Health Insurance

'Obamacare' And Green Energy Bill Bound Together By Poison Pill Tactic

Sam Evans-Brown and Todd Bookman — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:30:00 +0000

New Hampshire is one of only three states with a split legislature: Republicans control the Senate, Democrats the House of Representatives. The two bodies have shown an ability to work together on some issues this session, including business tax credits and limits on lead fishing tackle.

But with the end of the legislative year fast approaching, inter-chamber gamesmanship is on the rise. It can start simple enough. A routine legislative procedure on the House floor.

Insurance Company Practice Of 'Fail First' Called Into Question

Todd Bookman — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:48:00 +0000

“I have Crohn’s Disease, I have diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and I had a stroke. From all of this, I am on medication for depression as well.”

Chalk it up to bad genes: Amanda St-Amour struggles with a lot of health conditions.

She’s 30, lives in Merrimack, and pulls out a small laundry basket full of pill bottles.

“Basically, I take about 1, 2, 3…15 pills a morning.”

Report Examines Rising Health Insurance Costs In N.H.

Alison Kuzmickas — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:18:31 +0000

A new report from the New Hampshire Insurance Department says that heath insurance rates are on the rise in the state. The “Medical Cost Drivers Report” finds that health insurance premiums jumped 3.8% in 2011.

The data also shows that insurance companies saw a near 3% increase in profits.

Insurance Commissioner Roger Sevigny says that rising co-pays and deductibles mean the insured are less able to rely on their health plans to cover medical bills.

There’s only so much cost sharing that someone can bear, and still call it insurance.

How Much Is That Titanium Knee In The Window?

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:57:27 +0000

Pop question: how much does a hip replacement cost for an uninsured person? Answer: somewhere between $11,000 and $125,000. A college student’s survey of American hospitals found quoted costs to vary wildly – even when the hospitals provided quotes; many could not, or did not provide the quotes at all. The results were recently published by JAMA -- The Journal of American Medicine Association. Elisabeth Rosenthal covers health and medicine for the New York Times and wrote about the study for “Well”.

Fiscal Cliff Deal Means No Health Insurance Co-op In N.H.

Todd Bookman — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:33:11 +0000

A last minute deal to avert the fiscal cliff contained bad news for the future of health co-ops.

The Affordable Care Act set aside $6 billion to be used as loans for new non-profit, customer-owned insurance plans. The idea was that each state would have a health co-op that could compete with traditional insurers, in theory, driving down prices.

After Abortion Concerns Alleviated, Lawmakers Select Insurance Model

Todd Bookman — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:19:11 +0000

The Affordable Care Act says that every state has to select a health plan that will basically serve as a model for other plans.

So, if the model plan covers, say, infertility treatment, eyeglasses or autism services—those same benefits must be included in other plans.

This requirement only applies to the individual and small group markets, where about 200,000 New Hampshire residents shop for insurance.

Deadlines Loom in Health Plan Decision

Todd Bookman — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:30:19 +0000

A day after the primary elections, lawmakers were back at the statehouse discussing health insurance. At issue is what insurance companies will have to cover under the Affordable Care Act.

The ACA calls for states to select something called a private insurance Essential Health Benefit benchmark by September 30th. Simply put, lawmakers in Concord need to pick an insurance plan that will serve as a model for most other insurance plans offered in the state.

And they have less than three weeks to do it.

Lawmakers Mull Federal Health Insurance Exchange Options

Sam Evans-Brown — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 21:03:21 +0000

New Hampshire’s insurance department told House and Senate lawmakers Wednesday what a federal Insurance Exchange will look like in New Hampshire.

Who gets Medicaid and who doesn't?

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:53:49 +0000

Reporters love to write in a kind of shorthand. And when it comes to Medicaid, the preferred shortcut is, 'the health care program for the poor.'

State Will Have Input Into Federal Health Care Exchange, Says Insurance Commissioner

Brady Carlson — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:26:40 +0000

Several weeks ago, Gov. John Lynch signed a bill that blocked the state from setting up a health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act.

That means, under the act, the federal government will set up an exchange for New Hampshire, to give individuals who were previously unable to buy insurance access to health care coverage.

New Hampshire Health Insurance Companies React to Affordable Care Act Decision

Tina Forbes — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:59:36 +0000

New Hampshire insurance carriers say they are generally supportive of the Supreme Court’s health care ruling.

MVP Health Care says it supports many of the goals of the ACA, such as ensuring that all Americans have affordable health coverage and access to high-quality care. However, the company says there are parts of the act that policymakers should reconsider, such as the cuts to Medicare Advantage health benefit plans and the “Small Business Health Insurance Tax.”

Baby Steps For Naturopathic Doctors In New Hampshire

Emily Corwin — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:43:53 +0000

Although Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) undergo virtually the same training as medical doctors, their services have hitherto not been covered by insurance companies in the state of New Hampshire. Two and a half years ago ND Bert Mathieson, frustrated by what struck him as “discrimination flat out,” got a sponsor for a bill that would change N.H. law. HB351 would require insurers in the state to reimburse naturopathic doctors, who emphasize illness prevention and lifestyle guidance rather than pharmaceutical or surgical procedures in their practice.

Why Your Drug Copay Could Change

Tue, 08 May 2012 13:46:00 +0000

What if how much you paid for a drug was based on how much it might help you, instead of the sticker price?

Some big employers are already taking this tack, known as value-based insurance design, by lowering copayments for medicines to manage chronic conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol and

Supreme Court's Medicaid Decision Could Reach Far Beyond Health Care

Julie Rovner — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:01:00 +0000

After Tuesday's judicial fireworks, the Supreme Court wraps up arguments on the new health care law Wednesday by focusing on two questions. The first involves what would happen if the "individual mandate" — the core of the law that requires most people to have health insurance — is struck down.

Mandate's Fate Seems To Rest On Kennedy, Roberts

Nina Totenberg — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:00:00 +0000

At the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, hostile questioning from key justices seemed to imperil the individual mandate, the central provision of the Obama health care overhaul.

The mandate requires virtually all Americans to have health insurance — through Medicare, Medicaid or employer-provided insurance, or, if you are not covered by any of those, through individual insurance that you pay for.

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli seemed unusually nervous at first, asking for a moment to sip water to clear his throat.