On June 19, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor released the final rule on Association Health Plans (AHPs). The rule seeks to expand health coverage among small employer groups and self-employed individuals. It will make it easier for small business to join together to purchase health insurance without the myriad of regulations individual states and [...]
On May 21, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Revenue Procedure 2018-34 which indexes the contribution percentages for 2019 for purposes of determining affordability of an employer’s plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). For plan years beginning in 2019, employer-sponsored coverage will be considered affordable if the employee’s required contribution for self-only coverage does not [...]
With time running out on an opportunity for Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and open enrollment season approaching, thousands of small and mid-sized businesses are likely bracing for another round of premium increases. A growing number of employers, however, will choose to avoid the uncertainty plaguing traditional group insurance markets by [...]
The article below was published on October 10, 2017 by MyHealthGuide, written by Matthew Albright. A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill the first week in October that will significantly ease the Affordable Care Act reporting mandates for employer-sponsored health plans. The bill, called the Commonsense Reporting Act of 2017, in effect rolls back [...]
The article below was published on September 27, 2017 by Employee Benefit News, written by John Barkett and Julie Stone. The Affordable Care Act brought some significant changes to employer-sponsored healthcare, which employers factored into their long-term healthcare strategies. Revised plans were built to comply with the law’s many complex requirements, even though employers hoped [...]
The article below was published on August 19, 2017 by Green Bay Press-Gazette, written by Mike Ferguson. Photo Source: Minerva Studio, Getty Images Wisconsin lawmakers are at an impasse over the state budget. Senate leaders can't agree with their Assembly counterparts on how to fund road repairs, schools, and various agencies. Resolving this [...]
The article below was published on August 7, 2017 by Bloomberg BNA, written by Sara Hansard. Small and midsized companies are increasingly providing their own health coverage for employees instead of buying fully insured plans since Obamacare was enacted in 2010. As the Affordable Care Act drives up premiums because of more requirements and taxes, [...]
In a previous newsletter, we discussed bundling introduced by Medicare which focuses on orthopedic and cardiac procedures. Through the mandatory initiative for comprehensive care for joint replacements (CJR), which became policy in 2016, some 800 hospitals are participating in the program. While some sources report the results of bundling as mixed, Medicare reports that joint [...]
The article below was published on June 26, 2017 by CNN, written by Elisabeth Rosenthal. (CNN) – When Jeffrey Kivi’s rheumatologist changed affiliations from one hospital in New York City to another, less than 20 blocks uptown, the price his insurer paid for the outpatient infusion he got about every 6 weeks to control his [...]
The article below was published on June 7, 2017 by Employee Benefit News, written by Craig Hasday. The Republicans are looking everywhere for funds to fix healthcare, as well they should. This problem is not an easy one to solve, however. Under the Affordable Care Act, employers were faced with the Cadillac tax. As a [...]
