ACA News

In an effort to reduce a long backlog of psychiatric patients in emergency rooms, Concord, New Hampshire, will open the state’s first 24-hour mental health treatment center. The new contract with Riverbend Community Mental Health was approved by the facilities Executive Board for $4.4 million. Behavioral Health Crisis Treatment Center The new facility will be known as the Behavioral Health ... Read Full Article ›

In early January 2019, New York City announced the launch of a $100 million program designed to offer health insurance to 600,000 residents. Coverage would be available to those who were unable to afford health insurance on the marketplace as well as illegal immigrants. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is serving his second term, has been a proponent of universal ... Read Full Article ›

Will Pharma Prices Take a Hit from Congress? The newly-seated Congress is ready to take on drug manufacturers’ inflated pricing and anti-competitive practices. This will be a bipartisan effort, with lawmakers like Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on board, even though this hasn’t been a signature issue for him up until now. Ideas that have been floated include going after anti-competitive ... Read Full Article ›

Though murmurs of “Medicare for all” can be heard frequently in Washington these days, enrolling all U.S. citizens in a single-payer plan doesn’t look likely anytime soon. Some states have begun searching for ways to provide affordable healthcare coverage to more of their populace while balancing the logistics of comprehensive coverage. The Medicaid Buy-In Option Currently available in a few ... Read Full Article ›

A big part of the success Democrats had in retaking control of the House in the past election was based on their position on healthcare. Protecting people with pre-existing medical conditions became their rally cry and it paid off, politically. The question remains, can they turn a successful election strategy into legislative reality? The Fight Begins The first shot was ... Read Full Article ›

6 key facts you need to know about Obamacare ESSENTIAL BENEFITS The Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) requires all major medical plans sold today to cover 10 essential health benefits: outpatient care, emergency services, hospitalization, pediatric care (including vision and dental), lab services, rehabilitative care, maternity care, mental health care, prescription drugs & preventive care. NO CAPS ON COVERAGE Under Obamacare, ... Read Full Article ›

The number of people who signed up for a health insurance plan through a federal or state exchange decreased 2.6 percent from 2018 to 2019, according to the final open enrollment tally released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Studies (CMS) on March 25. During the 2019 open enrollment period, just over 11.4 million people chose a plan on ... Read Full Article ›

Over 1.9 million people have selected a 2019 individual health plan from the federal healthcare exchange so far this year. That figure represents a significant number of people who have purchased an individual or family health insurance plan, but it’s a noticeably lower total than the signup tally from the same time last year.   Signups for Weeks Two and ... Read Full Article ›

The uninsured rate in America is on the rise again according to the 2017 Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, which was conducted from October 31 to December 31. In the last quarter of 2017, the number of Americans without health insurance hit 12.2 percent, which is slightly lower than in the third quarter (12.3 percent) but a significant jump compared to the ... Read Full Article ›

Medicaid recipients in Kentucky may soon face work requirements as a condition of enrollment – unless Democratic senators have their way. In a letter dated January 18, 29 Democratic senators expressed concerns over the legality of a recent State Medicaid Director Letter issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 11. That letter encouraged states to ... Read Full Article ›