How 16 insurance policies stack up for substance use disorder benefits
A study assesses the substance use disorder benefits offered through 16 insurance policies.
California insurance commissioner thinks it’s time to consider the public option
Covered California said 7.4 percent of its 1.4 million enrollees will only have two health plans to choose from for 2017.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
UnitedHealth Group quitting California insurance exchange
UnitedHealth just joined the California exchange this year, and it only had about 1,200 enrollees so the immediate impact on overall coverage numbers is minimal.
Insurance startup Oscar Health seeks entry to Covered California
UPDATED. Insurance startup Oscar Health is seeking approval to enter California’s health benefits exchange by 2016, telling its board of directors that the company’s focus on consumers would be beneficial to the state. Started in early 2014, New York-based Oscar is trying to position itself as the technology-driven, consumer-focused alternative to the big carriers. It’s […]
California giving serious consideration to expanding MediCal benefits to immigrants
California Gov. Jerry Brown is giving serious weight to expanding MediCal coverage to undocumented immigrants in the state who fall under the protection of Pres. Obama’s recent executive order. The LA Times reports that the Brown administration is reviewing the idea, though cost could be a factor in any decision. “We’re still evaluating, but the […]
Obama’s executive order on immigration could be a boost for Covered California
Immigration rights’ activists largely cheered President Obama’s recent executive order that would permit certain people already in the U.S. to stay in the country, but in California, it may also be a boon for expanded MediCal enrollments. Assuming it holds, the order announced last week would affect some 5 million people of immigrant status. Currently, the Affordable […]
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A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
New TV ads for Covered California take on deportation worries
With Obamacare open enrollment beginning this coming Saturday, a lot of people have questions about how the HealthCare.gov site will hold up. But another question is especially pertinent in California – how many Latinos will be signing up? Some California residents have voiced their concern about signing up for Obamacare when they have family members […]
Insurance brokers brought in more than a third of exchange customers in KY and CA
Some of the states that were most successful in enrolling consumers on the exchanges embraced brokers. In California, 39 percent of people who signed up for a private exchange plan enrolled with a broker; in Kentucky the number reached 44 percent.
Why Covered California is downsizing as other state exchanges grow
Kynect. Maryland Health Connection. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange. Every one of those state insurance exchanges added new carriers in preparation for Obamacare’s second open enrollment period this fall. Covered California did not. Instead, the Golden State took a different approach: Its exchange is getting smaller. Dwindling Participation. Diminished Returns? When Covered California unveiled its […]
Good news for Californians: 2015 will bring lower health insurance premium hikes
After years of double-digit rate hikes in health insurance premiums, California will see average increases of 4.2 percent in 2015 for people who purchase insurance through the Covered California exchange, the state’s Obamacare marketplace. It’s good news for consumers, but two of the top insurance officials in the state disagree about why it’s happening. Covered California’s executive director […]
Maximize Revenue and Patient Care with Strategic Weight Loss Management
We will highlight Build My Health's revenue practice management tools, which could help physician practices add up to $250,000 to their practices.
California thinks it can halve its backlog of Medi-Cal sign ups by August
Responding to inquiries from federal officials, the California health department has released a plan it says will dramatically slash its backlog of Medi-Cal applications within six weeks. For months, the state has labored under the largest such pile-up in the country, with 900,000 pending cases reported in May—the combined result of unexpectedly high application numbers […]
Even with Obamacare, many immigrants in California still seek healthcare in Mexico
TIJUANA, Mexico – Irma Montalvo signed up for a health plan through California’s new insurance exchange last month, getting coverage for the first time in eight years. But when she needed treatment for a painful skin rash, Montalvo didn’t go to a doctor near her home in Chula Vista. Instead she drove to Mexico, about […]
YouTube joins the campaign to get young invincibles to sign up for healthcare
At Wednesday’s FamiliesUSA news conference about state health insurance exchanges, the people leading these efforts spoke as smartly about marketing as about platinum, gold, silver and bronze plans and sign-ups for qualified health plans vs. Medicaid. The leaders of exchanges in California, Connecticut, Kentucky, New York and Washington shared stats about sign-ups. They also discussed […]
California health insurance exchange failing to reach more Spanish speakers
LOS ANGELES -Latino lawmakers and health leaders in California are sounding alarms about the insurance marketplace’s preparation and tactics for enrolling Spanish speakers and are urging changes following the recent announcement that fewer than 1,000 signed up in the health law’s first month. “This is completely unacceptable,” said state Sen. Norma Torres, a Democrat who […]
Marketplace education and enrollment efforts strong in California despite issues
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Luisa Blue, head of the local Service Employees International Union in San Jose, has five more months to spend a million dollars. The union received a grant from Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace and...