The Deal to End Surprise Medical Bills Finally Gets Approved Scope Of The Protections Consumers would be protected from surprise medical bills when they receive care in both emergency and nonemergency settings; the protections would extend to out-of-network air ambulances. As a result, patients would be protected from surprise bills in situations where they have […]
Illinois lawmakers have taken steps to limit the maximum duration of short-term medical plans (STM plans) to 180 days. Earlier this year, Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that would apply this limitation, but Illinois lawmakers had enough votes to override that veto. In previous instances, applicants who apply for the 12 month plan were […]
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has approved legislation mandating the state’s Medicaid program to reimburse behavioral and mental health providers for telehealth. The bill was one of five signed into law this week by Rauner, all designed to improve access to mental healthcare and increase treatment opportunities in the midst of an opioid abuse crisis. “We […]
Illinois consumers and small businesses using Obamacare will have fewer insurers to choose from and could face double-digit rate hikes for health plans they buy on the exchanges. On average, the highest rate increase proposed for plans to be sold to Illinois small businesses is nearly 47 percent, and for consumers, 43 percent, according to […]
Despite continued efforts by both parties to negotiate a new contract, UnitedHealthcare has not yet reached an agreement to extend the University of Chicago’s participation in their network. If they are unable to reach an agreement, the University of Chicago Medical Center and the University of Chicago Physicians Group will no longer participate in the […]
House Republicans just passed their bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, a plan that reduces taxes but puts millions at risk of losing their health insurance, including people with preexisting conditions, older Americans, and the poor. The vote on Thursday was close — 217 in favor of the bill and 213 against — and split […]
The U.S. House of Representatives had been scheduled to vote Friday afternoon on the American Health Care Act, a bill that would have repealed and replaced large swaths of Obamacare. House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump agreed to pull the bill at the last minute because they didn’t have enough votes to pass […]
Please see the below message from Kevin Counihan, CEO of the Health Insurance Marketplaces: Because of the unprecedented demand and volume of consumers contacting our call center or visiting HealthCare.gov, we are extending the deadline to sign-up for January 1 coverage until 11:59pm PST December 17. Hundreds of thousands have already selected plans over the […]
The White House has decided to allow an extra 24 hours for people to sign up for insurance on HealthCare.gov, through the end of the day Tuesday, to receive coverage beginning on Jan. 1, according to a senior official familiar with the change. The official deadline for getting insurance remains 11:59 p.m. on Monday. But […]
Consumers avoided $3.9 billion in health insurance premium increases in 2012 partly because of the U.S. Affordable Care Act’s limits on what UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), Aetna Inc. (AET) and other coverage plans can charge, the government said. About $500 million in excess premiums will be rebated to 8.5 million people this year, while the […]