧
↧
If you like your plan, now you may be able to keep it until after Obama is out of office
Some Americans will be allowed to keep their current health insurance -- even if the plans don't comply with the Affordable Care Act -- into 2017 under new rules announced Wednesday by the Obama administration. In November, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that health insurers could continue to offer noncompliant plans to current customers in 2014. Wednesday's announcement extends that for another two years. The extension covers policy years that begin on or before Oct. 1, 2016. The…
Reported by bizjournals 5 hours ago.
↧
House Republicans Make 50th Attempt At Taking Down Obamacare
BY DONNA CASSATA, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday backed a one-year delay in the penalty that individuals would have to pay for failing to sign up for health insurance, the 50th time Republicans have forced a vote to repeal, gut or change the law championed by President Barack Obama.
The vote was 250-160, with 27 Democrats joining Republicans on legislation to postpone the individual mandate under the law. The measure stands no chance in the Democratic-led Senate and the White House has threatened a veto.
The vote was another example of the election-year political maneuvering on health care. Republicans remain convinced that public dissatisfaction with the law will cost Democrats in November's contests, helping the GOP increase its majority in the House and possibly win back the Senate.
Some vulnerable Democrats in competitive races voted with the GOP, including lawmakers from Arizona, Georgia, Illinois and New Hampshire. Democratic Rep. Gary Peters, who is seeking Michigan's open Senate seat, backed the bill.
During the House debate, Republicans argued that the breaks Obama has provided to businesses facing penalties under the law should apply to average Americans.
"If the president can delay the employer mandate, where's the relief for everyone else?" asked Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan.
The debate came as the Obama administration granted a two-year extension for individual policies that don't meet requirements of the new health care law, a delay that Republicans immediately seized upon to criticize the administration.
Republicans described a list of woes associated with the law — canceled policies, patients unable to stick with their doctors and more expensive premiums.
"The president's health care law is wreaking havoc on the American people," said Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.
The 4-year-old law requires U.S. citizens and legal residents to have qualifying health care coverage or face a tax penalty based on household income. The penalty would be phased in at 1 percent of taxable income this year, 2 percent in 2015 and 2.5 percent in 2016.
Democrats said the GOP hasn't come up with a viable alternative that would expand coverage and deal with egregious insurance practices. They questioned why the House was holding another health care vote while no action has been taken on raising the minimum wage, overhauling immigration and extending unemployment insurance.
"Don't we have anything else to do?" asked Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, highlighted the fact that Republicans had once backed the notion of the individual mandate and that it was the foundation of Massachusetts' health care law signed by Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006.
After the disastrous rollout of the health care website on Oct. 1, the Obama administration has said 4 million people have signed up for private coverage through the insurance exchanges although it is not known how many of them had been uninsured. The administration has said 9 million people are eligible for Medicaid, a number that includes renewals. Outside experts estimate that the Medicaid eligible number may be lower, around 3.5 million.
Republican leaders are struggling with whether to offer an alternative before the November elections, with some in the GOP ranks favoring an option and others arguing against any single bill.
Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., who is running for the Senate, rebuffed his leadership and voted against the bill.
"Once again, we see leadership attempting to fix a disastrous law that simply cannot be fixed," Broun said in a statement. "Obamacare is broken beyond the point of repair — and the only true fix is a swift, full, repeal." Reported by Huffington Post 4 hours ago.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday backed a one-year delay in the penalty that individuals would have to pay for failing to sign up for health insurance, the 50th time Republicans have forced a vote to repeal, gut or change the law championed by President Barack Obama.
The vote was 250-160, with 27 Democrats joining Republicans on legislation to postpone the individual mandate under the law. The measure stands no chance in the Democratic-led Senate and the White House has threatened a veto.
The vote was another example of the election-year political maneuvering on health care. Republicans remain convinced that public dissatisfaction with the law will cost Democrats in November's contests, helping the GOP increase its majority in the House and possibly win back the Senate.
Some vulnerable Democrats in competitive races voted with the GOP, including lawmakers from Arizona, Georgia, Illinois and New Hampshire. Democratic Rep. Gary Peters, who is seeking Michigan's open Senate seat, backed the bill.
During the House debate, Republicans argued that the breaks Obama has provided to businesses facing penalties under the law should apply to average Americans.
"If the president can delay the employer mandate, where's the relief for everyone else?" asked Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan.
The debate came as the Obama administration granted a two-year extension for individual policies that don't meet requirements of the new health care law, a delay that Republicans immediately seized upon to criticize the administration.
Republicans described a list of woes associated with the law — canceled policies, patients unable to stick with their doctors and more expensive premiums.
"The president's health care law is wreaking havoc on the American people," said Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.
The 4-year-old law requires U.S. citizens and legal residents to have qualifying health care coverage or face a tax penalty based on household income. The penalty would be phased in at 1 percent of taxable income this year, 2 percent in 2015 and 2.5 percent in 2016.
Democrats said the GOP hasn't come up with a viable alternative that would expand coverage and deal with egregious insurance practices. They questioned why the House was holding another health care vote while no action has been taken on raising the minimum wage, overhauling immigration and extending unemployment insurance.
"Don't we have anything else to do?" asked Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, highlighted the fact that Republicans had once backed the notion of the individual mandate and that it was the foundation of Massachusetts' health care law signed by Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006.
After the disastrous rollout of the health care website on Oct. 1, the Obama administration has said 4 million people have signed up for private coverage through the insurance exchanges although it is not known how many of them had been uninsured. The administration has said 9 million people are eligible for Medicaid, a number that includes renewals. Outside experts estimate that the Medicaid eligible number may be lower, around 3.5 million.
Republican leaders are struggling with whether to offer an alternative before the November elections, with some in the GOP ranks favoring an option and others arguing against any single bill.
Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., who is running for the Senate, rebuffed his leadership and voted against the bill.
"Once again, we see leadership attempting to fix a disastrous law that simply cannot be fixed," Broun said in a statement. "Obamacare is broken beyond the point of repair — and the only true fix is a swift, full, repeal." Reported by Huffington Post 4 hours ago.
↧
House backs bill to delay health care penalty
The House on Wednesday backed a one-year delay in the penalty that individuals would have to pay for failing to sign up for health insurance, the 50th time Republicans have forced a vote to repeal, gut or change the law championed by President Barack Obama.
Reported by Seattle Times 5 hours ago.
↧
Heartland Insistute Report Lays Out Principles for Sound Medicare Reform
Of all the entitlement programs in the U.S. requiring reform, Medicare – the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older – presents the most difficult problem of all. The program’s actuaries project, under intermediate assumptions including full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), the program’s total deficits will reach $547.4 billion by 2022, in that one year alone, just for this single program.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) March 05, 2014
Of all the entitlement programs in the U.S. requiring reform, Medicare – the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older – presents the most difficult problem of all. The program’s actuaries project, under intermediate assumptions including full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), the program’s total deficits will reach $547.4 billion by 2022, in that one year alone, just for this single program.
In “A Better Medicare for Seniors and Taxpayers,” a new Policy Brief from The Heartland Institute, Senior Fellow Peter Ferrara describes two opposing approaches to addressing the Medicare crisis. Obamacare, he notes, attempts to address the problem by “cut[ting] Medicare by $716 billion over the next 10 years alone, mostly by slashing Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals.” Those Medicare cuts total $5 trillion over the next 20 years, he writes in the Policy Brief.
The far better alternative, says Ferrara, is the Medicare reform plan proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI): “Obamacare would raid Medicare to finance Obamacare through arbitrary, draconian cuts in payments to the doctors and hospitals that provide health care to seniors. Ryan’s reforms would allow seniors to escape these draconian Medicare cuts. They would choose from among competing private health plans that must pay doctors and hospitals adequately to attract customers for their health insurance, because if their customers can’t get health care with their insurance, those health plans are not going to have many customers.”
To read the Policy Brief, click here.
If you have any questions about this Policy Brief or The Heartland Institute, or if you would like to discuss entitlement reform issues with author Peter Ferrara, please contact Communications Director Jim Lakely at or jlakely@heartland.org and 312/377-4000 or (cell) 312/731-9364.
Ferrara explains how the Ryan reforms would help not only seniors, but taxpayers as well: “These Medicare reforms would also contribute powerfully to increased economic growth and prosperity. Instead of sharp tax rate increases that reduce economic growth, the burden of health costs is sharply reduced through market competition and incentives.”
“A Better Medicare for Seniors and Taxpayers” is the fourth in a multi-part series Ferrara is writing on entitlement reform for The Heartland Institute.
The previous installments in the series, “A Winning Plan for Entitlement Reform,” “The Foundation for Entitlement Reform: Get American Booming Again,” and “Social Security Personal Accounts: Prosperity for All,” are also available.
The Heartland Institute is a 30-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000. Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) March 05, 2014
Of all the entitlement programs in the U.S. requiring reform, Medicare – the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older – presents the most difficult problem of all. The program’s actuaries project, under intermediate assumptions including full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), the program’s total deficits will reach $547.4 billion by 2022, in that one year alone, just for this single program.
In “A Better Medicare for Seniors and Taxpayers,” a new Policy Brief from The Heartland Institute, Senior Fellow Peter Ferrara describes two opposing approaches to addressing the Medicare crisis. Obamacare, he notes, attempts to address the problem by “cut[ting] Medicare by $716 billion over the next 10 years alone, mostly by slashing Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals.” Those Medicare cuts total $5 trillion over the next 20 years, he writes in the Policy Brief.
The far better alternative, says Ferrara, is the Medicare reform plan proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI): “Obamacare would raid Medicare to finance Obamacare through arbitrary, draconian cuts in payments to the doctors and hospitals that provide health care to seniors. Ryan’s reforms would allow seniors to escape these draconian Medicare cuts. They would choose from among competing private health plans that must pay doctors and hospitals adequately to attract customers for their health insurance, because if their customers can’t get health care with their insurance, those health plans are not going to have many customers.”
To read the Policy Brief, click here.
If you have any questions about this Policy Brief or The Heartland Institute, or if you would like to discuss entitlement reform issues with author Peter Ferrara, please contact Communications Director Jim Lakely at or jlakely@heartland.org and 312/377-4000 or (cell) 312/731-9364.
Ferrara explains how the Ryan reforms would help not only seniors, but taxpayers as well: “These Medicare reforms would also contribute powerfully to increased economic growth and prosperity. Instead of sharp tax rate increases that reduce economic growth, the burden of health costs is sharply reduced through market competition and incentives.”
“A Better Medicare for Seniors and Taxpayers” is the fourth in a multi-part series Ferrara is writing on entitlement reform for The Heartland Institute.
The previous installments in the series, “A Winning Plan for Entitlement Reform,” “The Foundation for Entitlement Reform: Get American Booming Again,” and “Social Security Personal Accounts: Prosperity for All,” are also available.
The Heartland Institute is a 30-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000. Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.
↧
↧
Affordable Care Act tweaked again - and again
The announcements come as procrastinators are scrambling to meet a March 31 deadline for enrolling in health insurance through an exchange for 2014 to avoid a potential tax penalty for being uninsured. The administration announced Wednesday that it will let an estimated 500,000 Americans who have non-grandfathered individual policies that don't comply with the Affordable Care Act renew them for two additional years. Last Thursday, the administration announced a reprieve for certain people who had faced "exceptional circumstances" enrolling in coverage through an exchange because of technical issues. After a wave of cancellation notices sparked an outcry last fall, when the federal health care exchange was barely working, Obama announced a change: In California, almost everyone with a non-grandfathered individual policy has already been transitioned into a fully compliant policy, or will be by the end of March, because of rules imposed by Covered California, the state's health care exchange. To qualify for a tax subsidy to offset their cost of health insurance, the law requires people to meet income requirements and buy insurance through a state or the federal exchange (also called a marketplace).
Reported by SFGate 3 hours ago.
↧
Canceled health insurance plans extended - again
Americans whose 2013 health insurance policies were supposed to be canceled this year because they don’t meet tough new standards under the Affordable Care Act can now renew those noncompliant policies for another two years if their home states allow it, the Obama administration announced Wednesday.
Reported by Miami Herald 2 hours ago.
↧
Obama administration rewrites some health-care policies
The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it has rewritten an array of far-reaching rules under the Affordable Care Act, the most significant of which will let people keep bare-bones health insurance policies for three more years.
Reported by Washington Post 2 hours ago.
↧
Zane Benefits Publishes New Information on Defined Contribution Sales Tips
Defined Contribution Health Plans is a new small business product for health insurance professionals.
Park City, UT (PRWEB) March 05, 2014
Today, Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, published new defined contribution sales tips.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, over 2.3 million small businesses don't offer health insurance in the US. However, the majority of small businesses want to offer health insurance to recruit and retain employees. Before defined contribution health plans, there was little a broker could do to help businesses that couldn’t afford group health insurance.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, by offering a defined contribution solution, brokers have another tool to diversify and grow their book of businesses in this changing health insurance market. Zane Benefits recommends that brokers maximize this market by:
1. Prospect the Right Company for Defined Contribution
2. Shift from Salesperson to Consultant
3. Adjust Sales Approach with Small Businesses
Click here to read the full article.
About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, was founded in 2006 to revolutionize the way employers provide employee health benefits in America. We empower employees to take control over their own healthcare, while helping employers recruit and retain the best talent. Our online solutions allow small and medium-sized businesses to successfully transition to a health benefits program that creates happier employees, reduces costs and frees up more time to serve their customers. For more information about ZaneHealth, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 40 minutes ago.
Park City, UT (PRWEB) March 05, 2014
Today, Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, published new defined contribution sales tips.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, over 2.3 million small businesses don't offer health insurance in the US. However, the majority of small businesses want to offer health insurance to recruit and retain employees. Before defined contribution health plans, there was little a broker could do to help businesses that couldn’t afford group health insurance.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, by offering a defined contribution solution, brokers have another tool to diversify and grow their book of businesses in this changing health insurance market. Zane Benefits recommends that brokers maximize this market by:
1. Prospect the Right Company for Defined Contribution
2. Shift from Salesperson to Consultant
3. Adjust Sales Approach with Small Businesses
Click here to read the full article.
About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, was founded in 2006 to revolutionize the way employers provide employee health benefits in America. We empower employees to take control over their own healthcare, while helping employers recruit and retain the best talent. Our online solutions allow small and medium-sized businesses to successfully transition to a health benefits program that creates happier employees, reduces costs and frees up more time to serve their customers. For more information about ZaneHealth, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 40 minutes ago.
↧
↧
As Medicaid fight rages, McAuliffe notes reform
RICHMOND – Gov. Terry McAuliffe highlighted a complex health reform initiative Thursday, pitching it as evidence that Virginia is ready to expand its Medicaid program and extend taxpayer-funded health insurance to hundreds of thousands of new people.
Reported by dailypress.com 11 hours ago.
↧
Consumers Need Cost, Quality and Access Data for Health Care Choices
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Health care is becoming more complicated. There are more health insurance options, more choices in medical caregivers and more cost burden shifting to the consumer. Amidst these changes, consumers increasingly need decision support tools to help them make the right choice. Mitch Rothschild, CEO of Vitals, will discuss how health plans can employ next-generation engagement solutions for consumers with co-presenter Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer,
Reported by Business Wire 11 hours ago.
↧
Nearly 10,000 Casino Union Workers May Strike Over Obamacare
Nearly 10,000 Las Vegas casino workers say they are considering going on strike over what the unpopular Obamacare program has done to their health care insurance.If contract negotiations to keep their existing benefits go unsettled by March 20, Nevada's biggest union, the Culinary Union Local 226, says it will vote to grant the union the right to strike.
"The biggest hurdle to reaching settlements in Vegas is the new costs imposed on our health plan by Obamacare," Unite Here President Donald Taylor told Buzzfeed. "Even though the president and Congress promised we could keep our health plan, the reality is, unless the law is fixed, that won't be true."
The threat of an almost 10,000-person union strike is merely the latest example of unions' rebuke of Obamacare. Last September, Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) President Terry O'Sullivan told AFL-CIO convention attendees, "We'll be damned if we're going to lose our health insurance because of unintended consequences in the law!"
Further irritating the relationship between unions and President Barack Obama was a ruling earlier this week by the Obama administration to deny unions' request for an exemption on Obamacare's transitional reinsurance program. As the Washington Post notes, "It marks the second recent Obamacare defeat for unions. Over the summer, the administration rejected unions' pleas to allow their health plans to access federal subsidies."
Recent Obamacare clashes between unions and Obama could further threaten the odds of Democrats already facing daunting midterm elections come November. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, just 38% of Americans now support Obamacare.
Reported by Breitbart 10 hours ago.
↧
More Pages to Explore .....
