Health Care Reform

The Senate's top Democrat is holding off on pressing ahead with a backup plan to avoid a government default.

The Senate on Friday firmly rejected a House Republican bill to slash spending and require a balanced-budget amendment, leaving unresolved with just days to go the urgent issue of increasing the nation's borrowing powers.

Washington state has already started posting information about individual and small group rate change requests, and Wisconsin is giving insurers advice about how to comply with its new rate change disclosure requirements.

Idaho was set to accept as much as $19 million in federal cash linked to the health care overhaul as state agencies take advantage of waiver provisions that help them skirt Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's executive order aimed at blocking them from taking some of the money.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed regulations for the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) program – an initiative that is supposed to create a new type of nonprofit, consumer-governed health insurer.

A panel of health experts is calling on the government to require that insurance companies cover birth control for free as preventive care for women under President Barack Obama's health overhaul.

Despite that black cloud looming in the background like some kind of catastrophic debt ceiling, the mood here at the BenefitsConnect Summit is decidedly upbeat. Hell, it's downright bullish — among brokers and carriers alike.

The role of health insurance agents and brokers over the next few years will be even more important as middle-market decision makers navigate choices in a post-health care reform era.