Month: February 2025

February 19, 2025

Nona Tepper  

Health insurance customers in more parts of the country have new advocates in their battles against claims denials: state governments.

States have long had regulatory authority over the individual and small-group health insurance markets, but a growing number of agencies is taking on a greater role assisting consumers as they transition out of a federal system and take matters into their own hands.

State officials see homegrown solutions as more effective at handling large numbers of complaints. Pennsylvania, for instance, established an independent external review board in 2024 while Arizona launched a program at the start of this year.

February 11, 2025

Michael McAuliff   

Lawmakers say they are confident Congress will extend expanded telehealth authorities past a looming deadline next month — but they have no idea how and could not rule out a lapse.

In 2020, Congress and President Donald Trump temporarily expanded Medicare reimbursement for services clinicians provide remotely as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers have hailed extended telehealth rules for providing lifelines to rural and underserved populations in particular, prompting some to propose bills last year to make the changes permanent.