health insurance

The main goal of the Affordable Care Act is to have more Americans covered by health insurance. The mechanism for achieving that goal is the "individual mandate" – the requirement that most Americans have health insurance.

The simple reason behind the mandate is that in order for the insurance market to offer guaranteed coverage and be efficient and cost-effective, the maximum number of people must participate.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the lion's share of each insurance premium dollar must be spent on health care.

That notion might seem obvious, but previously there was no national standard for what is termed the "medical loss ratio," or MLR. The ratio measures the split between health care spending and administrative and other costs. (Incidentally, MLR is an old insurance term that comes from the accounting departments, where spending on medical care was considered a loss deducted from income.)

The Colorado Health Benefit Exchange won't be up and running until October 2013, but Colorado residents can start learning about it right now. The exchange has a new website – www.getcoveredco.org.

(Also published as guest commentary in the Summit Daily News and posted by  healthinsuranceheadlines.com, topix.com, health

By Gena Akers
Valley Voices (San Luis Valley Health.org)

The math is simple. Our country has a budget deficit because we spend more than we have. The same applies personally: you can't spend your problems away with credit cards. You have to be accountable to yourself.

Now, we need to be accountable to our nation so our nation doesn't fail us.

Looking for the Quick Fix

If you live in Colorado, there's a good chance you don't have health insurance, or enough insurance to cover a serious accident or illness.

When we come across something new and helpful, we like to share it. And in this case, we think this is a good example of government being efficient and responding to the needs of citizens.

We are talking about Ask DORA, a new website with information about health insurance.

DORA is the acronym for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, which includes the Colorado Division of Insurance.

Businesses, labor unions and even entire states have been granted waivers exempting them from one provision of the Affordable Care Act. Opponents of the national health care reform law argue that these waivers are evidence that the new law is onerous and impractical. They also suggest that waivers were granted out of favoritism and that less-well-connected business and organizations will have to pay more to make up the difference.

Those criticisms are misleading and do not reflect the reasoning behind the waivers.

The future of national health care reform under the Affordable Care Act may hinge on a single provision in the new law. The individual mandate, or the "minimum essential coverage provision," requires most uninsured Americans to purchase health coverage or pay a tax penalty. The big question is whether the individual mandate is constitutional.

By Bob Semro

The "individual mandate" is a fundamental part of last year's national health care reform law.

Under the Affordable Care Act, in 2014, Americans who do not have health insurance will be required, or mandated, to purchase coverage or pay a tax penalty. Exemptions will be granted for financial hardship, religious reasons or if the price of the lowest-cost plan exceeds 8 percent of annual income.