Health Beat: Feds Say 88% Of Arkansas Participants Could Benefit From Premium Tax Credits
by February 11, 2015 7:25 am 106 views
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FEDS SAY 88% OF ARKANSAS PARTICIPANTS COULD BENEFIT FROM PREMIUM TAX CREDITS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report outlining the impact of tax credits on premiums in the Health Insurance Marketplaces.
HHS said in Arkansas that 56,970 individuals are signed up for coverage through the federal marketplace as of Jan. 30, and 88% of those are estimated to qualify for an average of $287 per person per month in advanced premium tax credits.
On average, the insurance premium tax credits reduced consumers’ monthly premiums by 72% in Arkansas, HHS said in its report. Among all consumers who are signed up for 2015 coverage to date, 8 in 10 could choose a plan with a premium of $100 or less after tax credits, based on available options. More than 6.5 million Americans are enrolled in plans through the federal exchange.
The deadline to enroll in coverage through the federal marketplace is Sunday, Feb. 15 at HealthCare.gov.
THE FUTURE PRIVATE OPTION DEBATE: MESSAGING WILL MATTER
With state lawmakers and Gov. Asa Hutchinson having deflected the rancorous online slots debate regarding the Private Option we’ve seen in recent years, the issue still has a long way to go in terms of public opinion.
A new Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College survey, conducted in collaboration with Little Rock-based Impact Management Group, tested three different approaches to characterizing the health coverage debate. All three questions produced differing results. Read more analysis here of how specific wording influenced answers in this study.
WASHINGTON REGIONAL PLANS $60 MILLION EXPANSION, 125 NEW JOBS
A major expansion to women’s health services at Washington Regional Medical Center is being planned with construction expected to begin later this month that will lead to 125 new jobs upon completion.
The $60 million project involves construction of a 100,000 square feet, five-story tower on the west side of the campus, adjoining the existing Johnelle Hunt Women’s Center. It will include additional operating room space, a larger neonatal intensive care unit, increasing from 12 to 34 beds, a new pediatrics space, more adult patient rooms, additional clinic space, a second helipad on top of the tower’s fifth floor, and a 350-space parking garage.
UAMS RECEIVES $1.3 MILLION FROM BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD GROUPS
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) will receive grants totaling $1.3 million from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas.
The grants will endow a chair in primary care and expand dental and interprofessional education programs at UAMS.
A $1 million grant from Arkansas Blue Cross will establish The Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, George K. Mitchell, M.D., Endowed Chair in Primary Care that honors Mitchell — a UAMS graduate, Arkansas Blue Cross board member and retired president. The chair holder, when appointed, will focus on innovations in primary care.
The Blue & You Foundation has awarded $150,000 grants each to the UAMS Center for Dental Education and to the UAMS Office of Interprofessional Education to expand interprofessional education and collaborative practice for students at UAMS.