Head-Scratching Over Newsom’s Choice of Blue Shield to Lead Vaccination Push

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, struggling to salvage a once-bright political future dimmed by his mishandling of the covid crisis, tapped nonprofit health insurer Blue Shield of California last week to allocate the state’s covid vaccine.

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Insurers Don’t Appear To Be Sweating Possible Adverse Selection From New ACA Open Enrollment Period

Insurer groups are praising President Joe Biden’s move to create a three-month special enrollment period despite concerns about the potential for adverse selection. The support means insurers likely believe they could get a large enough pool of new sign-ups to mitigate any changes to the risk pool, several experts said.

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Covered California to Offer Special IFP Enrollment Period

Covered California says it will give people more time to purchase health insurance this year. Open enrollment for the state's health insurance marketplace ends Sunday. But on Thursday, the agency that runs the marketplace said it would launch a special enrollment period next Monday that will run through May 15.

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Biden Administration Announces Direct Vaccine Shipments To Pharmacies

The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will begin direct shipments of coronavirus vaccines to retail pharmacies next week, expanding points of access for Americans to receive shots as concerns about variants of the virus expand.

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4 Vital Health Issues — Not Tied to Covid — That Congress Addressed in Massive Spending Bill

Late last month, before President Joe Biden took office and proposed his pandemic relief plan, Congress passed a nearly 5,600-page legislative package that provided some pandemic relief along with its more general allocations to fund the government in 2021.

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Health Plan Broker & Consultant Service Provider Fee Disclosure

Editors Note: “This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or financial advice. You should consult an appropriate professional prior to acting on any such information.” The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260 (“CAA”), signed into law by President Trump on December 27, 2020, imposes new compensation disclosure requirements upon brokers ...

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Biden, Yellen Say GOP Virus Aid Too Small, Democrats Push On

President Joe Biden panned a Republican alternative to his $1.9 trillion COVID rescue plan as insufficient Tuesday as Senate Democrats pushed ahead, voting to launch a process that could approve his sweeping rescue package on their own, if Republicans refuse to support it. Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined the Democratic senators for a private virtual ...

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CMS Pauses Three Trump-Era Proposed Rules

CMS on Tuesday paused three proposed rules developed under the Trump administration. The proposed rules would affect in-center dialysis coverage requirements for third-party payment programs, enable seniors to keep their Social Security retirement benefits if they opt out of Medicare Part A coverage and increase oversight of accrediting organizations. The White House budget office had ...

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California Governor and Unions Clash Over School Openings

An effort to reopen California schools is foundering, stoking frustrations across America’s most populous state from parents eager to get their children back in classrooms and a governor who wants them there. Parents and behavioral experts say many schoolchildren are feeling helpless or depressed and need a classroom setting to improve their mental health. An ...

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A Fast, At-Home Coronavirus Test Will Be Available To Americans This Year

The White House announced Monday it is buying 8.5 million rapid coronavirus tests that can be taken at home without a prescription and that yield immediate results. The $231.8 million contract will allow the Australian company Ellume, which manufacturers the tests, to quickly scale up its production and create a manufacturing facility in the United States. Once running, ...

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