The real story behind Obamacare’s double-digit rate hikes

The headlines about “Obamacare’s “skyrocketing” premiums are pretty much everywhere right now.

The Wall Street Journal ran a recent op-ed titled “The Unaffordable Care Act.” Slate asserted “Obamacare’s Bill is Due.” And, in its typically sober headline format, the New York Times noted “Health Insurance Companies Seek Big Rate Increases for 2016.”… Read the rest

Pressure mounts for Covered California health plans to add doctors

Posted in L.A. Biz Journal on August 5, 2014 | Kathy Robertson Senior Staff Writer, Sacramento Business Journal

Rates are one big issue for consumers who shop through Covered California. The other is whether there are enough doctors to treat everybody who signed up.… Read the rest

Grandmothering Guidelines (SB 1446)

Now that Governor Brown has signed SB 1446, the “Grandmothering” bill, the law has taken immediate effect as an “urgency statute.”

SB 1446 offers transitional relief for small employers renewing September through December 2014. This relief allows the employer plan to be renewed until January 1, 2015, and continue to be in force until December 31, 2015.… Read the rest

Covered California Announces 2015 Rates & Health Plans

Today, Covered California announced 10 health insurance plans have been tentatively selected to be in the Exchange for calendar year 2015.

Here is a link to the press release and leadership remarks regarding this announcement. The tentative selection of health plans is subject to rate review by state regulators and is expected to be finalized in late September.… Read the rest

Covered California and Blue Shield Extend Enrollment Deadline to April 15th

California consumers who were faced with technical problems in their last-minute efforts to apply online for health coverage by the March 31 deadline now have until April 15 to complete an enrollment application, but they must do so with the assistance of a certified agent.… Read the rest

ObamaCare Grandfathering Policy May Be Extended

President Obama announced at a November 14 press conference that people with health care coverage that is not Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compliant may be able to keep their plans in 2014. The action comes after several million people across the United States have received notices from their insurance carriers indicating their policies will be cancelled at the end of the year.… Read the rest

Individual Mandate Delayed Until March 31, 2014

Week of October 28, 2013

With Congress now focused on dissecting the troubled rollout of health insurance exchanges, the Obama administration is making modifications to its marketplace schedule and is facing pressure to do more. The administration announced last week that it will issue new guidance pushing back the date by which individuals must have health care coverage or face a penalty.… Read the rest