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Series: Health Insurance And The ACA

The health system in the U.S. is built upon a complex and interlocking series of relationships between medical providers, insurers, the federal and state governments, employers and the people who require preventive care and treatment throughout their lives. The enactment of the Affordable Care Act, one goal of which was securing coverage for more Americans, has profoundly transformed this system since its implementation, including in Wisconsin. At the same time, the political contentiousness of the law has added complexity and uncertainty to the health care decisions Americans make, and the future of the health care system continues to be an open question.
 
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As the 2020 enrollment period for the federal Health Insurance Marketplace opens, Covering Wisconsin lead navigator Adam Van Spankeren discusses changes to the enrollment period and available plans.
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According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, there are about $1.2 billion in unpaid medical bills in the state in 2019. ABC for Health executive director Bobby Peterson discusses the complexities of medical debt in Wisconsin.
Trapped under antiquated policies and infrastructure in communities with dwindling populations, some rural hospitals cannot afford to adapt to a rapidly evolving health care system.
Expanding Medicaid funding in Wisconsin has been politically divisive in the state. But what could an expansion mean for healthcare providers?
In January, the Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill that addresses pre-existing conditions, but the scope of this proposal does not overlap completely with what is defined by the ACA.
Donna Friedsam of UW-Madison's Population Health Institute discusses a proposal to create protections for preexisting conditions at the state level. She said coverage for a covered family may be different if the federal law is overturned and state law comes into effect.
Despite a lot of noise, there was little movement on health insurance policy across the United States in 2017. As a result, there was likewise little movement in terms of insurance coverage rates, including in Wisconsin.
The 2018 open enrollment deadline for health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchanges is Dec. 15. Adam Van Spankeren of Covering Wisconsin discusses the process and questions with pre-existing condition coverage.
What personal information is used to determine the cost of health insurance? What if that information is not medical-related? Wisconsin School of Business professor of risk management and insurance Justin Sydnor discusses what kinds of data are gathered and how it could be used.
Many people are confused about the status of the Affordable Care Act: Did it get repealed? Are people still required to have health insurance? What about Medicaid and BadgerCare? Are recipients required to work and to submit to drug testing? Who do the various policy changes affect?