Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Cautions Tennesseans about Insurance Availability Outside of Open Enrollment

Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) is reminding Tennesseans that open enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compliant plans ends on March 31st, 2014. After the March 31st deadline, TDCI cautions that it may be challenging to acquire ACA-compliant plans outside of special enrollment periods.

Additionally, Tennesseans enrolled in plans that are not fully ACA-compliant, including “grandfathered,” “grandmothered,” or “transitional” plans, may receive notices in 2014 of premium increases upon renewal. Should these notices be received after March 31st, consumers may be left with limited coverage options. [Read more]

Consumer Reports Releases Annual Health Insurance Plan Rankings; Including 114 “Best Value” Plans

Analysis Found Expensive Care Doesn’t Mean Better Care

Yonkers, NY – For the fourth year in a row, Consumer Reports published rankings of hundreds of health insurance plans across the United States to help consumers determine which ones may be best for them.

This marks the first time the organization took additional steps to identify plans that both provide high-quality care and avoid costly care.

The rankings data and the “Best Value” designation come from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a respected non-profit health care quality measurement group. [Read more]

Stocks up despite U.S. Government Budget Impasse

The third quarter of the year proved quite eventful.

The Federal Reserve opted to wait a little longer before beginning to dial back its bond purchases, and a budgetary showdown in D.C. resulted in a partial government shutdown on the same day the private healthcare exchanges mandated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) opened.

Political tensions arose over whether to defund or delay major provisions of the ACA.

[Read more]

Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance protects Consumers seeking Health Coverage on Federal Exchange

Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) issued emergency rules this morning aimed at protecting Tennesseans seeking health insurance coverage through the federally facilitated marketplace (FFM), or “exchange.”

The emergency rules implement Public Chapter 377 by establishing registration requirements for navigators and certified application counselors designated under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the responsibility to assist consumers access the FFM. [Read more]