Tag: aca

Category: ACA and Policy, Cost of Healthcare, Health Insurance

The Federal Role in Benefit Design in Individual Health Insurance: Are You Better Off?

Note from Mike: I’m sifting through the information coming out about the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare and healthcare in a Trump presidency. I’ll be back soon to offer my take on it, but in the meantime, see this Q&A on what Blue Cross is doing right now.

In my last blog post, I gave details about how much rates for individual customers’ health insurance are going up next year and why. I promised do a future blog about not just how much premiums cost, but how much financial protection the federally-designed products for 2017 give the average customer. This may get a bit wonky, so please bear with me as you go through.

Category: ACA and Policy, Cost of Healthcare, Health Insurance

The Plain and Ugly Truth about Rate Increases

Category: ACA and Policy, Cost of Healthcare, Government Programs, Health and Wellness, Health Insurance

Policy Points #3 – Putting the Brakes on Runaway Rate Increases: Mike Bertaut Explains How to Fix the Affordable Care Act

The candidates on the campaign trail have their opinions about how to fix the Affordable Care Act (ACA), how to make health insurance marketplaces work better and how to get everybody insured. Every policy wonk and think tank in America has weighed in on the problem. Of course, their solutions are all in alignment with their institutional biases on how healthcare OUGHT to work in America.

Category: ACA and Policy, Government Programs, Health Insurance

I’m Medicaid-Eligible? But I Already Have Blue Cross!

Louisiana is extending Medicaid coverage this month to about 400,000 people with incomes below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, or FPL (that’s about $16,400 a year for a single person or around $33,400 for a family of four). For most folks, this Medicaid coverage will take effect July 1, 2016, which is just a few weeks away.

Category: ACA and Policy, Cost of Healthcare, Health Insurance

‘My Premiums Just Went Up HOW Much? What the Heck?’

I can’t help but notice some folks talking on our social media about eye-popping price increases. I’m hearing talk of premiums doubling, or even tripling, since last year. What’s the story with this?

Category: ACA and Policy, Cost of Healthcare, Government Programs, Health Insurance

Get Going! You’re Almost Out of Time!

Jan. 15, 2016, is an important date if you are buying health insurance coverage on healthcare.gov. It means, as of this posting (Monday, Jan. 11, 2016), you have four days to make a decision to get a plan for February 1, 2016. If you don’t hit buy and select a plan by Jan. 15, the EARLIEST you can have health insurance coverage is March 1, 2016.