HHS to Let Some Employers Opt Out of Birth-Control Mandate

The Trump administration will allow religious groups, nonprofits, small businesses and some other employers to opt out of a requirement under the Affordable Care Act to provide birth-control coverage for their employees, a victory for religious conservatives who mounted a yearslong legal battle to eliminate the mandate. The exemptions, which the department of Health and… Continue reading HHS to Let Some Employers Opt Out of Birth-Control Mandate

New Health Options for Small-Business Employees

health insurance costs 2024

As we have traveled around the country talking to small-business owners and American workers, we’ve consistently heard that health insurance is unaffordable and workers need more options. The data back up their concerns. As insurance costs have risen since 2010, the share of workers at firms with between three and 24 workers covered by employer… Continue reading New Health Options for Small-Business Employees

Google’s Former Head of Search Products Joins Insurer Anthem to Run its AI Group

Udi Manber, who ran engineering for Google’s core search products and previously held senior roles at Yahoo and Amazon, is joining health insurance giant Anthem as the head of artificial intelligence, according to people familiar with the matter. Manber’s new role involved running the AI group at Anthem and he’s expected to build out a… Continue reading Google’s Former Head of Search Products Joins Insurer Anthem to Run its AI Group

Aon Announces New Ventures Group and Appoints Chief Innovation Officer

Aon see 5% growth in Q1 2024

Aon plc, the leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, has announced that it is taking another significant step to realize the full potential of its Aon United growth strategy by establishing a New Ventures Group and assigning a team of proven senior leaders to further accelerate… Continue reading Aon Announces New Ventures Group and Appoints Chief Innovation Officer

Premiums for Popular ACA Health Insurance Dip for the First Time

Megamergers increase hospital costs, medical care

The average price tag for the most popular level of insurance sold in the Affordable Care Act’s federal marketplaces is dropping slightly, the first time the rates have stopped going up since the health plans were created a half-dozen years ago. In the 39 states that rely on HealthCare.gov, the monthly premium is dipping by… Continue reading Premiums for Popular ACA Health Insurance Dip for the First Time

Study: Insurers Returning to Pre-ObamaCare Profitability

Insurers in the individual market performed better financially in the first six months of 2018 than they have in all of the years of the Affordable Care Act, according to a brief released Friday. The brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows insurers returning to the levels of profitability seen before the passage of the… Continue reading Study: Insurers Returning to Pre-ObamaCare Profitability

Insurance Startups Have Raised Billions as Industry Players Fight Tech Disruptors

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The once sleepy world of insurance has become the hot ticket for venture investors. Insurance technology companies have raised multiple billions of dollars in the past four years as venture capitalists finance industry disruptors and enabling technologies for established players to fend off new technology-based challengers. In the month since tech-enabled car insurance startup Root… Continue reading Insurance Startups Have Raised Billions as Industry Players Fight Tech Disruptors

Aetna to Sell Medicare Part D Drug Business to WellCare Health

Aetna Inc. said Thursday it agreed to sell its Medicare Part D prescription business to a WellCare Health Plans Inc. subsidiary, as the company waits for its merger with CVS Health Corp. to be approved by federal and state officials. The deal with the WellCare subsidiary will be effective at the end of this year,… Continue reading Aetna to Sell Medicare Part D Drug Business to WellCare Health

Survey: Willis Towers Watson Finds Increasing Satisfaction with the Benefit Marketplace Experience

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Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, released its 2018 Employee and Employer Experience on a Benefit Marketplace Report and found that overall employee and employer satisfaction rates with the benefit marketplace are increasing. From 2016 to 2018, overall employee satisfaction rose from 92% to 95%, and overall employer satisfaction rose… Continue reading Survey: Willis Towers Watson Finds Increasing Satisfaction with the Benefit Marketplace Experience

Health Law’s Constitutionality Is Back in Focus with GOP Lawsuit

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Republican state attorneys general plan to argue Wednesday before a federal judge that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and should be struck down, making their case as some GOP candidates are trying to shift focus away from the health law. The lawsuit asserts that the health law is illegitimate now that Congress has repealed… Continue reading Health Law’s Constitutionality Is Back in Focus with GOP Lawsuit