Many call centers rely on scripts so representatives know what to do when customers call with problems. Which is fine, it’s not like people actually expect a flock of experts waiting to provide their own spin on a situation. But using a script can turn a resource into a source of confusion if the call center reps are reading off the wrong script. We’re looking at you, Healthcare.gov. [More]
affordable care act
Trader Joe’s Gets Rid Of Health Insurance Benefit For Part-Timers
By 9.13.13
At first glance, this story has a scary headline: Trader Joe’s is yanking health insurance away from many employees because of Obamacare. That is what’s happening, but leaves out that yes, workers are losing their coverage…because the Affordable Care Act means that adults whose jobs don’t provide health insurance but who are well above the poverty line will have access to reasonably priced insurance through state exchanges. [More]
Health Insurance Marketplace Goes Live Oct. 1, But Most Don’t Have A Clue What That Means
By 8.28.13
Unless you’ve had wool stuffed in your ears you might’ve heard the words “Affordable Care Act” bandied about for a while now. And starting Oct. 1, open-enrollment season officially begins for people to purchase insurance coverage. But what does that even mean? If you don’t know, you’re not alone: According to a new poll, 51% of Americans say they don’t understand how that will affect them or their families. [More]
Some Employers Really Want To Ditch Your Spouse
By 8.23.13
It’s nothing personal, but some employers really want to ditch their workers’ spouses. They’re not making people get divorced, but are dropping spouses who have access to health insurance benefits through their own employers. It was big news yesterday when UPS announced that they plan to do exactly that, a change that affects about 15,000 people. [More]
If Someone Calls To Sell You Insurance For Obamacare, Hang Up And Call The FTC
By 8.20.13
While we’re starting to hear more about the implementation of the Affordable Care Act now that there are only a few months left until the health insurance mandate is in place and all Americans are supposed to have coverage. What you should know and remind the people you care about, though, is that no one is supposed to call you up to sell you any kind of special insurance. [More]
Forever 21: Decision To Cut Staffers’ Hours Was Made “Independent Of Affordable Care Act”
By 8.20.13
Forever 21 is facing a bit of social media blowback after a memo reportedly leaked online, detailing its plans to reduce “a number of full-time non management positions” like stock associates and sales associates to 29.5 hours or fewer starting this week. Some critics are accusing the company of doing so to avoid providing health care coverage to full-time employees under the impending Affordable Care Act mandate. [More]
How Will People Without Bank Accounts Pay For Health Insurance?
By 5.22.13
Next January, everyone in America will have to have health coverage or run afoul of federal health care law. But what about those 51 million adults who heavily rely on check-cashing stores and money lenders, and who may not have a checking or savings account? If you don’t have a relationship with a bank, it’s going to be tricky to pay for that required coverage. [More]
White House Cuts Health Care Application From 21 Pages To 3
By 4.30.13
Last month, the Obama administration took a lot of heat when it unveiled a draft application for health insurance that ran some 21 pages in length and included all manner of invasive questions about the applicant’s medical history. Today, the final product was unveiled, and it’s significantly skinnier this time around. [More]
Denny’s Franchisee To Add 5% “Obamacare Surcharge”
By 11.16.12
The owner of dozens of Denny’s restaurants and the Hurricane Grill chain says he plans on adding a 5% “Obamacare Surcharge” to his menus in 2014 when a number of facets of the Affordable Care Act will kick in. [More]
Will Affordable Care Act Lead To More Or Less People With Employer-Sponsored Insurance? (Hint: No One Knows)
By 8.13.12
With the clock ticking down to 2014, when many of the controversial portions of the Affordable Care Act start kicking in, the folks at the Government Accountability Office thought they would look into whether or not certain provisions in the law would cause some employers to stop offering health insurance to employees, or cause them to add benefits, or lead consumers to look for cheaper options elsewhere. After sifting through available studies, the GAO came to a conclusion that we’ll probably just have to wait and see. [More]
My Insurance Rebate Disappears Into Black Hole. Anthem Tells Me To Complain To Someone Who Cares
By 8.9.12
You may be one of the millions of Americans who, as part of the Affordable Care Act, should be receiving a rebate from your health insurance provider, usually distributed to your employer. But what if you’re also one of the millions of Americans whose employer is no longer in business? [More]
Report: Supreme Court Ruling Means Affordable Care Act Will Be Cheaper But 3 Million Will Go Uninsured
By 7.25.12
The Congressional Budget Office has been busy crunching numbers since President Obama’s health-care initiative was upheld by last month’s Supreme Court ruling, and it seems there’s a little bit of both good and bad news as a result. The bulk of the Affordable Care Act was upheld in the ruling and it turns out it’ll be cheaper to execute than previously thought, but the decision also means it will leave millions of people without insurance. [More]
FTC Warns About Scam Tied To Affordable Care Act
By 7.13.12
It’s barely been two weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the most controversial portion of the Affordable Care Act, and scammers have already been busy on the phone trying to steal folks’ money by pretending they work for the government and need your sensitive, personal information. [More]
Will States Eventually Opt In To Medicaid Expansion?
By 7.11.12
With several states’ governors already saying they will opt out of the Medicaid expansion intended to bring health care to millions of currently uninsured Americans, some are calling it the death knell for this portion of the Affordable Care Act. But others say that the federal subsidies will be too tempting, and that it’s just a matter of time until these states decide to take part in the program. [More]
Texas Governor Says No To Medicaid Expansion
By 7.9.12
Last week, while states like Florida and South Carolina were stating their intentions to opt out of the portion of the Affordable Care Act that expands Medicaid coverage to millions of Americans, Texas — where approximately 2 million currently uninsured residents would have been eligible for coverage. remained oddly quiet on the matter. That is, until Governor Rick Perry declared his intention this morning. [More]
Florida, Other States Opting Out Of Medicaid Expansion Four Years Before They Are Expected To Pay A Dime
By 7.2.12
Even though the expansion of Medicaid to cover several million more low-income Americans isn’t slated to begin until January 2014 — and even though states aren’t scheduled to begin contributing anything to the expansion until 2016 — some states have already declared their intention to not take part in the program. [More]
How Will The Supreme Court’s Medicaid Decision Affect You?
By 6.28.12
While supporters of the Affordable Care Act have spent the day reveling in this morning’s Supreme Court ruling and its detractors have vowed that they will continue to fight the law through legislative means — there is also a third group of people who think that moving to Canada would somehow teach America a lesson about a national health care law — what’s been left out of most of the discussion are the ramifications of the Supremes’ ruling against the portion of the bill that penalizes states that don’t contribute to Medicaid expansion. [More]
People In 49 States Saw Significant Decline In Health Care Access During Last Decade
By 5.9.12
During the previous decade, millions of Americans, regardless of whether they have insurance or not, found it increasingly more difficult to find — or afford — seeing the doctor or dentist, according to a new study from the folks at the Urban Institute. [More]
