UnitedHealthcare plans to stop paying commissions for insurance policies offered through exchanges beginning Jan. 1, a move brokers say signals the company’s retreat from Obamacare business.
Access Health CT
Posted inHealth
To improve health, raise ‘insurance literacy,’ experts say
Studies show people would rather go to the gym or pay taxes than pick a health insurance plan. And experts say that’s a problem for policymakers trying to improve the health of the population and ensure that the expansion of insurance coverage under the federal health law does more than give a lot of people new insurance cards.
Posted inHealth
Unlike UnitedHealth, Aetna, Anthem say they will stay in ACA exchanges
WASHINGTON — UnitedHealth may quit the nation’s insurance exchanges, but Aetna and Anthem say they are staying and will work on problems with the marketplaces.
Posted inHealth
New Access Health customers skew younger, lower-income, so far
More than 5,400 new customers have bought private insurance through the state’s health insurance exchange since Nov. 1, a group that includes more young adults and more people who qualify for subsidized coverage compared to the current customer base.
Posted inHealth
CT’s insurance CO-OP sticking around, but still a work in progress
The nonprofit insurer lost $28 million in 2014 and, as of June 30, had lost $9.5 million this year. CEO Ken Lalime said early losses are not unusual for a new company, and said HealthyCT has the capital to get through the initial, unprofitable years.
Posted inHealth
Obamacare signups begin with different outreach strategy
Janet Carlson and her team are preparing for a third round of outreach to help the uninsured get health care coverage in Litchfield County, and she’s anticipating more people who need significant assistance this time around. She’ll also be something of an anomaly, one of just a handful of people formally charged with finding and signing up the uninsured.
Posted inHealth
Obamacare Q&A: Signups start next week
Sunday marks the start of the third open enrollment period for health insurance under the federal health law. That means the nearly 170,000 Connecticut residents who buy their own health insurance will have a chance to shop for new plans — and many will need to take action to keep the coverage they have. Here’s what you need to know.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT says uninsured rate lower than Census figures
Connecticut’s health insurance exchange released an analysis Thursday suggesting that the state’s uninsured rate this year is 3.8 percent, but that figure comes with some caveats.
Posted inHealth
Auditors question Access Health’s information security
In a report released Tuesday, state auditors cited concerns raised by a security expert who reviewed the Access Health insurance exchange following a 2014 security breach. They suggested that the quasi-public agency develop a system for responding to security deficiencies.
Posted inPolitics
This Week in Washington
Congress moved at the 11th hour to avert a government shutdown, but it’s only a short-term fix — with a new budget deadline of Dec. 11. Access Health CT CEO James Wadleigh defended the operations of Connecticut’s health exchange to skeptical GOP lawmakers. Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini’s plans to merge with Humana were also scrutinized by a House panel this week.
Posted inHealth, Politics
House panel grills Access Health CEO, other exchange chiefs
WASHINGTON – As part of a renewed attack on the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans grilled Access Health CEO James Wadleigh and the heads of other state marketplaces on Tuesday, saying they had wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on an effort that has raised health insurance deductibles and premiums.
Posted inHealth
GAO: Still work to do on Obamacare state exchange IT systems
More than a year after launching, state-run health insurance exchanges, including Connecticut’s, still hadn’t fully completed key information technology functions, federal auditors said in a report released Wednesday.
Posted inHealth, Money
Few who lost Medicaid have purchased insurance
When state lawmakers scaled back Medicaid eligibility for thousands of low-income parents to help balance this year’s budget, proponents argued the parents could buy deeply discounted coverage through the state’s health insurance exchange. But so far, fewer than 20 percent of those who lost coverage at the start of this month have signed up.
Posted inHealth
Anthem individual rates to rise 2.4%, ConnectiCare’s by 8.5%
Premiums for the 55,000 people who buy Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans through the state’s individual market will rise by an average of 2.4 percent next year, while ConnectiCare Insurance Company’s 34,400 customers will see an average rate hike of 8.5 percent.
Posted inHealth
Regulator lowers most proposed health insurance rate hikes
Most insurance companies selling health plans in the state’s individual market will get to raise customers’ premiums in 2016, but not by as much as they proposed, and one major carrier will have to lower its rates, according to decisions released by the Connecticut Insurance Department Saturday.