Obamacare offers Hoosiers fewer choices, higher prices
From a look at the numbers, Indiana is not a great place to buy health coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
From a look at the numbers, Indiana is not a great place to buy health coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
Nearly half of Americans with private insurance—47%—are covered by high-deductible plans, up from 25% in 2010. That’s driven up out-of-pocket health spending among people with employer coverage—from $493 in 2007 to $792 in 2017.
The Trump administration on Wednesday cleared the way for insurers to sell short-term health plans as a bargain alternative to pricey Obamacare policies for people struggling with high premiums.
Many families are hard-pressed to meet soaring deductibles and have put off routine care or skipped medication to save money. The resulting health problems can be enormously costly for the medical system.
The Indiana Department of Insurance said it expects all 92 counties to be covered by the plans next year. The state has until Sept. 25 to approve them.
The National Business Group on Health is projecting the total cost of providing medical and pharmacy benefits to increase 5 percent for the fifth consecutive year in 2018.
Searching for stability, big insurers such as Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. are focusing on Medicare Advantage, a politically popular program embraced by a growing population of older Americans.
Two Indianapolis-based health insurers are pulling out of Indiana’s insurance exchanges next year, citing growing uncertainty over the future of the Affordable Care Act. Together, they represent about 77,000 members who now must find other plans.
One of the area’s largest insurance agencies announced Monday that it plans to move its corporate headquarters from the northeast side of Indianapolis to Carmel next year.
An exit by Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. could be devastating to the health care law, limiting coverage options for consumers.
Fast-growing business lines are hard to come by in the insurance industry. Locally based OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc. has one on its hands, and it’s beefing up efforts to capitalize.
For patients, the difference between getting an operation now or in January could amount to thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Seven insurers have filed requests to set new premiums for 2017, ranging from an average increase of 29 percent by Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. to a decrease of 5.3 percent by Chicago-based Celtic Insurance Co.
It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Indiana physicians and hospitals, with fees swinging wildly up and down in recent years to fund a state insurance program that helps pay malpractice awards.
Two dozen auto insurers in Indiana already have launched at least small-scale usage-based insurance programs, according to the Indiana Department of Insurance.
Jackie, a terrier mix from Indianapolis who ingested the contents of a junk drawer, is vying with a tape-eating cat and other reckless animals for the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year.
Enrollment in WellPoint’s health plans increased by 259,000 members in the third quarter. Growth came in WellPoint’s employer and Medicaid plans, while its individual health plans declined by 108,000.
Officials say Indiana residents will have more than triple the number of health insurance plans to choose from when the federal insurance exchange enrollment period starts in November. A a 5-percent average increase in exchange premiums is expected.
Two local insurance agencies with long histories and well-known leaders have merged, creating a firm with eight Indiana offices, 145 agents and more than 160 employees.
Of the insurer’s $9.3 million in profit in the second quarter, only $4.1 million was attributed to its core operations.