Healthcare reform

Small-group employers are still particularly perplexed about their ACA options. Here are four options to leverage with these clients.

From actual call center data glitches to hard-to-define input, brokers across the country on both the state and federal exchanges expect to be shorted for their work enrolling participants during the Affordable Care Act’s first open enrollment period.

The plaintiffs who lost a recent lawsuit trying to prevent the federal government from providing tax credits to purchase health insurance on federal exchanges have filed for an expedited appeal in the case.

With Obamacare bearing down on them, a doctors’ group said emergency rooms are less able to provide quality care, and more resources will be needed to handle an expected surge of patients from the new law.

The recent news that 70 percent of Obamacare’s customers are 35 years of age or older poses challenges, specifically related to those in the 18-34-year-old age group, Moody’s says.

Enrollment in Obamacare health plans for small businesses is off to a slow start, leaving in doubt whether the U.S. program can attract enough customers to satisfy insurers.

Despite assurances from the Department of Health and Human Services that Healthcare.gov is secure, Committee on Oversight & Government Reform Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calf.) said Thursday that we “must assume that website is still vulnerable and Americans may have [personally identifiable information] hacked and taken.”

Magic Johnson, who is living proof of the value of early medical detection with health insurance, is broadcasting that message on behalf of Obamacare.

From the Midwest to Texas to the West Coast, these brokers are opening their doors to walk-ins who need help complying with the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act. Will this store front trend catch on with others in the industry and, perhaps more importantly, is it sustainable?

A federal district court judge has ruled in favor of the federal government in a lawsuit that claimed the Internal Revenue Service did not have the authority under the Affordable Care Act to write rules providing tax credits to individuals purchasing health insurance on the health insurance exchange set up by the federal government.

The Congressional Management Foundation talked to 163 senior managers in the U.S. House and Senate about staff retention for the coming year. The respondents said worries about salary freezes from budget cuts and transitioning employees to the Affordable Care Act’s public exchanges were top of their list for possible staff departures.

Obamacare and an aging U.S. population are spurring purchases of medical office buildings, with investors sending prices to a record on bets that Americans’ demand for health services will increase.

About 70% of Obamacare’s customers are 35 years of age or older, indicating that U.S. health care overhaul is initially attracting a less healthy population that may drive up insurance premiums.

The U.S. government has awarded Accenture’s Federal Services unit a one-year contract, with an initial payment of $45 million, the Dublin-based company said in a statement Accenture will succeed Montreal-based CGI Group, which drew criticism for the website’s early stumbles.

CGI Group, the company that built the main Obamacare website, will be replaced next month when its contract with the U.S. federal government expires, a person familiar with the decision said.

Humana said it expects new Obamacare customers to be sicker and costlier than anticipated, after the U.S. government’s decision to let healthier people keep their existing plans.

A report released Thursday shows positive interest in the ACA’s exchanges from this sought-after portion of the U.S. population.

Most uninsured people in the U.S. have yet to try to sign up for health coverage under Obamacare, and a key advocacy group said it will hire more workers to reach those unfamiliar with the law.

Two of the largest U.S. health insurers are giving Obamacare customers more time to pay their initial premiums as the industry tries to coax millions of people to take the final step in cementing coverage for 2014.

Pre-tax season taxpayer confusion is higher than normal with the ACA in full swing.