skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Health-Care Marketplace Reopens Today: What You Need to Know

play audio
Play

Tuesday, November 1, 2016   

PHOENIX – Annual enrollment for the health-care marketplace opens today and runs through the end of January. So now's the time to sign up for a plan or find a new one if your insurance plan is being discontinued, as several health insurers have exited the federal marketplace. Each county still has at least one insurer offering a range of plans.

Allen Gjersvig, the director of navigator and enrollment services for the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, said people shouldn't worry about the recent spate of stories about rising premiums but rather explore their options or make a free appointment with a health-care navigator on CoverAZ.org.

"And you may be pleasantly surprised," he said. "Many, many lower-income Arizonans who already have marketplace plans will be able to get a plan for 2017 and see virtually no increase."

Blue Cross Blue Shield is offering plans in every county except Maricopa, where Centene is offering plans under the name Ambetter. Many families qualify for subsidies to help with premiums. In addition, the recent revival of the KidsCare program means many families can save money by enrolling their children.

Diane Brown, the executive director of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund, said she'd like to see the 2017 state Legislature empower the Department of Insurance to block any rate increases deemed unjustified.

"Right now the Department of Insurance can flag concern with any double-digit rate increase but they cannot stop that increase from going forward," she said.

More than 30 states give their Department of Insurance some sort of so-called "prior approval" watchdog powers, including California, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021