cmonfils | May 14, 2012
Source: Deloitte via Benefits.Link.com, 4/30/2012, Benefits.Link Guest Article
Proposed Treasury Regulations lay out the mechanism by which new temporary fees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be imposed on self-insured group health plans and issuers of group health policies. (more…)
cmonfils | May 14, 2012
WASHINGTON—No federal law comes close to the 2010 health care reform law when it comes to its potential impact on employer-sponsored health care plans and the issues confronting them.
http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20120506/NEWS03/120509904
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
The IRS has just issued three notices concerning key aspects of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). Notice 2012-31 proposes three different methods by which sponsors of self-funded health plans could value the coverage they provide to plan participants and their dependents. Notice 2012-32 and Notice 2012-33 then solicit comments on two related employer reporting requirements.
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
| This is part of our series of alerts intended to help guide employers and plan sponsors through their new obligations under the health care reform laws and related guidance.
On April 12, 2012, the IRS released proposed regulations regarding the implementation of the comparative effectiveness fee that is to be imposed on health insurance companies issuing accident or health insurance policies and plan sponsors of self-insured group health plans providing accident or health coverage. If you sponsor an insured group health plan, your insurer (not you) will be responsible for paying this fee. The fee will be used to fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund, a private, non-profit corporation that will collect, analyze and report on comparative clinical effectiveness research findings. |
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
Proposed Treasury Regulations lay out the mechanism by which new temporary fees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be imposed on self-insured group health plans and issuers of group health policies. The fees will begin at $1 per covered life for the first year, increase to $2 for the second year, and for the next five years increase based on increases in the per capita amount of National Health Expenditures. Health FSAs that provide excepted benefits are not subject to the fee. Further, HRAs (and non-exempt Health FSAs) that are integrated with a self-insured major medical plan maintained by the same plan sponsor will be considered a single combined plan and not subject to a separate fee. Where the major medical plan is insured, however, the sponsor of the HRA (or nonexempt Health FSA) will be subject to the fee
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
| Pilot Program to Build Healthier Workforce, Save Taxpayer Money
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (April 30, 2012) – State Controller John Chiang, State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, the Department of Personnel Administration, the California Public Employees’ Retirement Systems (CalPERS) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000, in partnership with Kaiser, The California Endowment and HealthCorps ®, today announced a pilot state government workplace wellness program that will show how investments in health both improve lives and save money. |
http://tcenews.calendow.org/pr/tce/state-officials-launch-health-232881.aspx
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
NEW YORK — U.S. hospitals are ripping out wall-mounted toilets and replacing them with floor models to better support obese patients. The Federal Transit Administration wants buses to be tested for the impact of heavier riders on steering and braking. Cars are burning nearly a billion gallons of gasoline more a year than if passengers weighed what they did in 1960.
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
In the effort to make workers healthier, employers and insurers have dangled carrots. They’ve threatened with sticks. Now, they are trying games.
A growing number of workplace programs are borrowing techniques from digital games in an effort to encourage regular exercise and foster healthy eating habits. The idea is that competitive drive—sparked by online leader boards, peer pressure, digital rewards and real-world prizes—can get people to improve their overall health.
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
Objective: The study developed information on behavioral health spending and utilization that can be used to anticipate, evaluate, and interpret changes in health care spending following implementation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA).
cmonfils | May 9, 2012
MyHealthGuide Source:
“Politico is widely read on Capitol Hill,” says Mike Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer, SIIA, “Let there be no mistake, self-insurance is now in primetime. We continue to ramp up our lobbying and media activities accordingly.” (more…)
cmonfils | May 9, 2012
MyHealthGuide Source: Fred Hunt, Active Past President, and Anne Lennan, Society of Professional Benefit Administrators (SPBA), 5/2/2012,www.SPBATPA.org
Recently, SPBA responded to a Stop-Loss Request for Information (RFI) requested by the IRS, Department of Labor EBSA, HHS CMS. The response was designed as a layman background, context and explanation to provide the “big picture” and assist the government in understanding what may be more technical responses from others. Below is an excerpt from the response and key points. (more…)
cmonfils | May 9, 2012
Health Care for All-Oregon plans statewide campaign to put pressure on Legislature
Taking a page from Vermont’s playbook, Oregon reform advocates plan to launch a major campaign to have health care declared a human right.
“It means you get the care you need when you need it,” said Dr. Mike Huntington of Corvallis, the newly elected president of Health Care for All-Oregon.
http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/group-backs-human-rights-status-for-health-care/article_0cbcc358-8d91-11e1-adf8-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1tLjzfEWj
cmonfils | May 9, 2012
Newly announced regulations under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act threaten the very existence of consumer directed health plans in the individual market (including the anticipated health insurance exchanges), according to Roy Ramthun. Yet according to a RAND study, these plans have the potential to reduce health care spending by 30% without causing any harm, even to vulnerable populations.
cmonfils | May 9, 2012
Health reform (the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) includes a number of spending reductions and tax increases designed to ensure that expanding health coverage does not drive up the deficit. Opponents, however, are trying to undercut the law by proposing to repeal many of these financing provisions.
cmonfils | May 9, 2012
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), four tiers of health insurance will be offered in the health insurance exchanges and throughout the individual and small group markets beginning in 2014. Under the minimum coverage plan, the “Bronze” plan, the insurance plan will pay for 60 percent of the costs of covered benefits on average while the individual enrolled will pay the remaining 40 percent in deductibles, copays and coinsurance. Individuals will have the option to purchase plans with more comprehensive coverage at higher premiums.
