After nearly facing a revolt of retirees angered by the state’s move to substantially alter their health care, a committee has issued more than a dozen recommendations designed to keep them — and the state’s coffers — healthy. One of the recommendations made by the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee — which met 20 times over nine months — was …
State retirees on Medicare to pay 5% more for Medicfill plan
People who have retired from the state of Delaware and are now on Medicare will pay 5% more for the state’s special Medicfill insurance plan, a committee decided on Monday. The change starts Jan. 1. The State Employee Benefits Committee had voted in March to increase premiums 9.4% for those on the group health insurance plan but not on Medicare. …
Court halts state switch to Medicare Advantage
The state’s plan to transition state government retirees’ health insurance from original Medicare to a privately-managed Medicare Advantage plan has been temporarily blocked. A Delaware Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered the state to halt implementation of the plan until the case is fully adjudicated. The court will schedule a trial to make a final determination on the fate of …
Legislature to reconvene to tackle Medicare Advantage
In response to protests by state government retirees who say they were left in the dark over a significant change to their health insurance, the General Assembly unveiled a bill Monday aimed at creating additional oversight. The House of Representatives and Senate will hold a special session in Dover on Oct. 26 to debate and vote on the bill. Pensioners …
State retirees sue to stop Medicare Advantage plan
A group of Delaware state government retirees and pensioners has filed suit against two government officials tasked with implementing a change in their health insurance coverage. RISE Delaware, an organization formed after state officials announced a plan to transition retirees to a Medicare Advantage program, filed the lawsuit in the Delaware Superior Court. RISE hopes to stop the transition to …
Medical privacy bill threatens parental rights, GOP reps say
All 15 Republican state representatives have taken a stand against a bill they say is designed to usurp parental authority. House Bill 400, sponsored by Rep. Krista Griffith, D-Fairfax, would allow dependents on insurance policies – adults and children – to receive “confidential sensitive health care services” without notifying the policyholder. The bill has been dubbed the “Delaware Patient Privacy …
Bill to give undocumented kids free health insurance moves forward
Delaware could soon guarantee health insurance for undocumented children if a bill released from committee Wednesday passes in the General Assembly. House Bill 317, sponsored by Rep. Krista Griffith, D-Fairfax, would require the Department of Health and Social Services to develop and operate a medical coverage program for children who are not eligible for either Medicaid or CHIP because of …
It’s open enrollment time on Del. Health Insurance Marketplace
Photo by Nguyễn Hiệp on Unsplash Enrollment is now open for 2022 health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and it runs through Jan. 15 at www.HealthCare.gov. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware is the only insurer offering plans – 13 of them – on Delaware’s Health Insurance Marketplace. Plans are offered in five tiers – bronze, silver, gold, platinum …
Highmark rebates 5.1% of health insurance premiums
(Delaware Live photo) The check from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware is really in the mail. And it’s for a lot of money. Highmark is rebating $12.1 million to individual Delawareans and those who buy small-group insurance, according to Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro. The 20,857 individuals will split more than $8.4 million, with an average rebate of …
A special chance to get (maybe subsidized) health insurance
About 86% of the 25,000 Delawareans who get their health insurance through marketplace get federal tax credits.