Health News
Huffington Post contributor Don McNay, right, of Richmond, writes that states will adopt health-care reform "kicking and screaming," as shown by the Kentucky insurance commissioner's recent face-off with insurance companies over children's health coverage.
Under the reform act's mandate, insurance companies that offer "child only" policies "cannot deny coverage to a child due to any preexisting condition present in that child," McNay notes. In response, when the provision took effect Sept. 23, 2010, insurance companies stopped offering that type of policy in Kentucky.
State Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark conducted a hearing on the matter Oct. 13, 2010 and determined that "insurance companies are very concerned about suddenly getting a number of 'bad risks' that they had not planning for in their pricing," McNay reports to his international audience. Clark also determined that if insurance companies stopped offering "child only" policies, the Kentucky Access program for the uninsured would be overwhelmed with new enrollees.
As a result, Clark "ordered all insurers selling individual health insurance policies in Kentucky to offer an annual enrollment each January for children under age 19," McNay notes. "It took strong action by the Kentucky insurance commissioner to get this first part of health reform implemented for a very small part of the population. It's a small battle in a small state for a small set of the population, but a big glimpse of how implementing health care reform nationwide is going to go." (Read more)
- Women Leading Kentucky Health: Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark Is Key Player In Making Health-reform Law Work
This is the second in a series, Women Leading Kentucky Health, of stories about four high-ranking female state officials who have guided the state's embrace of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News...
- At Least One Additional Health-insurance Company Is Expected To Sell Policies On Kynect Exchange Next Year
The five insurance companies that sold policies this year on Kynect, Kentucky's health-benefit exchange, want to return in 2015, and Dayton, Ohio-based CareSource wants to join as well. Officials said they believe other insurers will sign up...
- Humana, United And Assurant Allow Non-compliant Policies To Be Extended; Anthem And Bluegrass Offer Sort Of Half A Loaf
Some health-insurance companies won't give Kentucky customers the opportunity to renew polices that don't comply with the federal health-reform law, under the conditional extension granted by President Obama, state Insurance Commissioner Sharon...
- Humana Allows Policyholders To Keep Old Plans Without Paying More; Anthem Is Still Deciding
Humana, one of the three insurance companies offering individual health policies on the state's insurance exchange, will allow Kentuckians to keep their insurance coverage for another year without charging them more for it. The other two companies...
- At Least One Insurance Company Will Let Kentuckians Keep Their Health Insurance Plan For Another Year If They Like It
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News At least one insurance company, Humana, will be allowing Kentuckians to keep their insurance coverage for another year if they like it, even if the policies aren't compliant with the Patient Protection and Affordable...
Health News
Health reform will be difficult to implement, as faceoff between insurers and state official showed
Huffington Post contributor Don McNay, right, of Richmond, writes that states will adopt health-care reform "kicking and screaming," as shown by the Kentucky insurance commissioner's recent face-off with insurance companies over children's health coverage.Under the reform act's mandate, insurance companies that offer "child only" policies "cannot deny coverage to a child due to any preexisting condition present in that child," McNay notes. In response, when the provision took effect Sept. 23, 2010, insurance companies stopped offering that type of policy in Kentucky.
State Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark conducted a hearing on the matter Oct. 13, 2010 and determined that "insurance companies are very concerned about suddenly getting a number of 'bad risks' that they had not planning for in their pricing," McNay reports to his international audience. Clark also determined that if insurance companies stopped offering "child only" policies, the Kentucky Access program for the uninsured would be overwhelmed with new enrollees.
As a result, Clark "ordered all insurers selling individual health insurance policies in Kentucky to offer an annual enrollment each January for children under age 19," McNay notes. "It took strong action by the Kentucky insurance commissioner to get this first part of health reform implemented for a very small part of the population. It's a small battle in a small state for a small set of the population, but a big glimpse of how implementing health care reform nationwide is going to go." (Read more)
- Women Leading Kentucky Health: Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark Is Key Player In Making Health-reform Law Work
This is the second in a series, Women Leading Kentucky Health, of stories about four high-ranking female state officials who have guided the state's embrace of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News...
- At Least One Additional Health-insurance Company Is Expected To Sell Policies On Kynect Exchange Next Year
The five insurance companies that sold policies this year on Kynect, Kentucky's health-benefit exchange, want to return in 2015, and Dayton, Ohio-based CareSource wants to join as well. Officials said they believe other insurers will sign up...
- Humana, United And Assurant Allow Non-compliant Policies To Be Extended; Anthem And Bluegrass Offer Sort Of Half A Loaf
Some health-insurance companies won't give Kentucky customers the opportunity to renew polices that don't comply with the federal health-reform law, under the conditional extension granted by President Obama, state Insurance Commissioner Sharon...
- Humana Allows Policyholders To Keep Old Plans Without Paying More; Anthem Is Still Deciding
Humana, one of the three insurance companies offering individual health policies on the state's insurance exchange, will allow Kentuckians to keep their insurance coverage for another year without charging them more for it. The other two companies...
- At Least One Insurance Company Will Let Kentuckians Keep Their Health Insurance Plan For Another Year If They Like It
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News At least one insurance company, Humana, will be allowing Kentuckians to keep their insurance coverage for another year if they like it, even if the policies aren't compliant with the Patient Protection and Affordable...