health benefits exchange

Online Health Insurance Marketplace to Offer 28 Plans

Kristin Gourlay — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:44:46 +0000

Rhode Island’s online marketplace for health insurance is taking shape in preparation for October 1^st. That's the date the exchange is scheduled to be up and running with a variety of new health plans to choose from.

Obama: For Majority of Americans, Health Law "Already Happened"

Kristin Gourlay — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:25:24 +0000

At a news conference today, President Barack Obama responded to critics of his health care law, the Affordable Care Act, saying his administration is working hard to meet deadlines and launch the law's next features. A nice recap is posted on Kaiser Health News.

Are You Eligible for Health Care Tax Credits?

Kristin Gourlay — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:08:03 +0000

A new report from consumer health care advocacy group Families USA crunched the numbers, state by state. They found that almost 83,000 Rhode Islanders will be eligible for something called the "premium tax credit" in 2014. Families USA, by the way, calls itself nonpartisan, although some say the organization is biased because of its clear support for the Affordable Care Act.

AS220 Spotlights Health Care in Rhode Island

Kristin Gourlay — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:15:22 +0000

AS220, the downtown arts organization, and the Roots Cafe are hosting three public panel discussions about health care in Rhode Island. And one of them features someone you might know from such illustrious places as... this blog! My predecessor here at RIPR, the delightful Megan Hall, is one of the panelists! Events take place at 5:30 pm on April 24, May 1, and May 8 at AS220 Cafe, 115 Empire Street, in Providence.

Details on the first two events:

No Delay for Rhode Island's Health Insurance Exchange for Small Businesses

Kristin Gourlay — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:04:15 +0000

The federal government is pushing back the launch of an online health insurance marketplace for small businesses that’s part of the Affordable Care Act. But there will be no delay in Rhode Island.

Will Health Insurance Costs Rise for Rhode Islanders Under the ACA?

Kristin Gourlay — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:11:24 +0000

You may have seen some headlines about a new report from the Society of Actuaries (the super-smart, nerdy folks who figure out how much risk, say, an insurance company can afford to take on), decrying the near-certain rise in the cost of health insurance for newly insured folks under the Affordable Care Act.

Rader Wallack leaving as Vt Health Chief to move back to RI

Scott MacKay — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:56:45 +0000

Anya Rader Wallack, who as chairwoman of the Green Mountain Health Care Board has led Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin’s ambitious state health care overhaul, is leaving the post and moving back to Rhode Island.

Rader Wallack, one of New England’s leading health policy gurus, is leaving Vermont because her family, which is based in Little Compton, does not want to move to the Green Mountain state, she said.

How the Affordable Care Act could affect RI insurance rates

Kristin Gourlay — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +0000

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of the biggest things to hit health care in decades. And you might already have started to feel its effects on your own health care - from no-cost preventative services to the ability to keep kids on your health insurance plan longer.

Deloitte to build RI's health insurance exchange

Kristin Gourlay — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:36:05 +0000

Rhode Island has selected Deloitte Consulting to build its online health insurance exchange. It’s the next step in the state’s effort to get the exchange up and running by October.

RI submits health insurance exchange “blueprint”

Kristin Gourlay — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:55:07 +0000

The Ocean State has sent the federal government – ahead of schedule – what it’s calling a “blueprint” for the state’s health benefits exchange. The blueprint is a collection of draft documents, the exchange’s creators say, that reflect the state’s best thinking to-date on how the exchange should work. Its submission is a key milestone for states developing their own exchanges.