health insurance

Most young adults won't pay more for coverage under Obamacare

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:51:06 +0000

If the price tag for health insurance goes up under Obamacare, it’s likely to hit some policy holders in their 20s, economists have warned. Now that the first round of numbers are available in Washington state, we can see whether that’s the case.

Why is it hard to give away free health insurance?

Keith Seinfeld — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:34:34 +0000

You might imagine everyone without health insurance will gladly sign up for free or subsidized coverage once it’s available this fall, under the Affordable Care Act.

However, it hasn't worked out that way for children. A high-profile effort to cover all the uninsured kids in Washington has stalled.

Feds outline what insurers must cover, down to polyp removal

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:15:42 +0000

The Obama administration on Wednesday released its final rule on essential health benefits, which sets out the coverage insurers must offer starting in 2014.

Insurers must cover 10 broad categories of care, including emergency services, maternity care, hospital and doctors' services, mental health and substance abuse care and prescription drugs.

Essential benefit requirements apply mainly to individual and small group plans.

How health insurance eats your paycheck

Keith Seinfeld — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:06:08 +0000

Health care is probably taking a bigger chunk out of your paycheck than it was a decade ago. The rising cost of insurance and deductibles has been dramatic whether you work for a small business or a large one.

Obamacare coming to life in state; eyebrows rise over funding

Keith Seinfeld — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:20:02 +0000

Far from the campaign trail, President Obama’s health-care law is chugging toward implementation in Washington state. A new agency is emerging, with a new name – and some questions about how to fund it.

Gaining health insurance nationally, not in Washington

Keith Seinfeld — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 02:06:31 +0000

Despite the difficult economy, more Americans have health insurance than a year ago, according to newly released census data. One reason: the new “Obamacare” law allows young adults, up to age 26, to stay on their parents’ insurance. Many others qualified for government programs in 2011, such as Medicaid and Medicare.

The pattern is different, though, in Washington state.

Breast pumps for free, under new health law provisions

Keith Seinfeld — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 18:42:34 +0000

Breastfeeding is already a civil right in Seattle, and now it’s getting financial support everywhere. Under new health rules taking effect today, as part of President Obama’s health law, women will get a number of new "preventive" services covered for free (no co-pays).

The most talked-about new benefit has been contraceptives – and how some Catholic groups prefer not to pay for birth control.

But seven other provisions now must be covered by nearly all health insurance plans. One of them is breastfeeding supplies and counseling.

Health insurers must give rebates to 5,000 Washington residents

Keith Seinfeld — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:36:59 +0000

Nearly 5,000 Washington residents are getting rebates on their health insurance, courtesy of the new federal health law.

If you bought an individual health plan from an out-of-state company called Time Insurance, then you should be getting money back. The plans are sold under the brand, Assurant Health. The company sells primarily high-deductible health coverage.

Regence BlueShield seeks insurance rate increase

The Associated Press — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 21:18:57 +0000

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Just over a week after the state insurance commissioner said that Regence BlueShield was sitting on record surpluses, the insurance company is asking the state to approve rate increases on people who buy insurance for themselves.

Washington may attempt an individual mandate, if Supreme Court cuts it

Keith Seinfeld — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:43:30 +0000

A Supreme Court ruling on President Obama’s health care law could force Washington state lawmakers to shift gears. They want to prevent a repeat of the 1990's, when the insurance market "went over a cliff," says the state Insurance Commissioner.

That could force them to require state residents to have health insurance. But, their first choice to prevent a health-care "disaster," say Democrats, is to rely on federal subsidies to keep insurance affordable.

Want to pay less for medical care? ... find a better deal online

Keith Seinfeld — Wed, 30 May 2012 00:50:24 +0000

If you have high-deductible health insurance – possibly paying $2,000 or more out of pocket – the price of every test or procedure matters a lot. In theory, you should shop around.

But, that’s easier said than done, as Seattle real estate broker Steven Wayne discovered: He ran through his $3,800 deductible, pretty quickly, after a recent series of fainting spells.

Now, new online tools can help you compare real costs.

Centerpiece of health care reform launches in Washington

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:33:36 +0000

Washington is one of the first states to begin tackling the requirements of President Obama's health care reform, even though the U.S. Supreme Court will approve or kill the controversial national system this summer.

The fist step in the reform is to create a Health Benefits Exchange. Each state is supposed to create its own insurance exchange as a new way for individuals and small businesses to purchase insurance.

Washington's board set up to create this exchange had its first meeting on Thursday.

Washington's uninsured: One million people

Keith Seinfeld — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:02:00 +0000

Losing your job often means losing your health insurance – and that’s reflected in the latest numbers of uninsured people in Washington. It’s approaching one million, or 14.5 percent of the population, according to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Regence BlueShield fined $100,000 over IUD removal

Austin Jenkins — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:50:08 +0000

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-982309.mp3

OLYMPIA, Wash. – One of Washington’s largest health insurers faces a hefty fine for refusing to pay for the removal of a certain type of birth control device.

Regence BlueShield will pay a $100,000 penalty for improperly denying claims from nearly 1,000 women. The women had their IUDs removed because the device was outdated or they wanted to try to have a baby.

New rules for insuring state's poor cause flurry of competition

Austin Jenkins — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:42:20 +0000

"There's a lot of courting going on ..."

OLYMPIA, Wash. – In Washington, there are more people on Medicaid than there are kids in public school – 1.2 million. And that number will grow significantly in 2014 when the new federal health care overhaul kicks-in.

The expansion has triggered a high-stakes competition for state contracts to provide Medicaid coverage.