11/17/11 - We transmit a CALL TO ACTION that FNA strongly endorses. You MUST ACT NOW!  It is vital that you express your concern to the New York State Department of Financial Services leader, Benjamin Lawsky, as indicated in the communication. This is not an idle matter; there is a move afoot that can threaten your future and that of your clients. Please underline the importance of your role to these decision-makers, who need to be made aware of the critical nature trusted advisors play in the process of insuring – particularly in this changing landscape.- Larry Lynch, President & CEO Call to Action - Click here for Complete message - ACT NOW!  MORE INFO NY Congressional Delegation Link Sample Letter ...

  Crains Reported that the Supreme Court to hear health care case in March. The decision to hear this case in the spring will allow plenty of time for a decision in late June—over four months before Election Day. (AP) - The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear arguments next March over President Barack Obama's health care overhaul—a case that could shake the political landscape just as voters are about to decide if Mr. Obama deserves another term....

10/14/11 - Big-name Drugs Go Generic. PrimePay has some interesting industry news to share. Some of the most popular prescription drugs are about to get a lot cheaper.  According to the mail-order pharmacy Medco, at least 22 prescribed medications may be available as generics in the next year....

6/15/11 - AmeriHealth Shares Health Care Reform Update: Appeals Compliance and Free-Choice Voucher. On April 15, the U.S. Senate repealed the free-choice voucher provision of the AffordableCare Act. Under the provision, employers would have been required to offer vouchers beginning in 2014 to certain employees whose cost of coverage exceeded a percentage of their household income. The voucher would have been used to purchase coverage on a state health insurance exchange....

11/10/11 -  NY Orders Insurerers to Give Refunds. Bloomberg News reported that "WellPoint Inc. (WLP), the largest U.S. insurer by enrollment, and Aetna Inc. (AET), the third biggest, are among 11 insurers ordered to refund money to almost 600,000 New Yorkers who were charged too much for health insurance. New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo told the insurance companies they had to give back $114.5 million to policyholders because the carriers failed to spend the minimum 82 cents of each premium dollar on health care as required by the state, Cuomo said today in a statement. The mandate to spend a certain amount on medical care also is a federal requirement under the 2010 U.S. health overhaul law."...

8/12/11 - Crain's Business News Reported that a Federal appeals court panel on Friday struck down the requirement in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul package that virtually all Americans must carry health insurance or face penalties. "A federal appeals court agreed with critics of the health care overhaul package in saying that Congress cannot "mandate that individuals enter into contracts with private insurance companies." ...