Health Care Reform Resources
NH Health Exchange Advisory Board Convened
November 2, 2012 The members of the New Hampshire Health Exchange Advisory Board have been appointed, including Northeast Delta Dental's Healthcare Reform Project Coordinator, Christine Alibrandi. More...
The ACA Will Still Be Here On November 7
October 23, 2012: No matter what result comes of the elections of 2012, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will continue to be a focus of the nation, consumers, employers and the medical and dental industries. More...
Medical and Dental Deductibles: Keep Them Separate
August 23, 2012: It is no longer news that the Supreme Court issued its ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care ACT (ACA) just before the July 4th holiday. Because the mandate was upheld, Northeast Delta Dental's work on exchanges and our direct to consumer (DTC) efforts have been largely unaffected. Our advocacy efforts continue in each of our three states to see that a full range of dental plans are offered on the exchanges. And, as before, we still are using the anticipated market shake-up to sell directly to more consumers. More...
The ACA Decision
June 29, 2012: The decision of the United States Supreme Court yesterday ended the uncertainty of whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is constitutional. The Court ruled that it is (with the exception of a Medicaid provision that does not directly impact Northeast Delta Dental). More...
Final HCR Actions from the ME, NH and VT State Legislatures’ 2012 Legislative Sessions
June 4, 2012 The 2012 legislative sessions of the Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont legislatures are ending with two of the three states not having made progress toward the legislative requirements called for by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA); Vermont did, however.
Small Businesses and the Affordable Care Act
Small businesses face a burden due to a health care insurance system that works better for large companies. Learn how the Affordable Care Act affects small businesses in this informative brochure! (Available in PDF format)
The Affordable Care Act: Waiting for the Supreme Court's decision
April 18, 2012 As widely reported in the news, at the end of March 2012 the United States Supreme Court (USSC) heard the oral arguments on the lawsuits that were filed to challenge the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The USSC is expected to issue its decision on the ACA cases by the end of June. Along with the rest of the country, Northeast Delta Dental is waiting for what we hope will be a decision that resolves the issues clearly. More...
Answers to Your Questions about the ACA
The Affordable Care Act (more formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) is a complex federal law. Whether it or any part of it is ruled unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in June 2012, it has changed forever the face of the healthcare system in the United States. Northeast Delta Dental has created a brochure to assist in understanding many facets of the ACA. Check it out to learn more about key features of the ACA, health benefit exchanges, and the ACA related subsidies to help people afford health insurance (and dental benefits for children). Also covered is a summary of what Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have done to address the states' requirement under the ACA to set up exchanges. The brochure is available for download in PDF format.
Three States, Three Different Approaches to Health Benefit Exchanges
February 20, 2012 Soon the United States Supreme Court (USSC) will hear oral arguments on the lawsuits that were brought by states challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the ACA). The highest court in the country will decide whether Congress assumed more power than the Constitution gives it when it voted to make it mandatory for every person in the U.S. to get health insurance (the so called “individual mandate”). Reasonable people can disagree on which way they think the USSC will rule on the cases, but nothing will be certain until the nine Supreme Court justices release their decision, which will likely be in June. More...
Northeast Delta Dental and Health Care Reform – An Update
January 15, 2012 Despite legal and legislative challenges, the federal health care reform statute, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”), continues to be the law and federal regulations further defining the details of the law, and state laws designed to address implementation of the law, continue to develop. Northeast Delta Dental is actively engaged in efforts to help shape both the federal regulations and state statutes as they relate to dental benefits to be included in the health benefits exchanges (“HBE”) as they are established. To assist in this effort, a special attorney has been hired to assist in the Northeast Delta Dental efforts. More...
Joint White Paper Issued by DDPA and NADP on
"Offering Dental Policies in Health Insurance Exchanges"
Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) and the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP) jointly issued a white paper entitled "Offering Dental Policies in Health Insurance Exchanges" to strengthen the stand-alone dental industry's arguments and positions with state and federal policymakers as they develop exchanges. The white paper contains analysis and recommendations by DDPA and NADP. The 92-page document includes a 10-page executive summary.
This white paper is available for download here in PDF format.
Key Provisions in the Health Care Reform Package
On Tuesday, March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law a health care reform bill passed by both the House and Senate. We thought it would be helpful to summarize the key provisions in the health care reform package and the timeline for implementation. More...
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