What to expect in 2014
As part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or health care reform law), starting in 2014 ALL Americans must have a minimum amount of health insurance or be taxed by the government. The law also requires each state to have a health insurance exchange where people can buy health insurance coverage. People who don't get health insurance at work, or can't afford it, may be able to get it through an exchange. The exchanges do not replace buying health insurance privately. They are simply a new place to shop and buy.
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SUBSIDY/PREMIUM ASSISTANCE
Kaiser Permanente leads fully insured commercial health plans in employer satisfaction
OAKLAND, Calif. - Kaiser Permanente announced today that employers ranked the organization's health plan the highest for two consecutive years among fully insured commercial health plans in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Employer Health Insurance Plan StudySM. The organization received high marks in key factors that affect employer satisfaction such as account servicing, problem resolution, program offerings, cost and employee plan service experience.
Kaiser Permanente Hospitals Among the Safest in the Nation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Nearly all Kaiser Permanente hospitals (pdf) have been given an A rating for patient safety - and none lower than a B - in a new national report card issued Wednesday by The Leapfrog Group. While Kaiser Permanente hospitals were rated among the safest in the country, hospitals nationwide fared far worse. Of the more than 2,600 hospitals that were graded in the report, nearly half (47 percent) received a C grade or lower. In California, it was a similar story. Of the 264 hospitals in California that were rated, 109 (or 41 percent) received a C grade or lower. The complete list of Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score results can be found at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.
The law requires health insurance to be "guarantee issue." That means a person (or family) can't be denied coverage or charged more because of a health condition he or she already has. Individuals not covered by a government health plah have three choices.
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Small businesses (less than 50 employees) also can use an exchange to find insurance for their employees. These are called Small Business Health Options Programs, or SHOPs, for short. The individual and SHOP exchanges may be separate or combined.
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Large group employers (50+ employees) have three health insurance options in 2014.
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