Archive for the ‘CMS’ Category

Nationwide, nearly 11.7 million consumers selected or were automatically re-enrolled in health insurance coverage through the state and federal Health Insurance Marketplace as of Feb. 22, according to a report released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Of the total, 8.84 million (76 percent) were in states using the HealthCare.gov platform, […]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced a special enrollment period (SEP) for individuals and families who did not have health coverage in 2014 and are subject to the fee or “shared responsibility payment” when they file their 2014 taxes in states which use the Federally-facilitated Marketplaces (FFM). This special enrollment period […]

Of the 4.7 million persons who obtained insurance coverage from HealthCare.gov in 2014, about 1.2 million of them shopped around and switched plans for 2015. Another 1 million did comparison shopping but stuck with their 2014 plans. The unexpected shopping spree was attributed in large part to premium variations. The most successful insurance companies from 2014, […]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued the Final HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2016.  This rule seeks to improve consumers’ experience in the Health Insurance Marketplace and to ensure their coverage options are affordable and accessible. The rule finalizes the annual open enrollment period for 2016 to begin […]

After the Associated Press (AP) reported that HealthCare.gov was unwittingly providing customer privacy information to third-party companies and individuals, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it was adding new layers of security to the site. The privacy data could be viewed by third parties after health insurance consumers visited the Obamacare […]

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday released results of its review of the 60 “Federal Marketplace contracts” for HealthCare.gov awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which it said “raised a number of concerns.” The study questioned “the adequacy of CMS’s planning […]

Though not subject to the scathing public indictment that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sibelius faced for the Obamacare rollout, Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is resigning a year after her boss Sibelius. She will be replaced on an interim basis by newly hired Obamacare czar Andy […]

A coalition of 279 patient advocacy groups calling itself “I Am (Still) Essential” has called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to better define what is considered discrimination under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “As part of the plan review process for 2015, we thought there would be a better review of […]

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule to fold the United States v. Windsor decision on marriage into the two medical programs it oversees by allowing same-sex spouses to participate in and administer “patient rights and services.” “Specifically, we propose to revise certain definitions and patient’s rights provisions, in […]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to improve consumers’ experience in the Health Insurance Marketplace and to ensure their coverage options are affordable and accessible. To establish the new consumer standards for 2016, the proposed rule seeks to implement several Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions on […]