Recent Articles
Rauner stops sending Medicaid patients to BCBSIL
The Rauner administration has cut off Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois from enrolling patients in the state's revamped Medicaid managed care program, a blow to the dominant insurer. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which oversees...
Trump’s budget could let those on Medicare use HSAs
A provision tucked in President Donald Trump's proposed budget would give people on Medicare a way to save for health care costs on a tax-advantaged basis. In the proposal, the White House calls for a new option that would permit Medicare beneficiaries to make...
BCBSIL reaches agreement with OSF Hospital System
BCBSIL and OSF – Agreement Reached Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) and the Order of St. Francis Healthcare System (OSF) have reached an agreement that will keep the following OSF hospitals in BCBSIL’s PPO and BlueChoice® networks: Medical Center...
2018 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles Announced
The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $134 for 2018, the same amount as in 2017. Some beneficiaries who were held harmless against Part B premium increases in prior years will have a Part B premium increase in 2018, but the premium...
Trump pulling Obamacare subsidies is latest bitter pill for health insurance shoppers
In Illinois, nearly half of the roughly 314,000 people who bought Obamacare health insurance coverage last year did so with the help of a federal subsidy. Nationwide, the tally is higher: on average 57 percent of the 10.3 million people with such a plan, according to...
Illinois Insurers plan to hike Obamacare rates 43 percent
Insurers want to raise rates by up to 43 percent for Illinois customers who receive health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Among the companies seeking double-digit rate hikes on most of their plans starting next year are the three insurers that offered...
Illinois insurers plan 2018 double-digit ACA rate increases
Illinois consumers and small businesses using Obamacare will have fewer insurers to choose from and could face double-digit rate hikes for health plans they buy on the exchanges. On average, the highest rate increase proposed for plans to be sold to Illinois small...
2018 HSA Limits Announced
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the 2018 annual contribution, deductible, and out-of-pocket maximum limits for Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and HSA-qualified health plans. The 2018 amounts for HSA-qualified plans are: 2018 Minimum Deductibles...
House Republicans passed a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare
House Republicans just passed their bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, a plan that reduces taxes but puts millions at risk of losing their health insurance, including people with preexisting conditions, older Americans, and the poor. The vote on Thursday was close...
Health Alliance Reaches Capacity for Individual Enrollment in Illinois
News from Health Alliance: With the exit of many plans from the individual market and large premium increases from other plans, we knew we couldn't absorb all of the potential members from the areas we serve. Therefore, we reached an agreement with the Illinois...