Health News
The State of Illinois has selected its Essential Health Benefits benchmark plan - the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois BlueAdvantage Entrepreneur plan.
This plan sets the bar for 10 categories of health care benefits (called "Essential Health Benefits" by the Affordable Care Act), and all non-grandfathered individual and small group health plans sold in Illinois must measure up to this plan in "actuarial value." Actuarial value is an estimate of the overall financial protection provided by a health plan. (For a great explanation of Actuarial Value, check out this recent Consumers' Union report).
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois BlueAdvantage Entrepreneur plan is the largest small group plan in Illinois, making it the default plan if Illinois failed to select a plan, as stated in the Affordable Care Act. According to this Illinois Department of Insurance report, the plan was the third leanest plan out of the 10 options considered. It is a PPO and it covers all of the services that Illinois law mandates, such as treatment for autism and infertility. But it doesn't cover extra services such as massage or acupuncture. The plan is supplemented by All Kids for pediatric dental and the Federal Vision Insurance Plan for children?s vision.
We have been following the establishment of an EHB benchmark in the state closely; you can read up on the EHB selection process in Illinois here and here.
- Anthem Ppo Plan Chosen As 'benchmark' For State's Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange
The Kentucky Department of Insurance has recommended that the Anthem Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan serve as the ?benchmark? plan for the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, as well as for plans offered outside the exchange. The statement issued...
- Don't Chip Away Chip
Leaders, from Illinois and across the country, are calling on Congress to continue funding the Children?s Health Insurance Program by highlighting its success in reducing the number of uninsured children and warning that these children may lose coverage...
- Doi Moves To Allow Consumers To Continue Current Coverage Into 2014
The Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) announced on November 22 that it will follow President Obama?s November 14 recommendation and allow insurance companies to renew a number of health plans in the individual and small group markets that do not...
- Illinois Begins Essential Health Benefits Discussion
Governor Pat Quinn recently announced that the benchmark plan for Illinois? Essential Health Benefits (EHB) package will be chosen by September 30, in order to meet the Federal deadline for selecting a plan. A public meeting on Wednesday, September 12th,...
- Essential Health Benefits: What?s It Mean For People With Hiv?
On December 16, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that states would decide what essential health benefits will be provided under health care reform. Although we had urged HHS to adopt a uniform, national benefits...
Health News
Illinois Essential Health Benefits Benchmark Plan
The State of Illinois has selected its Essential Health Benefits benchmark plan - the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois BlueAdvantage Entrepreneur plan.
This plan sets the bar for 10 categories of health care benefits (called "Essential Health Benefits" by the Affordable Care Act), and all non-grandfathered individual and small group health plans sold in Illinois must measure up to this plan in "actuarial value." Actuarial value is an estimate of the overall financial protection provided by a health plan. (For a great explanation of Actuarial Value, check out this recent Consumers' Union report).
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois BlueAdvantage Entrepreneur plan is the largest small group plan in Illinois, making it the default plan if Illinois failed to select a plan, as stated in the Affordable Care Act. According to this Illinois Department of Insurance report, the plan was the third leanest plan out of the 10 options considered. It is a PPO and it covers all of the services that Illinois law mandates, such as treatment for autism and infertility. But it doesn't cover extra services such as massage or acupuncture. The plan is supplemented by All Kids for pediatric dental and the Federal Vision Insurance Plan for children?s vision.
We have been following the establishment of an EHB benchmark in the state closely; you can read up on the EHB selection process in Illinois here and here.
- Anthem Ppo Plan Chosen As 'benchmark' For State's Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange
The Kentucky Department of Insurance has recommended that the Anthem Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan serve as the ?benchmark? plan for the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, as well as for plans offered outside the exchange. The statement issued...
- Don't Chip Away Chip
Leaders, from Illinois and across the country, are calling on Congress to continue funding the Children?s Health Insurance Program by highlighting its success in reducing the number of uninsured children and warning that these children may lose coverage...
- Doi Moves To Allow Consumers To Continue Current Coverage Into 2014
The Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) announced on November 22 that it will follow President Obama?s November 14 recommendation and allow insurance companies to renew a number of health plans in the individual and small group markets that do not...
- Illinois Begins Essential Health Benefits Discussion
Governor Pat Quinn recently announced that the benchmark plan for Illinois? Essential Health Benefits (EHB) package will be chosen by September 30, in order to meet the Federal deadline for selecting a plan. A public meeting on Wednesday, September 12th,...
- Essential Health Benefits: What?s It Mean For People With Hiv?
On December 16, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that states would decide what essential health benefits will be provided under health care reform. Although we had urged HHS to adopt a uniform, national benefits...