Google To Curtail Insurance Ads
“In order to run ads, advertisers will need to provide documentation showing they are permitted under state law to sell health insurance,” Google said in a blog post.
Fierce Healthcare:
Google Cracks Down On Insurance Advertisements Posted On Search Engine
Starting next month, Google will require health insurers to apply for certification for their ads to run on the search engine. The tech giant announced Tuesday that it will only allow insurance ads from certified government exchanges, first-party providers and licensed third-party brokers. “In order to run ads, advertisers will need to provide documentation showing they are permitted under state law to sell health insurance,” Google said in a blog post. (King, 4/20)
Axios:
Oscar Health Launches A Tech Platform
Tech-enabled insurance provider Oscar Health just launched its tech platform for payers and providers, called +Oscar, but the company still faces some steep hurdles. +Oscar is a standalone business that expands on previous partnerships. The company is selling it to everyone from other payers looking to improve their consumer experiences to medical groups looking to jump into value-based care arrangements. (Reed, 4/21)
Modern Healthcare:
Insurers Spent More On Lobbying As Congress Debated ACA And COBRA Subsidies
Insurers spent record high totals on lobbying this year as congressional Democrats worked on multi-billion dollar legislation to subsidize commercial health plans and expand access to coverage. America's Health Insurance Plans, which represents insurers like Cigna and Centene, spent $3.9 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2021, a 7% increase over the same time period last year. That's the most money AHIP has ever spent on lobbying in a first quarter, representing the changing political landscape in Washington that tends to favor expanding access to health coverage, which often means subsidizing commercial health plans. (Hellmann, 4/20)
Axios:
Most Uninsured Americans Are Already Eligible For Coverage
Most uninsured Americans are already eligible for Medicaid or subsidized Affordable Care Act coverage. One path to universal health coverage would involve signing millions of Americans up for insurance that's already available to them, and some states are pursuing that goal. (Owens, 4/21)
In health insurance news from Georgia, New Jersey and Tennessee —
Georgia Health News:
For Many, Insurance Doesn’t Prevent High Costs From Prescriptions
Half of Americans take no prescription drugs. At the other end of the spectrum are people like Karen Milligan. She needs several drugs and pays a lot for them. She has dealt with multiple sclerosis for three decades. It’s a disease of the central nervous system with no cure. At 65, Karen is seeing her drug costs continue to increase, even for the same drug she has been taking for years. (Miller, 4/20)
NorthJersey.com:
Paterson NJ Police And Firefighters Lose Health Insurance Ruling
A state appellate court on Monday gave Mayor Andre Sayegh’s administration a legal victory in a multimillion-dollar battle over the medical benefits the city provides its police officers and firefighters. The decision will affect the health care for more than 1,000 municipal public safety workers and retirees. At issue was the Sayegh administration’s 2018 decision to switch all municipal workers from a costly self-insurance program for employee health coverage to the state benefits plan, a move city officials said saved about $20 million per year. (Malinconico, 4/19)
Johnsoncitypress.Com:
As Costs Mount, Johnson City Schools Mulls Switch To State Health Insurance
Between the 2017-18 and 2020-21 fiscal years, Johnson City Schools expects to lose $7 million on its health insurance plan. As the cost of the system’s existing self-insured plan increases, staff will decide this week whether to switch to the Tennessee State Insurance Plan. In order to make the transition, employees must cast a simple majority vote (50% plus one) in favor of the switch. The voting will occur Monday through Wednesday this week. To have the state plan in place by the beginning of 2021-22 fiscal year, voting must occur before May 1. (Floyd, 4/19)
