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close Video Airlines may request passengers prove coronavirus status Kurt 'The CyberGuy' Knutsson discusses on ‘Fox and Friends Weekend’ traveling amid the coronavirus pandemic. Trade a face mask for an eye mask? Cathay Pacific Airways has reportedly given premium passengers the OK to remove their face masks while reclined to a flat position. The Hong Kong-based airline is said to be citing the spacious, partitioned seating design of its first- and business-class cabins to OK the change, according a new report. A passenger flying first-class with Cathay Pacific, pictured. (Cathay Pacific Airways) INTOXICATED AIRLINE PASSENGER ARRESTED FOR HEADBUTTING FLIGHT ATTENDANT WHEN TOLD TO WEAR MASK   The airline informed crew of the update in an internal memo circulated Friday, reports Executive Traveller, a travel and review website geared toward business-class passengers. In the memo, Cathay Pacific reportedly stipulated that the PPE can … [Read more...] about Cathay Pacific says airline’s premium passengers will be exempt from wearing masks while reclined: report

For the first time since Colorado started its health insurance exchange, the prices people pay for coverage are expected to drop — by a statewide average of 18.2% — next year if the federal government approves a new state program called reinsurance . For families on the Western Slope, who pay some of the highest insurance premiums in the country, the savings is expected to be nearly $9,000 a year. The Colorado Division of Insurance projects the average savings for Pueblo County at $6,696 annually and $3,369 for metro area residents. “I mean, that’s just transformational in terms of saving families money,” Gov. Jared Polis said at a press conference Tuesday. Reinsurance is basically a pool of $260 million in state and federal money that Colorado plans to use in 2020 to help cover some of the most expensive medical bills among the 250,000 people in the state’s individual market. The idea is that this alleviates some of the burden on insurance providers, which in turn lower their … [Read more...] about Colorado’s health exchange premiums expected to drop 18% – if feds approve reinsurance

While the Obamacare debate has so far focused on who’s paid their first premium, a better question may be who can afford to keep paying for health insurance month after month. Christine Wagner, the executive director of a Catholic health care community center in New York called the St. Joseph  Neighborhood Center, warns that many low-income people that have signed up won’t be able to keep up paying for their health insurance. “We’ve waited the 90 days, 120 days, and we’re seeing the reproductions of people who bought new policies, but haven’t been able to maintain them,” Wagner told WXXI News. “So, we’re seeing the unfolding of some of the consequences of some of these new policies that people actually weren’t able to maintain.” WXXI notes that Wagner supports Obamacare but is looking for improvements to the current law. Wagner told WXXI that around 200 clients of St. Joseph enrolled in the exchange, but some can’t afford to keep paying the premiums. Others, Wagner … [Read more...] about Community Centers Warn That Poor Won’t Keep Paying Obamacare Premiums

In its first year, Obamacare hiked health insurance premiums by up to 78 percent, according to a new analysis comparing insurance costs before and after Obamacare. HealthPocket, a nonpartisan health insurance research company, analyzed government data on individual health insurance premiums in the 2013 market before Obamacare reforms and 2014’s Obamacare exchanges, and the results are in: Average premiums are higher for all ages– far above the norm for annual increases. Young customers have been hurt the worst by Obamacare– a big potential problem for the Obama administration, which failed to attract enough young and healthy customers during the first round of exchange enrollment. But people just several years away from Medicare have been hit with double-digit hikes as well. The average, non-weighted premiums across three different age groups are higher by over 20 percent for both men and women. The hardest hit are 23-year-old men, who are being charged 78 percent more this … [Read more...] about Obamacare, Year One: 78 Percent Premium Hikes

The Obama administration conceded that health insurance premiums on federal Obamacare exchange HealthCare.gov are rising in 2015 — but proposed that customers deal with the problem by again getting rid of their plans. The Department of Health and Human Services issued a report Thursday concluding that average premiums will rise by five percent in the 35 states where the federal government runs the exchanges. The Obama administration has continued to tout the line that Obamacare is lowering the cost of health insurance, but even after many individual market customers saw cost increase when Obamacare launched in 2014, HealthCare.gov customers are likely in for more hikes. “Consumers have affordable choices for renewing their coverage and signing up the first time,” HHS secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement. “With additional, affordable quality plans available, returning customers may find an even better deal if they shop and save.” But the fine print with Obamacare … [Read more...] about Obama Administration Finally Admits Obamacare Premiums Are Rising