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health insurance

Insurers request steep premium hikes for Florida, but Obamacare subsidies may offset the impact

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Premiums for health care plans sold on the Affordable Care Act’s federal exchange and outside the exchange will rise an average of 45 percent in Florida this year, according to state officials. However that doesn’t mean consumers will end up spending more money. In fact, they could end up seeing slight decreases.

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Andrew Gillum calls for ‘strengthening’ Obamacare in Florida

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Andrew Gillum

A day after the end of the 2017 Legislative Session, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum on Monday called on state lawmakers to pass a bill “strengthening insurance protections for those with pre-existing conditions.” Gillum, the sitting mayor of Tallahassee, appeared at the Florida Press Center with two local women who told of their family members’ troubles getting coverage and treatment: One has a son with a chromosomal disorder and the other’s sister lives with Crohn’s disease, an incurable digestive malady.…

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Florida Blue health plan resolving multiple withdrawal error

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Florida Blue says it’s resolved an error that caused multiple withdrawals to be taken from the bank accounts of nearly 10,000 consumers to pay their May health insurance premium. Florida insurance officials said Wednesday that Florida Blue consumers were seeing multiple withdrawals instead of the scheduled one-time payment. Florida Blue blamed the error on a third-party vendor. The overdrafts caused some clients to have their bank accounts frozen. Attorney Kristin Longberry tells the Orlando Sentinel she paid her monthly premium…

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Senate bill would shake up state worker health insurance plans

in Statewide by

Legislation filed in the Senate would let state employees decide between four levels of group health insurance coverage, so they could buy cheaper, stripped-down plans or pay for more comprehensive care. “Our current plan offers limited choices and lacks the price transparency needed for employees and their families to make cost-effective health care purchases,” bill sponsor Tom Lee said in a written statement. “This bill incorporates modern, innovative models for delivering high-quality health care at lower costs that will empower state employees…

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Chris Hudson: Death, taxes and health care

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Though death and taxes have long been thought to be the two certainties in life, it’s now looking like skyrocketing health care costs comes in a close third. Florida state officials recently approved an average health insurance premium increase of 19 percent. And these hikes come after state officials raised rates 9.5 percent last year and 13.2 percent in 2014. But this year, those of us who call the Sunshine State home can help prevent skyrocketing costs from becoming the…

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Florida insurers request rate hikes under federal health law

in Statewide by

Nearly a dozen health insurers are proposing rate increases averaging 13 percent for 2017 Florida plans sold on the exchanges created under President Barack Obama‘s health care law, but that won’t necessarily mean big consumer price hikes. The largest increase is a whopping 44 percent requested by one Humana plan. Aetna wants a 29 percent increase for a plan, with AvMed requesting 26 percent and Coventry seeking 17 percent. Florida Health Care Plan requested modest increases for many of its…

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Highlights from Florida’s new $82.3 billion budget

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The Florida Legislature is expected on Friday to approve a more than $82.3 billion budget for 2016-17 that is roughly 5 percent larger than this year’s budget. Here are a few key items you should know about: – EDUCATION: The new budget increases day-to-day public school spending by $458 million, which translates into a 1 percent increase. The per pupil spending amount would be $7,178.49, which is less than Gov. Rick Scott recommended. Legislators also agreed to spend more than…

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