Latest news with #IdahoDepartmentofInsurance
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Idaho is telling health insurers to prepare for new enhanced breast cancer screening law
Reps. John Shirts, left, Jaron Crane and Brooke Green share a smile as legislators shave their heads March 25, 2025, to support Green's battle against breast cancer. (Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun) Months before a new Idaho law will require health insurance companies to expand breast cancer screening coverage, the Idaho Department of Insurance is guiding insurers on how to prepare. The Idaho Legislature widely approved the new law through House Bill 134 this year. But the law doesn't take effect until Jan. 1, 2026. The new law will require health insurance companies to cover supplemental breast cancer screening when abnormalities aren't found or suspected in the breast of people who are at high risk. 'Early detection saves lives, and I'm thrilled to have helped pass this impactful legislation that will make life-saving care more affordable and accessible for so many Idaho women at high risk for breast cancer,' Rep. Brooke Green, a Boise Democrat who sponsored the bipartisan-backed legislation while she battles breast cancer, said in a written statement. Days after her first breast cancer diagnosis, Green's radiologist brought the issue to her attention, she previously told the Sun. In a show of solidarity, several Idaho lawmakers shaved their heads in late March, as Green prepared to start chemotherapy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Under the bill, people will be considered at high risk for breast cancer due to personal or family history, genetic predisposition or other factors. Supplemental breast cancer screening required to be covered by the bill includes magnetic resonance imaging, or an MRI. Idaho legislators shave heads to support colleague, raise awareness for breast cancer screening According to a news release last week by the Idaho Department of Insurance, the new law requires health insurance plans cover 'all costs associated with one supplemental breast cancer screening every year' for people covered by their health insurance plans who have a high risk of breast cancer. Here's how that will work: That screening 'must be covered with no patient cost-sharing,' which includes deductibles, copayments or coinsurance, if it is provided by in-network health care providers, the Idaho Department of Insurance says. Additional costs can be charged for services from out-of-network providers. For other breast imaging services that go beyond the new law's minimum service requirements, such as diagnostic imaging or supplemental screenings conducted more than once a year, the health insurance plan's patient cost-sharing rules can apply, the insurance department says. Idaho health insurance companies must update their plan documents and notify members about the new benefits, according to new guidance to insurers from the Idaho Department of Insurance. 'Consumers should contact their insurer with any questions, or contact our department if they experience coverage issues,' Idaho Department of Insurance Market Oversight Bureau Chief Shannon Hohl said in a written statement. 'Our consumer affairs team is available to help with insurance questions and concerns.' In a written statement, Idaho Department of Insurance Director Dean Cameron thanked the Legislature and several lawmakers for supporting the bill, saying it will 'help Idahoans access the critical preventive services they need.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State proposes new mandate that could impact growing concern with homeowners insurance: 'Many of the issues could have been prevented or mitigated'
With the availability and affordability of home insurance becoming a growing concern for people throughout the United States, the Idaho Department of Insurance is being proactive. BoiseDev reported that in a Jan. 15 State Legislature House Business Committee meeting, Department of Insurance Director Dean Cameron pushed a measure to help communities that could be denied insurance because of wildfire risks. The Idaho Wildfire Risk Mitigation and Stabilization Pool Act would assist homeowners with funds to protect their properties from wildfire damage, which should convince insurers to provide coverage or lower premiums. The bill is set to go before the House Business Committee and could soon be passed into law. "Many of the issues could have been prevented or mitigated," Cameron said of previous wildfire damages. "So what the bill does is it takes two proven insurance strategies and tries to put those forth in a way that can help stabilize the market, help pull rates down, help insurance companies stay in Idaho." Whether it's wildfire damage, flooding risks, or the likelihood of hurricane destruction, insurance companies are increasingly not offering protection against these issues. Extreme weather is becoming longer, stronger, more intense, and more likely because of the rising global temperature, which is exacerbated by the human-caused production of planet-warming pollution. Without appropriate insurance, homeowners are liable for significant financial losses from these events, or else property values are dropping because of them. Mitigation and property protection is becoming increasingly important because of this — as is reducing our polluting impact — and the Idaho Department of Insurance is hoping that by helping homeowners prepare for these weather issues, they can get further assistance from insurance companies should the worst happen. Cameron pointed to the success of similar assistance programs elsewhere, particularly in the Southeast. With funds available to make their homes more prepared for hurricanes, homeowners are shrinking their insurance premiums. Do you think home heating costs are higher than they should be? Definitely Depends on the season Depends where you live No Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Today, their rates are going down, while ours are going up, because we have no mechanism for mitigation," Cameron told BoiseDev. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
