In a recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the AHA lost its bid to avoid having to disclose rates hospitals negotiate with insurers. While an appeal is expected, this is a win for the administration, which is committed to providing patients with understandable information about the cost of medical [...]
Inflation-adjusted limits for contributions to health savings accounts and high deductible health plans for the coming year were just announced. According to the announcement, eligible individuals with self-only HDHP coverage will be able to contribute $3,600 to their HSA in 2021, an increase of $50 from 2020. Those with family coverage will be able to [...]
With nearly 40 million workers laid off or furloughed as a result of the Coronavirus, many organizations have urged Congress to expand COBRA coverage. Most of their concerns are focused on encouraging Congress to subsidize COBRA premiums for these workers so that existing health conditions will not get worse because care is delayed. To date, [...]
America’s Health Insurance Plans, a national trade association whose member companies provide insurance coverage and health-related services to consumers and businesses, has released a study revealing the breakdown of today’s healthcare premium dollar, as follows: 23.3 cents of every premium dollar is used for prescription drugs 22.2 cents cover the cost of physician services 20.2 [...]
A recent IRS proposal would enable workers to use ordinary health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) to pay for direct primary care program memberships. In addition to giving workers the peace of mind in knowing they can fix the costs of primary care, the proposal would help primary care doctors reduce the time and money they spend [...]
When President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law in mid-March, employers with fewer than 500 employees became responsible for providing paid leave to certain employees through Dec. 31, 2020. The benefit extends to employees unable to work or telework due to the need for leave to care for a son or [...]
Uninsured people needing medical treatment for the coronavirus will be able to get that treatment without concerns about out-of-pocket costs or unexpected charges. Thanks to the federal stimulus package passed by Congress in early April, hospitals and healthcare providers that treat these folks will be paid for unreimbursed care at current Medicare rates. While the [...]
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that annual premiums for employer-based, family coverage increased to $20,576 in 2019. This represents a one year increase of about 5 percent and a pattern of similar increases each year throughout the past decade, significantly outpacing the rate of annual inflation over the same period.
Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness. Since it has become virtually impossible to avoid a condition at work, here are some of the factors involved. First, professionals tell us that multiple cycles can impact health and productivity in different ways. Conditions can trigger at any time and while early symptoms [...]
A recent survey by a data analytics firm found that benefits objectives often vary based on company size. Results showed that while smaller companies were focused on increasing employee productivity, mid-range employers were more concerned with employee satisfaction levels. Very large employers identified employee health and well-being as their main objective. One interesting finding was [...]
