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Written by Rachel Hatt
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Friday, 05 April 2013 00:51 |
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When the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was first passed into a law, it was praised by many due to the thinking that it would assist middle class in finding reliable and affordable health insurance. One of the most popular features of Obamacare was that starting in 2014 insurance companies would no longer be able to deny people coverage due to preexisting conditions. But that was not the only positive aspect of Obamacare that excited many people. Insurance companies would now be required to prove that they are spending between 80 to 85% of their premiums on coverage or else return the money to their consumers. College students would also receive the benefit of staying on their parents' insurance until they reach the age of 26 which would lead to a record drop in uninsured young people. Obamacare also started the provision that seniors no longer had to pay the coverage gap between their deductible and yearly limit causing seniors to have to pay less for prescriptions. While these aspects used to be praised, many insurers, consumers, and legislative officials are starting to question the effectiveness of these provisions especially since insurance premiums are on the rise-the opposite of what President Obama was aiming to do with the passing of Obamacare.
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Written by Rachel Hatt
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Monday, 18 March 2013 23:12 |
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While Michigan is on the path to expand Medicaid and to implement a partnership health exchange system under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a recent report has shown that many states are behind on passing the most fundamental PPACA consumer protections. It has been found that only eleven states and the District of Colombia have passed laws needed for the state governments to be able to implement the new laws. The other thirty-nine states, Michigan being one of them, are limiting their ability to enforce the laws, and they will not be able to ensure that consumers are receiving their full protections under the law. If states do not change their insurance regulation rules by the time the federal rules go into effect by next January, the federal government may have more work on their hands than initially expected. The federal government may have to step in and enforce state actions if the states do not show progress in passing the necessary laws needed to enforce the laws themselves. Besides implementing these necessary laws, states also have to make decisions on their state-specific health insurance exchange and whether or not they want to expand Medicaid.
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Written by Rachel Hatt
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Monday, 18 March 2013 23:07 |
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare, is causing many decisions to be debated by Michigan's legislature. Currently, the implementation of Michigan's health exchange is on the table along with whether or not Michigan will decide to expand their Medicaid program. Under the PPACA, which was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2012, all states are required to have their own health insurance exchange. States can either decide to design and operate their own exchange or hand the duties over to the federal government. Along with this, states also have to decide whether or not they want to expand their Medicaid program. While Governor Rick Snyder has favored a state-run health insurance exchange and a Medicaid expansion, he is still having trouble gaining support from conservatives.
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Written by Rachel Hatt
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Monday, 03 December 2012 20:20 |
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Under Barack Obama's new health care law, each state is required to decide whether or not to operate its own insurance exchange system. If a state chooses to not set up their own system for an exchange, then the job is handed over to the federal government. These exchanges can be compared to websites like "Orbitz." People will be able to compares prices and the quality of different plans easily through these exchanges. Proponents say these exchanges will also lower costs of plans due to an increased competition among private insurance plans. November 16 was the deadline for the states to declare their intentions of providing their own state exchange, but now states have until December 14 to submit blueprints for their actual designs. States that are going to put in place a "partnership exchange," or who will share the responsibility of the exchange with the federal government, have until February 15 to turn in their blueprints.
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Written by Jessica Pedersen
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Monday, 03 October 2011 03:23 |
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As part of a major initiative for a healthier Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder plans to have doctors collect BMI information about their patients under 18 and send the information sent to a state registry.
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