All the talk about repeal and replace seems to have lulled many plan sponsors into a false sense of security, thinking that ACA regulations weren’t going to be enforced. Unfortunately, the IRS is preparing to begin penalizing non-compliant plans, which is why we continue to encourage our clients to keep their eye on the ball [...]
The article below was published on June 2, 2017 by BenefitsPRO, written by Nathan Solheim. Image Source: BenefitsPRO In several “Star Trek” series, an alien villain known as the Borg travels the galaxy, assimilating creatures from all walks of life into its space-borne collective. Serious fans know that it’s almost impossible to escape [...]
The article below is from BenefitsPRO written by Dinesh Sheth on May 16, 2017. Let the politicians argue about who is going to pay for health care and who is not. Photo: Getty Images Business owners across all industries are facing uncertainty surrounding the status of current laws and regulations. A Republican majority [...]
The article below was published on May 5, 2017 by the Employee Benefit Adviser, written by Phil Albinus and Nick Otto. The House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act Thursday, which will be sent to the U.S. Senate for debate and amendments and then a vote. Here’s what employers need to know about [...]
The article below was published on May 1, 2017 by the Employee Benefit Adviser, written by Brian Kalish. Nearly half of all employees are covered by a self-insured group health plan. Many companies that offer these plans have separate stop-loss insurance policies to protect them against the risk of catastrophically high claims. Some states and [...]
Press Release from Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwomen Virginia Foxx on April 5, 2017. The House today passed the Self-Insurance Protection Act (H.R. 1304), legislation that would protect access to affordable health care options for workers and families. Introduced by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), the legislation would reaffirm long-standing policies to ensure workers can [...]
A study by the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University shows that despite the Affordable Care Act taking effect, emergency room visits in Illinois increased by nearly 6% during 2014 and 2015. While the number of visits by uninsured people dropped after Obamacare took effect, the decrease was not sufficient to offset the increase [...]
When Congress delayed the Cadillac Tax until 2020, the same law placed a one-year moratorium on the annual fee the ACA imposes on health insurance carriers. While the fee does not have a direct impact on TPAs or self-funded plans, it does sometimes impact stop loss premiums. Since this fee applied to insurance carriers and [...]
Several studies show an increase in the number of companies choosing self-insurance as well as an expectation that this trend will continue. “Between 2013 and 2015, the proportion of midsized companies with 100 to 499 employees that were self-insured increased 19%, to 30%. The percentage of small firms with fewer than 100 employees that self-funded [...]
Article as seen in KHN (Kaiser Health News) on November 9, 2016 written by Julie Rovner After six controversial years, the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, may be on the way out, thanks to the GOP sweep of the presidency and both houses of Congress Tuesday. “There’s no question Obamacare is dead,” said insurance industry [...]
