The Department of Health and Human Services announced new changes that will reduce premiums and ease eligibility standards for Americans seeking to enroll in Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan in a number of states.
The Affordable Care Act is cutting the cost of prescription drugs for millions of people with Medicare. Starting this year, people with Medicare receive a 50% percent discount on covered brand name drugs bought when they are in the donut hole. So far, 271,000 people have used the discounts to save an average of $613 for a total of $166 million.
Today, HHS awarded three grants to help States continue their work to implement a key provision of the Affordable Care Act – Health Insurance Exchanges.
We are taking an important step forward in creating a better insurance marketplace, by awarding “Exchange Establishment Grants” to Indiana, Washington and Rhode Island. These grants will help ensure these States have the resources and the flexibility they need to establish Exchanges, and ensure that Americans are no longer on their own when shopping for insurance.
Over the last 10 years, the cost of family health insurance has jumped an amazing 131 percent and today coverage is out of reach for millions of people and business owners. The Affordable Care Act was passed last year to address this critical problem. Starting September 1, large rate increases proposed by insurers in every State will be reviewed by independent experts to guarantee the increase is reasonable and warranted. This process, called “rate review,” will require insurance companies to justify increases of 10 percent or more in the first year, and insurers will be required to publish those explanations on their website.
As we continue to build the Partnership for Patients, we have reached out to every sector of the health care delivery system. Each and every stakeholder has asked the same question: “How can we help?” This has been reflected in the more than 1,500 hospitals that have joined the Partnership bringing the total number of Partners to more than 3,000.
In response to stakeholder requests for resources, HHS recently released an interactive video Partnering to Heal: Teaming Up Against Healthcare-Associated Infections to promote a culture of safety in healthcare settings. This interactive, computer-based training allows students and clinicians to make decisions based on different characters’ life experiences in healthcare settings and situations and learn from their outcomes, both positive and negative. A facilitator’s guide accompanies the training for classroom or small group use.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today the availability of over $100 million in funding for up to 75 Community Transformation Grants aimed at creating healthy environments and promoting healthy lifestyles. Created as part of the Prevention and Public Health Fund by the Affordable Care Act, Community Transformation Grants will help communities concentrate on the causes of chronic disease and help move our nation from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention.
Information about flu activity during this season.
A new report released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that most families without health insurance don’t have the financial assets to pay the hospital bills they would incur if a family member were to be hospitalized. The new report found that most uninsured families have virtually no savings or investments. In fact, the median financial assets for an uninsured family are twenty dollars.