Jay Hancock

Maryland Offers Glimpse At Obamacare Insurance Math

In the latest preview of prices for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, Maryland’s dominant insurer says proposed premiums for new policies for individuals will rise by 25 percent on average next year. That’s lower than what some had predicted. Just three weeks ago, the insurer, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, had been looking at a […]

Jay Hancock
By Jay Hancock

In the latest preview of prices for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, Maryland’s dominant insurer says proposed premiums for new policies for individuals will rise by 25 percent on average next year. That’s lower than what some had predicted. Just three weeks ago, the insurer, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, had been looking at a

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Despite Win, UnitedHealth Criticizes Medicare Rates, Eyes Pruning Business

If the Obama administration expected the biggest health insurance company to give thanks for this month’s decision to reverse cuts to private Medicare plans, it was wrong. UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley said Thursday that Medicare Advantage rates are still far too low and that the company may shrink its business of managing care for […]

Jay Hancock
By Jay Hancock

If the Obama administration expected the biggest health insurance company to give thanks for this month’s decision to reverse cuts to private Medicare plans, it was wrong. UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley said Thursday that Medicare Advantage rates are still far too low and that the company may shrink its business of managing care for

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Health Insurance Actuaries In The Hot Seat On ‘Rate Shock’

Few aspects of the Affordable Care Act are more critical to its success than affordability, but in recent weeks experts have predicted costs for some health plans could soar next year. Now health law supporters are pushing back, noting close ties between the actuaries making the forecasts and an insurance industry that has been complaining […]

Jay Hancock
By Jay Hancock
A recent study published last month by the Society of Actuaries predicts higher costs for health care because sicker patients are expected to join the coverage pool under the Affordable Care Act. (Photo/via 401kcalculator.org)

Few aspects of the Affordable Care Act are more critical to its success than affordability, but in recent weeks experts have predicted costs for some health plans could soar next year. Now health law supporters are pushing back, noting close ties between the actuaries making the forecasts and an insurance industry that has been complaining about

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Wait For Obamacare Price Tags Could Be Months

Last week Vermont became the first state to provide a glimpse of how expensive individual health insurance might be under the Affordable Care Act. Proposed rates there, while of questionable relevance to the rest of the country because of the state’s unusual insurance market, showed little change from current prices and reassured health law supporters fearing headlines […]

Jay Hancock
By Jay Hancock

Last week Vermont became the first state to provide a glimpse of how expensive individual health insurance might be under the Affordable Care Act. Proposed rates there, while of questionable relevance to the rest of the country because of the state’s unusual insurance market, showed little change from current prices and reassured health law

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President’s Win Is Reprieve For ‘Obamacare’

President Barack Obama’s victory cements the Affordable Care Act, expanding coverage to millions but leaving weighty questions about how to pay for it and other care to be delivered to an increasingly unhealthy, aging population. “The reelection of Obama and the Democrats holding the Senate will solidify the law in American history,” said Len Nichols, […]

Jay Hancock
By Jay Hancock
In this June 28, 2012 file photo, supporters of President Barack Obama's health care law celebrate outside the Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

President Barack Obama’s victory cements the Affordable Care Act, expanding coverage to millions but leaving weighty questions about how to pay for it and other care to be delivered to an increasingly unhealthy, aging population. "The reelection of Obama and the Democrats holding the Senate will solidify the law in American history," said Len

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Insurers Get Ready For Exchanges, But Exchanges May Not Be Ready For Them

This story was produced in collaboration with the Atlantic. The attraction of the 2010 health law for insurance companies is obvious: Millions of new customers and billions in new spending. Those dollars will flow through state exchanges, online marketplaces where customers can shop for insurance. “This is the largest expansion since the Medicare program in […]

Jay Hancock
By Jay Hancock
Teresa Ropbitaille, CRDAMC mammography technician, prepares a patient for a mammogram. (Photo by Brandy Gill, CRDAMC PAO)

This story was produced in collaboration with the Atlantic. The attraction of the 2010 health law for insurance companies is obvious: Millions of new customers and billions in new spending. Those dollars will flow through state exchanges, online marketplaces where customers can shop for insurance. "This is the largest expansion since the

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Recessions Harm Older Workers’ Long-Term Health, Data Show

There are 20 million Americans between 55 and 60. Nearly 1 million are unemployed, according to the Labor Department. Many more lack health coverage, suggests the Census Bureau’s new report on income, poverty and health insurance. Thanks to the lousy economy, the whole group is at higher risk for long-term health problems and earlier death, suggests new research from Wellesley College. Wellesley economist Phillip B. Levine and colleagues mashed mortality and employment data […]

Jay Hancock
By Jay Hancock
A patient lays in a hospital bed in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by Tim Samoff via Flikr)

There are 20 million Americans between 55 and 60. Nearly 1 million are unemployed, according to the Labor Department. Many more lack health coverage, suggests the Census Bureau’s new report on income, poverty and health insurance. Thanks to the lousy economy, the whole group is at higher risk for long-term health problems and earlier

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