White House takes action against short-term ‘junk’ insurance plans and surprise billing

The Biden administration announced plans on Friday to tamp down on "junk" insurance plans and surprise medical fees as part of the "Bidenomics" agenda and its goal of lowering health care costs for Americans.

Through its newly proposed rules, the White House is aiming to crack down on short-term health plans, or "junk plans" as critics refer to them.

Short-term plans are not required to abide by Affordable Care Act (ACA) protections. These less-expensive plans offer...

Noncitizens under 65 will account for nearly one-third of uninsured population in 2024: research

Noncitizens in the United States under 65 years old will account for almost one third of those without health insurance in 2024, research found. 

Research conducted by members of the Urban Institute, which studies social and economic policy, and backed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a public health philanthropic organization, found that about 8.6 million noncitizens, including those who are in the country legally and illegally, are uninsured. 

Nonci...

Noncitizens under 65 will account for nearly one-third of uninsured population in 2024: research

Noncitizens in the United States under 65 years old will account for almost one third of those without health insurance in 2024, research found. 

Research conducted by members of the Urban Institute, which studies social and economic policy, and backed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a public health philanthropic organization, found that about 8.6 million noncitizens, including those who are in the country legally and illegally, are uninsured. 

Nonci...

Top Democrats ask health insurers for response to ObamaCare preventive care ruling

Democrats on key House and Senate health committees have requested information from a dozen major health insurance companies and trade groups on how they plan to respond to the ruling from Texas that struck down the preventive services provision in the Affordable Care Act.

The lawmakers sent out letters to major insurance providers including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealth Group. The letters asked whether consumers would experience interruptions in their c...

Obamacare enrollment sign ups jump by 40 percent in 2022

The number of people who signed up for health insurance through HealthCare.gov jumped by 40 percent compared to last year, President Biden said on Friday.

"Right now, four out of five folks who sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act can get healthcare coverage for $10 a month or less. These lower rates were set to expire on Jan. 1 of this coming year, but instead we were able to extend them," Biden said during remarks addressing business and labor leaders. ...

Expanding health insurance for adults also increased coverage for children

Story at a glance
  • A 2008 experiment conducted in Oregon showed that more eligible children are enrolled in Medicaid once adults in their household also enroll.
  • The study was conducted prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act, which gave states the option to expand eligibility for Medicaid coverage.
  • Although more children were covered in the short-term thanks to the experiment, many remained uninsured, and e...

Sanders says Democrats’ prescription drug reform bill is ‘weak’

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Tuesday that the prescription drug reform proposal that Democrats plan to move under special budget reconciliation rules is “weak,” noting it covers a limited number of drugs and doesn’t substantially take effect until 2026.  

Sanders is the latest member of the Senate Democratic caucus to voice disappointment with the long-awaited budget reconciliation bill, which will not include provisions to tackle climate change...

Covid-19 showed the US how it could make universal healthcare work

The US has always relied heavily on private insurance to cover its citizens.

As of 2019, roughly two thirds of Americans with healthcare (about 90% of the population) got it through a private company. The remaining third used public coverage like Medicare, Medicaid, and tax credits for private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. It’s not a perfect system by a long stretch: Even those with insurance encounter debilitating medical bills due to the exorbitant, variable ...

Covid-19 showed the US how it could make universal healthcare work

The US has always relied heavily on private insurance to cover its citizens.

As of 2019, roughly two thirds of Americans with healthcare (about 90% of the population) got it through a private company. The remaining third used public coverage like Medicare, Medicaid, and tax credits for private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. It’s not a perfect system by a long stretch: Even those with insurance encounter debilitating medical bills due to the exorbitant, variable ...

Joe Biden touts $1.9tn Covid rescue package on anniversary of Affordable Care Act

Administration also extended the enrollment period for registering for subsidized health insurance coverage until 15 August

Joe Biden marked the 11th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act with a trip to Ohio on Tuesday, touting his efforts to reverse many Trump-era measures aimed at weakening the landmark health reform law, and pledging that his $1.9tn Covid rescue package would build on the ACA’s promise.

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