One of the controversial points of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is its financial penalty for American citizens and American legal permanent residents who choose to go without health insurance. This fine for being uninsured is known, perhaps euphemistically, as a Shared Responsibility Payment. The thinking behind penalizing those without health insurance goes into the […]

Healthcare costs in the Empire State are among the highest in the country, especially in the downstate Hudson Valley and New York City regions. Coping with these increasing prices, which show signs of slowing but not stopping, is difficult for New Yorkers from all walks of life. Those New Yorkers hit particularly hard by these […]

With tax season just having passed you may have been wondering while filling out your forms, how the the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare, will be affecting your tax situation, as it relates to the health insurance tax penalty. There is a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to the ACA, especially about […]

It’s nearly turkey time, or tofurkey, for the vegetarians. No matter how you mark the occasion though, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It’s that special American holiday for families to gather, give thanks, and make merry. This year along with the regular traditions of overstuffed bellies and visiting with relatives, the federal government would like you to […]

Now that is an interesting question. According to a story in the New York Post that number is  100,000 individual health insurance plans. Many of those cancellations are from New York State’s popular Healthy New York  affordable health insurance program. Because of the Affordable Care Act and the introduction of the New York Health Insurance […]

In less than a month now the first major provision of the Affordable Care Act will come into being: the establishment of state and federal health insurance marketplaces. The marketplaces, also known as exchanges, are set to open on October 1 and will sell federally subsidized health insurance plans that go into effect on Jan. […]

Here we are in August at the height of summer. It’s that special time of year for relaxation in the sun and BBQs, the quintessential American way of life. But with outdoor food and fun, that also means more opportunities for exposure to allergy-causing foods. Tragic Result of Food Allergies The tragic story this week, […]

This week, people across the nation are celebrating the end of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) following the Supreme Court’s decision to rule part of the law unconstitutional. The section of the law that was in question defined marriage as between one man and one woman for all federal purposes. For married same-sex couples, […]

When the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act go into effect next year all of America will be seeing some changes when it comes to health insurance. But there are a few groups who will be seeing some undeniably positive changes next year because of the law. Changes like the elimination of pre-existing conditions, […]

The Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act aims to provide quality and affordable coverage to millions of Americans. The law has already helped improve the lives of more than 100 million people. Recently, the law has been under attack as the predominantly Republican House of Representatives voted to repeal it. Let’s take a look at some […]