Six U.S. Republican legislators put forth a bill proposing individuals in areas with one or fewer insurers be exempt from the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and tax penalties, Bloomberg reports.
Payer
Phoenix-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona will retract a previous pullback and offer its 2017 Affordable Care Act plan to Arizona's Pinal County, addressing concerns the area would have no insurer participating in the exchange.
Molina Healthcare said Wednesday it supports proposals put forth in HHS' Notice of Benefits Payment Parameters for 2018 and encourages the agency to act upon the proposals promptly.
In a 22-8 vote, the Alabama Senate approved to use $400 million of an estimated $1 billion BP oil spill settlement to pay off state debt, with $120 million allocated to the state's Medicaid program, the The Huntsville Times reports.
Government data revealed 8.6 percent of Americans are uninsured, a record low dipping under last year's 9.1 percent, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Health insurance markets in states where political leaders opposed the Affordable Care Act face increasing marketplace and exchange problems, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna will not enroll new members in its private Medicare plans this year amid persisting issues highlighted in a U.S. regulator probe, Bloomberg reports.
In light of insurer pushback, CMS said Tuesday it will work to further strengthen rules for special enrollment periods established by the Affordable Care Act.
Chicago-based Health Care Service Corporation will provide buyouts to an undetermined number of employees over the age of 50 at its Blue Cross and Blue Shield subsidiaries, Crain's Chicago Business reports.
A quarter of home healthcare workers and 20 percent of nursing assistants are uninsured, compared to less than 10 percent of all U.S. workers, CBS News reports.
