By Lisa Myers; NBC News ~ Nov 15, 2013
Several insurance industry officials and state insurance commissioners expressed frustration Friday, saying they were “baffled” by President Barack Obama’s assertion that the cancellation of millions of insurance policies occurred because a key provision of the Affordable Care Act didn’t work as expected, saying the administration was warned three years ago that regulations would have exactly that effect.
By Paula Aven Gladych; BenefitsPro ~ Nov 15, 2013
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s deficit increased to $36 billion in 2013, in large part because of the worsening financial picture at multiemployer plans.
The agency’s multiemployer insurance program’s deficit rose to more than $8.1 billion this year, compared with $5.3 million last year.
Multiemployer plans provide lifetime income to more than 10 million people in 1,400 plans, but because more plans are expected to fail in the future, costs have gone up.
By Robert Laura; Forbes ~ Nov 14, 2013
In its current form, and based on a small sample of people I have conversed with, I believe the middle class is in danger of losing the sacred freedom and option to retire at
age 65. I’m not writing this post to bash Obamacare or to ferret out all the
pros and cons, or final solutions, but instead to make readers aware that you
might want to consider finding a job you like or a profession you can stay
active in well beyond your 65th birthday.
By Lisa Desjardins; CNN ~ Nov 13, 2013
Washington (CNN) — For members of Congress, the Obamacare debate is getting
personal. This week, lawmakers can begin their sign-up process for health care, and a CNN survey shows that while most senators and representatives plan to participate in the Obamacare exchanges, a sizable group is walking away from the
government-coordinated exchanges and instead getting their healthcare in the
private marketplace.
By Elise Viebeck; The Hill ~ Nov 12, 2013
A new flurry of enrollment estimates for ObamaCare suggests the administration will have a lackluster figure to announce when it releases its official early enrollment
count later this week.
Fewer than 50,000 people have successfully purchased private health plans on marketplaces linked to HealthCare.gov, The Wall Street Journal reported on
Monday.
In a separate analysis, consulting firm Avalere Health found that about 50,000 people have enrolled in either private coverage or Medicaid through 12 state-based exchanges.
By Dan Balz; The Washington Post ~ Nov 09, 2013
President Obama likes to say he will never again be running for office, but every Democrat knows he will be on the ballot figuratively in 2014, and 2016, as well. Right now they are rightly nervous about that prospect.
A month ago, political Washington was transfixed by the errors committed by congressional Republicans. Those missteps led to a partial shutdown of the government, which in turn has brought approval of the GOP to record lows in many public opinion surveys.
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, AP; Anderson Independent-Mail News ~ Nov 08, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he’ll do everything he can to help people coping with health insurance cancellations, but legally and practically his options
appear limited.
That means the latest political problem engulfing Obama’s health care overhaul may not be resolved quickly, cleanly or completely.
White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday that the president has asked his team to look at administrative fixes to help people whose plans are being canceled as a result of new federal coverage rules. Obama, in an NBC interview Thursday, said
“I am sorry” to people who are losing coverage and had relied on his assurances that if they liked their plan, they could keep it.
By Robert Powell; MarketWatch ~ Nov 08, 2013
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced this week that the yearly maximum guaranteed benefit for a 65-year-old retiree has increased to almost $59,320
from about $57,500.
Most retirees who get their pension from PBGC, almost 85% according to a 2006 study, receive the full amount of their promised benefit, according to a release. In some cases,
retirees can receive more than the PBGC maximum guarantee. (For more information, read this entry from the blog, Retirement Matters, “Making Sense of the Maximum Insurance Benefit.”)
By Tami Luhby; Money ~ Nov 07, 2013
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – Browsing the Obamacare website to see how much health insurance coverage will cost in your area?
The prices you see won’t tell you the whole story.
The plan browser on healthcare.gov was added a few weeks after the launch of the federal exchange, and was meant to help Americans shop after technical problems made it tough to log in. But the feature that allows visitors to see insurance plans without creating an account provides only limited information, and may lead users to
think they will pay less than they actually will.
By Alexis Levinson ; The Daily Caller ~ Nov 06, 2013
WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Sec. Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged Wednesday that it would be possible for a convicted felon to become an Obamacare navigator — one of the workers responsible for helping people deal with the ins and outs of the healthcare law.
“Isn’t it true there is no federal requirement for navigators to undergo a criminal background check, even though they will receive personal information from the individuals they help to sign-up up for the Affordable Care Act?” asked Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn at a Senate Finance Committee hearing at which Sebelius was testifying.