Friday Variety: College Student Healthcare, An Arizona Law Bites the Dust, & Texas and California Agree on ACA

So Many Health Plans for College Students

Under the ACA, college students have many health plans to choose from.  First, if you're under 26 years old, the law allows you to stay on your parents plan if they have health insurance that offers coverage for family members.  Whether you're financially independent, single, or married, a person under 26 can stay on their parents' plan.

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Second, students can elect to purchase a health plan offered by their college.  However college students should be aware that self-insured schools -- that is, schools who who pay claims directly, instead of hiring an insurance company to do so -- do not have to meet the ACA's essential benefits requirement that otherwise mandates health plans to provide the full menu of "essential" health benefits.

Third, recent federal government regulations clarified that even if students who are eligible for student health plans at self-insured schools, they may still qualify for subsidized coverage on a state Marketplace, or exchange. Coverage purchased on the exchange would start in January, however, so college students would need to obtain coverage elsewhere for the Fall 2013 semester.

Finally, an even lower-cost option for college students may be Medicaid - the federal-state insurance program for low-income people.  Prior to the ACA, Medicaid coverage was reserved for children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. However since the passage of federal healthcare reform, some states have expanded Medicaid coverage to include low-income adults, including college students.

Arizona Cannot Cut Planned Parenthood out of its Medicaid Program

The 9th Circuit struck down struck down an Arizona law that attempted to bar Medicaid patients from receiving care from medical providers who perform elective abortions, such as Planned Parenthood. The three-judge panel ruling was unanimous.

Texas and California Agree: Long Live the ACA

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Elected officials from both Texas and California traveled throughout their respective states yesterday to tout the ACA.  Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) sang the ACA's praises to constituents in East Austin.  Doggett also took time to criticize Texas Senator Ted Cruz for his attempts to defund the law.

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Simultaneously, CA Sen. Barbara Boxer spoke to a health center in North Hollywood about the importance of spreading the word about the ACA.  She emphasized that insuring CA's 7 million uninsured residents will have a big effect on the success of the law.  "California is key." Boxer said.  "As California goes, I think so goes the Affordable Care Act."

Friday Variety: Anthem Rate Hikes, Gene Patenting, & Arizona Medicaid Bill

Anthem Blue Cross To Raise Small Business Premiums
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has intensified his campaign against rising health insurance rates by asking officials working with Covered California to bar Anthem Blue Cross from it's state health exchange. Jones stated that Anthem's intends to increase small business health insurance premiums (businesses with 50 or fewer workers) by 11%.  He called this rate hike "unreasonable" and accused the company of overstating its projected medical costs and improperly adding fees related to federal healthcare law.

Under state law, Jones can assess rate hikes and request to exclude them, but he lacks the authority to block Anthem's rate increase from taking effect this month (Terhune, Los Angeles Times, 6/13).

Anthem spokesman Daryl Lang says that Anthem's rate hikes are consistent with the economic reality of rising healthcare costs, and that its exclusion from the exchange would hinder competition.

Nonetheless, Anthem has actually imposed three rate hikes for small businesses over a seven-month period:

• 10.6% rate hike announced in January;
• 10.5% rate hike announced in March; and
• 7.6% rate hike scheduled to take place July 1 (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 6/13)

(Read more: http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2013/6/14/jones-wants-anthem-excluded-from-small-business-exchange.aspx#ixzz2WCmqnuKy)

Meanwhile, Jones has praised UnitedHealth Group Inc. for cutting worker premiums for such small businesses.

Covered California will announce final health plans and rates for small businesses this August.

Supreme Court Rules Human Genes May Not Be Patented

The Supreme Court announced a unanimous ruling Thursday that naturally occurring human genes may not be patented. As a result, the costs of of getting gene tests are likely to drop as other companies can now compete with Utah-based Myriad Genetics, against whom the claims in this case were brought.

Synthetically produced genetic material, however, may still receive patent protection.

Arizona "Sweet Victory:" Medicaid Expansion Bill Passed

Thursday afternoon, the Arizona legislature approved a Medicaid expansion bill after a three-day special session.  This approval comes five months after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vowed to pass Medicaid expansion in her state. The bill, part of the state budget, must clear a final vote in each chamber before it goes to Brewer for her signature.