ACA realities

If the latest enrollment figures are any indicator, 2015 promises to be better for Obamacare than 2014. Almost three times as many consumers have selected coverage plans on healthcare.gov than did so in the 2013 open enrollment period. Most of  them being new consumers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimate about 9 million new customers for 2015, compared with the 7 million in 2014. Open enrollment for healthcare.gov will end Feb. 15. Applicants may use the marketplace to check if they are eligible for Medicaid. By all accounts, Obamacare is working....

Healthcare.gov comes with $2.2 billion p...

Maybe the ACA is not so affordable after all. The Obama administration announces this week, that they have a new $536 million contract for the next five years. The new contract is for the maintenance and improvement of the Healthcare.gov website. The new $536 million contract goes to Accenture, which is the company the Obama administration hired to fix the site after the disastrous launch in 2013.  The new million dollar contract will bring the total government spending on the healthcare website to $2.2 billion. Open enrollment for Obamacare will end on Feb. 15, 2015....

Tech firm brings ACA help to enrollees

Sometimes the consumers who need healthcare coverage are the ones who are least likely to sign-up. This is one challenge faced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency who is responsible for administering the ACA. To meet their challenge, the HHS is looking to Silicon Valley for help. Last week they announced an innovative collaboration effort with tech firms Peers.org, Monster.com, and PayNearMe to bring important open-enrollment information to hard-to-reach and low-income communities. Sylvia Burwell a secretary for the HHS said that these...

Coverage for rural Minnesota will start ...

Receiving coverage is good for families and residents of rural Minnesota who enroll by Jan. 15 in which their coverage will kick in on Feb. 1, 2015. Living in rural communities should not have to come with hefty price tags for healthcare coverage. Thanks to  the Affordable Care Act. ACA is making a difference for those in rural areas including those in rural Minnesota. Today, because of the ACA, families and others may select from several different plans and may of them will qualify for financial assistance to help him or her pay for their coverage. To enroll in coverage...

Affordable Care Act deadline is today (D...

President Obama’s Affordable Care Act will face another test Monday. This time it is more than just making sure the healthcare.gov website is running smoothly. Dec. 15, is the deadline for new consumers to select a health plan, which will take effect on Jan 1, 2015.  For existing customers, it is the deadline to make changes, which could reduce the expected premium increases ahead of the new year. The deadline is midnight Monday, Pacific time, This gives consumers on the East coast extra three hours. The website is expecting heaving traffic, and telephone hold times...