Posts Tagged ‘Affordable Care Act’

A landmark expansion of access to medical care for people with low incomes is more than a decade old now. Where politics have not gotten in the way, Medicaid expansion clearly has had a broad effect on health in America. But something that’s less obvious is the benefit of a quiet, though uneven, expansion of […]

A decade ago, Medicaid expansion was supposed to be a real winner for better access to care. It was a sweet deal for states adopting it. Yet our polarized politics have meant that even now, after a decade, some states are still dragging their feet. That leaves two million people from 12 states in limbo […]

It’s been an ugly election season. Many issues divide our government sharply. But on one point, both Democrats and Republicans seem to agree now. They won’t roll back health insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions. It’s a stroke of good news for people living with obesity. Because it used to be that getting affordable […]

You might have thought that all the news this week was about Syria and the FBI. You would be wrong. While everyone else was focused on those lovely distractions, CMS was busy issuing new rules for health insurance. The net effect is hard to predict. But broadly speaking, you can expect to see higher costs […]

Though total health costs have risen more slowly than expected since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), they remain high and continue rising. Why? What is the role of obesity and its complications? For perspective, BenefitsPRO.com recently consulted with three diverse health industry professionals, including ConscienHealth Founder Ted Kyle. Investment in Prevention. Marcy Buckner […]

Here’s a rare bolt of clarity from a government agency. The U.S. Department of Labor has just published a set of FAQs that includes a question about general exclusions for obesity in health plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Are they permissible? The answer: No. Consistent with PHS Act section 2713, its implementing regulations, […]

Someone should tell healthcare that Obama is destroying it. In the four years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law in March, 2010, the value of investments in the U.S. healthcare industry has grown by more than 100%, outpacing the total U.S. equities market, which has done pretty well itself. The trend accelerated in […]

In an ironic twist, it’s turning out that the Affordable Care Act — known to some as Obamacare — may be unaffordable for some low-wage workers because of a loophole that gives employers credit for offering “affordable” insurance that low-wage employees can’t afford. The problem lies in the definition of what’s affordable, literally, in the law […]