‘In The News’ Archives
Medicare Patients Happier than Those with Private Coverage
Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older are more satisfied with their health insurance, have better access to care, and are less likely to have problems paying medical bills than working-age adults who get insurance through employers or purchase coverage on their own. Only 8 percent of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older rated their insurance [...]
Retirement Income Market – A Significant Growth Opportunity for Life-Annuity Insurers
The retirement income market represents a unique opportunity for insurers to realign their solutions to meet an evolving consumer need, according to a new study by Conning Research & Consulting. Life and annuity insurers have been helping individuals amass assets in preparation for retirement. At the end of 2011, for example, individual and [...]
California’s Doctor Shortage to Worsen Under Health Mandate
California already rates below average in the number of doctors per capita. But the state - rural counties in particular - will face additional headwinds as health reform slashes the ranks of its 7 million uninsured. "The Affordable Care Act will add hundreds of thousands of people to the rolls of the insured. That's good," said Dr. G. Richard [...]
Employees Still Uncertain about Retirement
A recent survey shows that employees’ proactive focus on retirement planning was sustained in the first quarter of 2012. Yet, despite a strong market rebound over the past couple of quarters, employees remained uncertain about their investing decisions and ability to retire. This appears to be a result of employees continuing to realize they are [...]
Discrepancies in Healthcare
According to a new survey, depression, anxiety disorders, and alcohol and drug abuse are common problems in the Hispanic community. Shame surrounding mental illness keeps many Hispanics from seeking mental health services according to a recent report at Fox News.
Study Links Premature Deaths to Lack of Health Insurance in CA
In 2010 alone, about 3,164 Californians between the ages of 25 and 64 died prematurely for lack of health insurance, said the study released by Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers. That translates to about 61 Californians every week. Nationwide, 26,000 Americans in that same age group, died last year for the same [...]
Supreme Court Ruling Could Undercut California’s Healthcare Plan
It is clear some provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act will almost certainly remain intact in California no matter how the court rules. The state already has enacted its own legislation prohibiting most insurers from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions and allowing people up to age 26 to remain on their parents' [...]
Group Claims That Health Reform Would Create Jobs in California
Depending on whom you ask, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a panacea to the country’s rising cost of health care or a government-sponsored spending spree that will lead the nation down the path to financial ruin. The Bay Area Council Economic Institute recently released a report claiming that if the Affordable Care Act [...]
Supreme Court Ruling Could Force California to “Rethink Everything”
Before the end of the month, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the federal health law. Among the most likely scenarios, the court would leave the law intact, overturn it completely, or strike down a key provision that requires most people to purchase health insurance. Each possibility carries different [...]
More Firms to Offer Benefits Under the Health Care Exchange
One-third of small businesses in California say they offer health insurance to their employees and 44% say they are likely to do so once the state's insurance exchange opens in 2014. The California Health Benefit Exchange will primarily serve individuals and small businesses. An estimated 4.4 million California residents are expected to use the [...]
