health insurance

Proposed fee on health-insurance plans can’t cover costs of a state-funded exchange

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
12/02/2014
Legislation being advanced by state Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Chicago, would attempt to cover costs by charging a fee on every health-insurance plan sold through the state-funded health insurance exchange. This funding mechanism is likely to be insufficient. In fact, the new state tax on insurance plans may need to be three times the amount currently under consideration to truly cover administrative costs.



TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, health insurance

The left and the right agree: Scrap ObamaCare’s employer mandate

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
06/13/2014
The drumbeat for eliminating the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate is getting louder. And it is under attack from both sides of the political aisle, according to The Washington Post. The real question is, especially given new opposition from the law’s own supporters: Can it survive? A briefing paper released by the Urban Institute and...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama, health care, health insurance

ObamaCare enrollment in Illinois update

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
02/05/2014
The Obama administration’s public relations machine has been trumpeting the success of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. Enrollment has been anemic, the website is plagued with problems, and it is possible that there are now more people without insurance as a direct result...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, enrollment, health insurance, Medicaid

Poll finds majority of Americans want to return to pre-ObamaCare health care

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
01/29/2014
While we can expect President Barack Obama to claim success for his signature legislation, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, a growing share of Americans understand the reality of the health-care overhaul. According to a recent Reason/Rupe poll, the majority of Americans would like to return to the pre-ObamaCare health care system, despite all of its...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, health insurance

ObamaCare: A bailout by any other name is still cronyism

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
01/24/2014
The enrollment failure of ObamaCare is well documented – so much so that it has become the nation’s late-night talk show punch line. In fact, Moody’s changed the outlook for U.S. health insurers to negative from stable, as implementation of ObamaCare continues to create uncertainty for the industry. The sad reality is that millions of...

TAGS: cronyism, health insurance

ObamaCare limbo: Thousands of Illinoisans trying to get out of Medicaid while many more trying to get in

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
01/10/2014
Last month, USA Today reported that thousands of people are being mistakenly enrolled in Medicaid due to continued glitches in the healthcare.gov website. Now, it is being reported that more than 100,000 people in five states, including 30,000 in Illinois, have not been able to enroll in the Medicaid program directly from the government site....

TAGS: Get Covered Illinois, health insurance, Medicaid

ObamaCare’s awkward, hipster Christmas

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
12/18/2013
The same president who wanted gift registries filled with donations to his campaign and to infiltrate Thanksgiving dinner with an ObamaCare enrollment push is back at it again. This time, the Obama administration has added a mascot. And he wears a plaid onesie. Obama’s #GetTalking campaign aims to stir up conversations about ObamaCare and encourage...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama, health insurance

How ObamaCare will affect premiums for Springfield residents

By Jonathan Ingram
09/30/2013
Oct. 1 marks the first day of ObamaCare’s open enrollment period. Despite the fact that consumers are expected to start buying plans tomorrow, the state and federal government have been tight-lipped about what will be available on the ObamaCare health insurance exchange. The federal government has begun trickling out bits and pieces about the plans, but...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, health insurance