skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Advocates: New ACA Waivers Could Raise Rates for Pre-Existing Conditions

play audio
Play

Thursday, October 25, 2018   

PIERRE, S. D. – Some health experts are warning that insurance rates could rise significantly for people in the individual market who are between 50 and 64, or have a pre-existing condition – once states start taking advantage of new flexibility granted this week by the Trump administration.

States can now redirect federal subsidies to people buying cheaper, so called “skinny” plans that do not offer the minimum benefits required under the A-C-A.

Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms, says the new plans will be able to reject people because of their age or health status.

"They can deny people outright if they have a health condition that they don't want to cover,” she points out. “They can cap your benefits. They cannot cover major benefits like prescription drugs or preventive care. They are really completely unregulated."

Supporters of the new federal guidance say the less comprehensive plans will encourage more young, healthy people to buy insurance.

Each state will still be required to offer more comprehensive, ACA-compliant plans, but Corlette predicts the pool of people left in them will be older and sicker, which will lead insurance companies to raise rates or leave the ACA market altogether.

So, the battle over the ACA now moves to the state level.

Corlette adds that red states such as South Dakota, which has sued to invalidate the ACA, may be more likely to seek a waiver that would undermine the program – and that could hurt people approaching retirement.

"If you are between 50 and 64, the affordability of insurance, if you have to buy it on your own, is going to vary,” she explains. “And there are some states, in the name of greater choices – particularly for young and healthy people, you know – the trade-off is that insurance becomes more expensive for people who are older, who have pre-existing conditions."

If states are granted a waiver under the new rules, the new types of plans could come onto the market in 2020.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …


The California Department of Conservation is holding a public meeting online on Sept. 24, to update the public on its progress in plugging abandoned oil wells. (Alizada Studios/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

The American Heart Association said caregivers often experience personal and spiritual growth, discovering their own resilience, competence and capacity for sacrifice as they help a friend or loved one. (Justlight/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021