Florida State FlagIn an effort to exercise their ability to be the uncooperative partner, 12 senate and 61 House members sent out letters to governors telling them to rebel against the Affordable Care Act. One man in particular is taking this to heart where as some are weighing options and very few are ahead of the curve.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott stated soon after the health care ruling said he rejected health insurance exchanges. Now the governor has come out and said that he will also not be expanding Medicaid as well according to The New York Times. The governor cites that the state will have too much of a burden expanding Medicaid for his citizens. Even though the government will cover all costs for new people under Medicaid from 2014 to 2016, he believes that after those three years the tax payers will have the burden of paying a substantial amount. But there are some who have begun to critique what exactly Scott said while making his rounds on national television. Whether it is from the amount of money Florida will pay to the idea or rationing of the health care, there are some regarding his comments as false on off base with what the health care law actually does.
North Dakota is one of 36 states that must decide whether or not to take the lead in creating health insurance exchanges, according to the Jamestown Sun. Their legislator decided to have the federal government lead them in establishing exchanges. Under the current deadlines, North Dakota may not have enough time unless they receive conditional approval from the government. Blue Cross Shield of North Dakota are exploring the possibility of having a standby template incase the government offers an extension. But if the state is not offered an extension, then the state will have to use the federal government’s exchange program.
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is deciding whether or not he will also use the federal government in order to set up exchanges, claiming that this would be good for the state. He has also mentioned that Medicaid in New Jersey is already inclusive and that the federal government should give money to states for Medicaid with no strings attached, according to NECN.
Taking the initiative into his own hands, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo decided to use an executive order in order to comply with the health care law back in April. Now they are one of the few states ready for when most of health care law goes into act in 2014. Of the 2.7 million people who are uninsured, 1 million will be able for exchanges, 700,000 are immigrants who will not be covered and the remainder will receive Medicaid coverage according to Democrat and Chronicle.
This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL. Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all. For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here. As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate! read more..
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Health Insurance Exchanges-Affordable Care Act-Federal Government-Florida State Flag
Saturday, 23 June 2012
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In today's health insurance exchange news, we see that many of the struggles that come with creating the exchanges are what should be covered and how the states are going to create the right platform for their exchanges.
In Illinois, a few organizations are banding together to encourage Governor Pat Quinn to give executive orders to begin the creation of the health insurance exchange. The organizations include Illinois State AFL-CIO, League of Women Voters of Illinois and Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce and others according to the Journal Star. These organizations believe that the only way for the state to get its own exchange is to start the process now so they won't be forced to use the federal exchange in 2014.
Washington University in Saint Louis believes that pricing in counties for the exchanges where there is no competition could be inflated. They believe that policy makers need to monitor the counties where few insurances are competing to ensure the best price for their residents, the reason the health insurance exchanges were created.
What is required to be covered in the healthcare insurance exchanges is still up in the air. Health and Human Services has tasked three insurance companies with reporting data including covered benefits, treatment limitations, a list of covered drugs, along with information on whether each drug is subject to prior authorization and/or step therapy and plan enrollment data for their highest-enrollment plans in addition to bench mark plans and administrative data. Information Week also notes that the HHS has also named National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and URAC as accreditors to make sure the exchanges meet government standards.
This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL. Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all. As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate! read more..