Indiana Insurance News

Health Care Reform Impacts Indiana Maternity Coverage

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:53:08 +0000

Starting in the fall, all new health plans must cover certain preventive screenings and other services for pregnant women at no additional cost to the patient. Those include folic acid supplements, which reduce the risk of neural tube defects in developing fetuses, and counseling to help pregnant women stop smoking. Medicaid will also begin to [...]

U.S. Government Posts Dependent Health Care Regulations

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:07:32 +0000

Federal agencies are rushing young adult dependent coverage interim final rules into effect without going through the usual comment period. The Employee Benefits Security Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Labor, has posted a preliminary version of the interim final rules on its website. The Internal Revenue Service, an arm of the U.S. [...]

Health Care Reform – Frequently Asked Questions

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:58:23 +0000

The new health reform law is the most far-reaching health legislation since the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The following is a look at the impact of the law, which will extend insurance coverage to 32 million additional Americans by 2019, but which will also have an effect on almost every citizen. Here [...]

Obama Asks For Federal Health Rate Approval Authority

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:44:22 +0000

President Obama has unveiled a health bill proposal that could give federal regulators the authority to regulate health insurance rates. The rate regulation provision is part of a proposal that the Obama administration has drafted in an effort to “bridge the gap” between the House and Senate health bills. A copy of the proposal is [...]

Indiana Attorney General to Review Federal Health Care Bill

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:57:52 +0000

Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar is asking the Indiana attorney general to conduct a legal analysis of the Senate health insurance proposal. Attorney General Greg Zoeller says he’ll look at the constitutionality of parts of the federal health care bill, including the so-called Nebraska compromise that would give Nebraska funding for expanded Medicaid obligations. Indiana [...]

Senate Health Bill Amendment Hard On Doctors, Tanning Centers

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:19:04 +0000

Drafters of a proposed Senate health bill manager’s amendment say Medicare should cut physicians’ reimbursement rates 21% in 2010, rather than increasing the reimbursement rates 0.5%, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The proposed amendment also would make many other changes. Health Insurance Consumer Protection Provisions These provisions would: - Prohibit wellness programs from asking [...]

Senator Dick Durbin On Health Reform Bill: Let Us Vote

admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:20:48 +0000

Sen. Richard Durbin has accused Republicans in the Senate of stalling on consideration of H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act bill. “The Republicans in the Senate want to drag this out,” Durbin, D-Ill., said this afternoon, as the Senate began another round of floor debate on the PPACA bill. Up till now, [...]

CMS To Humana: Stop Mailings

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:02:02 +0000

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has told Humana Inc. to stop mailing subscribers a letter suggesting that health care reform legislation could cause them to lose Medicare Advantage benefits and services. The Humana letter warns that enrollees could lose Medicare Advantage plan access, “ultimately urging them ‘to contact congressional representatives to protest actions [...]

Anthem Indiana Blue Cross and Blue Shield Introduces SmartSense® and Premier individual plans, price-conscious plans targeted at the uninsured

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:17:18 +0000

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem) is proud to introduce two suites of PPO products called SmartSense® and Premier that will provide even more affordable individual insurance options. Plus, Anthem has a new plan option of locking in rates for up to five years an industry first! These products are currently being sold effective [...]