Healthcare reform

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said Congress and a new president could still repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law after 2016, rejecting Democratic arguments that the measure is irreversible.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would modify the Affordable Care Act’s definition of a full-time employee from one who works 30-hours a week to one who works 40-hours a week.

While it’s not surprising that in 2013 the trend of employers shifting rising health care costs to employees continued to grow, it also appears employers have begun to design health care plans with looming Affordable Care Act provisions in mind.

An adviser in Connecticut who re-focused her group benefits business towards enrolling consumers on the state-run exchange says carrier appointment fees, and an exchange policy, are burning a hole in her pocket.

Employers have always been concerned about the potential for worker reclassification, but health care reform and a recent National Labor Relations Board decision take this issue to an entirely new level.

Yes, the ACA open-enrollment deadline has passed. No, that doesn’t mean employers cannot terminate or change their health plan — because employees can still enroll on the exchange.

Administering the 2010 health care law is just like municipal snow shoveling — a top priority that’s non-negotiable, John Koskinen, the commissioner of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, said Wednesday.

More than 1 million people waited until the last five days to sign up for 2014 health coverage under Obamacare, and early indications are that many were young minorities, insurance analysts and enrollment groups said.

The latest ACA enrollment extension could mean big losses for insurers and higher premiums for everyone in 2015, Moody’s predicts.

President Barack Obama’s declaration that 7.1 million health-plan enrollments serve as a rebuke to critics of his signature law won’t diminish the opposition nor stop the scrutiny of the overhaul’s effect.

Just over 7 million people enrolled for insurance coverage under Obamacare after a last-minute surge at the deadline to sign up, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday.

The first phase of Obamacare ended yesterday much the same way it began: The federal website drew millions of visitors and crashed at least twice.

Going uninsured is about to get very expensive. New estimates by NerdWallet show the minimum amount of lifetime penalties for someone who is uninsured is more than $36,000.

UnitedHealth Group Inc., which sells insurance on only a few Obamacare exchanges, stands to profit from the law nonetheless.

On the final day of open enrollment on the public exchanges, brokers are concerned that the public may think they have more time than they actually do, thanks to last week’s partial extension. EBA checked in with several storefront brokers to discuss concerns like this one as they enter the final 24 hours of enrollment.

The first yearly sign-up period for Obamacare closes today, with early returns suggesting the administration may reach a projection of 7 million enrollees made before the U.S. health exchange struggled at its startup.

President Barack Obama is “picking and choosing” how the 2010 health care law will be implemented and “doesn’t have the flexibility” legally to do so, U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers said.

Most Hispanics have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act, but need more information about it to understand the law and how to enroll in the health insurance exchanges, HolaDoctor, a leading health website for Hispanics, says.

In California, a broker leader believes agents were responsible for as much at 75% of the applications on their exchange.

Republican Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan, who sponsored the MLR bill, is moving on from Congress.