The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act in a 7-2 decision released Thursday morning.
ACA
Posted inHealth
Bill that extends dental, vision coverage to young adults wins final passage
Young adults, stepchildren and others would be able to remain on their parents’ dental and vision insurance through age 26.
Posted inHealth, Justice
CT, state’s insurers, hail Supreme Court decision to hear Obamacare appeal
Affordable Care Act supporters said they are confident the U.S. Supreme Court will determine the health care law is constitutional.
Posted inHealth
Anthem, ConnectiCare seek premium increases for 2020 policies
Anthem is asking for an 15.2 percent average rate hike on individual policies and ConnectiCare wants to increase premiums by an average of 4.9 percent.
Posted inHealth
Health care of thousands in CT at stake as court set to hear ACA case
Even if the 5th District Court of Appeals rules the Affordable Care Act is invalid, it’s not likely to disappear overnight.
Posted inHealth
Trump administration proposes new rule requiring separate premium bills for abortion coverage
The Trump administration wants insurers that offer plans through Access Health CT, Connecticut’s Affordable Care Act exchange, and other exchanges nationwide, to send people separate monthly bills for the cost of their abortion coverage — in addition to the bill they get for their regular premium costs.
Posted inHealth
CT sees sharp decline in uninsured low-income adults in rural areas
Connecticut saw one of the biggest drops in the uninsured rate among low-income adults living in rural areas and small towns compared to other states, according to a national study released this week. The uninsured rate in the state’s sole non-metro county, Litchfield, fell from 32 percent in 2008-09 to 9 percent in 2015-16.
Posted inHealth
Blumenthal urges Wade to ban or restrict short-term health plans
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has called on Connecticut’s insurance commissioner to ban or restrict, as other states have, short-term health insurance plans recently promoted by the Trump administration.
Posted inHealth
CT Insurance Dept. mulling expansion of ‘short-term’ plans
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration on Wednesday issued final rules that would allow states like Connecticut to allow the sale of cheaper, skimpier health care plans that were originally intended for short-term use but now be available for 364 days, or nearly 12 months at a time. Now, it’s up to state officials to allow the sale of these short-term plans, which do not have to cover pre-existing conditions.
Posted inHealth
Bills approved mandating ‘essential benefits,’ helping uninsured pregnant women
A bill headed to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s desk would give uninsured women the ability to sign up for health insurance after they learn they are pregnant. A second bill sent to the governor requires individual and small-group health insurance policies to cover the same 10 “essential health benefits” the Affordable Care Act mandates.
Posted inHealth
Murphy introduces ‘Medicare for more’ health plan option
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy on Wednesday introduced legislation that would allow individuals and businesses to purchase Medicare coverage. Murphy and co-sponsor Sen. Jeff Merkley say there’s little chance of immediate passage of the bill, but say there is a need for public discussion on ways to shore up the Affordable Care Act.
Posted inHealth
Bills to mandate health coverage die in committee but some support remains
The two bills that would establish an individual mandate in Connecticut failed to make it out of committee, but Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney said Wednesday he would consider reviving the proposal by offering an amendment to other legislation.
Posted inHealth
CT ponders an individual mandate — and two vastly different penalties
A legislative committee aired two bills Thursday that would establish a state individual health care mandate and push back on Congress’s recent repeal of the Obamacare penalty, but the bills would impose radically different fines for those who fail to buy insurance coverage.
Posted inHealth, Politics
White House moves to allow Obamacare rival
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday moved forward on allowing Americans to purchase short-term health plans that may be more affordable than what’s on the market right now but would not contain the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections and would undermine the health care law.
Posted inHealth
Trump order pushes GOP ideas on insurance choice, curbing costs
The president’s executive order is aimed at expanding lower-cost insurance options, allowing employers to give workers money to buy their own coverage, and slowing insurance and hospital industry consolidation. Critics said the changes, if implemented, could result in more bare-bones coverage and pulling healthier people out of struggling insurance markets, leading to higher premiums for those who remain. Top Connecticut Democrats blasted the order.