Latest Health Insurance Headlines

All the headlines from our Health Insurance Topic Page, ordered by recency.

States Brace for Web Barrage When Obamacare Goes Live Oct. 1

Jul 1 2013 // About 550,000 people in Oregon do not have health insurance, and Aaron Karjala is confident the state’s new online insurance exchange will be able to accommodate them when enrollment under President Barack...

Health Insurers to Pay $500M in Rebates

Jun 25 2013 // U.S. insurers will pay $500 million in rebates to employers and individuals this summer because of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, about half the amount they paid last year.The law, often called Obamacare,...

Many in Mississippi ‘Out of Luck’ as Health Insurers Shun Exchange

Jun 25 2013 // People in 36 of Mississippi’s 82 counties may not be able to buy health insurance through the new federal online marketplace when it starts enrolling customers in October.Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said two...

Iowa Health Insurer to Seek Smaller Rate Hikes

Jun 19 2013 // Months after customers blasted the company for skyrocketing rates, Iowa’s dominant health insurer says it will limit premium increases in 2014 to less than six percent for individual and small business...

IRS Scandals Threaten Funding for Health Care Law

Jun 19 2013 // Mounting scandals at the Internal Revenue Service are jeopardizing critical funding for the agency as it gears up to play a big role in President Barack Obama’s health care law.Obama sought a significant budget...

Massachusetts Health Insurer Ends Coverage of Compounded Drugs

Jun 14 2013 // The second largest health insurer in Massachusetts has announced that it will no longer cover specialty medications known as compounded drugs, months after a deadly nationwide meningitis outbreak was traced to a...

Small Health Insurers Assuming Big Role In Many States Under Obamacare

Jun 14 2013 // When the state of Mississippi begins offering subsidized health insurance under President Barack Obama’s reform law this year, residents will have only one choice – Magnolia Health Plan – a small insurer...

Ohio Regulators: Health Insurance Costs to Increase Under Exchange

Jun 12 2013 // The Ohio Department of Insurance said insurers’ health insurance plans for the federal insurance exchange for Ohio show that expenses for consumers will significantly increase.Based on a report released by the...

4 Insurance Companies Interested in Arkansas Exchange

Jun 5 2013 // Four insurance companies plan to sell their policies to more than 500,000 Arkansas residents through an online marketplace created under the federal health care law, the state Insurance Department announced.The department...

Some Carriers Opt Out of Minnesota Insurance Marketplace

Jun 5 2013 // With just four months to go before Minnesota’s health insurance exchange goes live, it remains to be seen how many new choices consumers will get.The companies that will offer competing plans via MNsure haven’t...

Florida Gov. Scott Signs Bill Limiting State Review of Health Insurance Rates

Jun 4 2013 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed a bill that removes the ability of state regulators to challenge health insurance rates for a two-year period.U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson had called for the bill to be vetoed, saying the...

California Offers Glimpse Into Health Insurance Prices Under Obamacare

May 24 2013 // California unveiled prices on Thursday that consumers will pay for a selection of health plans offered through the state under the Affordable Care Act, providing a glimpse into how health care reform may look as it is...

Wisconsin Bill Would Require $50 Tobacco Use Fee for Health Insurance

May 23 2013 // Wisconsin state workers who smoke would have to pay $50 more per month for health insurance under a Gov. Scott Walker proposal that has won approval by the Legislature’s budget committee.The Joint Finance Committee...

Utah to Be First to Use Dual-Model Health Exchange

May 13 2013 // The federal government has approved Utah to become the first state to have a dual-model health insurance exchange in which the state and the federal government divide responsibilities.The plan allows Utah to continue to...

Ohio Insurance Director Warns of Healthcare-Related ID Scam

May 10 2013 // Ohio Lieutenant Governor and Insurance Director Mary Taylor issued an alert after reports surfaced that telephone con artists are attempting to steal Ohioans’ personal information using the Affordable Care Act (ACA)...

Hospital Charges Vary Widely, Even Within Cities: U.S. Data

May 9 2013 // The Obama administration revealed what over 3,000 hospitals charge for common medical procedures in an early effort to challenge healthcare costs by showing consumers how prices for the same service can vary by tens of...

Indiana State May Charge Tobacco Users More for Insurance

May 8 2013 // Next year, Indiana State University employees who smoke or use other tobacco products could face a $1,200 per year surcharge if they have university health insurance.Also, employees who voluntarily agree to health...

Fundamental Changes Spur Health Spending Dip: Study

May 7 2013 // Slower growth in the pace of U.S. healthcare spending reflects a fundamental change in the use of medical services that could save the country nearly $800 billion in the next decade, according to two new studies released...

Health Insurers Cautious About Joining State Health Exchanges

May 6 2013 // The nation’s largest health insurers are far from leaping at the chance to join new state health insurance exchanges under President Barack Obama’s reform law, making it likely that some markets will have...

Administration Shortens Health Care Application

May 1 2013 // The first draft was as mind-numbing and complex as tax forms. Now the Obama administration is unveiling a simplified application for health insurance benefits under the federal health care overhaul.It now includes a...