cmonfils | March 30, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court opened today its historic review of President Barack Obama’s health-care law, three days of arguments that might result in the president’s premier legislative achievement being found unconstitutional in the middle of his re-election campaign.
cmonfils | March 27, 2012
Come 2014, help-wanted ads may begin touting a new perk: no employer health coverage.
President Obama’s signature health law could upend incentives for modest-wage workers, a Congressional Budget Office analysis confirmed Thursday.
cmonfils | March 27, 2012
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted in 2010, was immediately challenged in court by states, organizations and individuals.
Background
At enactment of the ACA 45 million Americans did not have health insurance. Health care costs were outpacing the rate of general inflation. People were falling into financial ruin and/or foregoing critical medical care when faced with health care needs they could not afford to address. The problem was particularly acute among older people, who have a higher incidence of chronic health conditions and often live on fixed or limited incomes, making an unanticipated expense a significant problem.
cmonfils | March 27, 2012
How big is the constitutional challenge to the Obama health care law, which the Supreme Court will hear on March 26-28?
For starters, it’s big enough for the justices to schedule six hours of arguments — more time than given to any case since 1966. After all, the Affordable Care Act is arguably the most consequential domestic legislation since the creation of Medicare in 1965.
cmonfils | March 27, 2012
Implementing the requirements of the sweeping health care reform law means moving forward in the face of uncertainty, according to Amy Bergner, a partner with HR consultancy Mercer, speaking at the 2012 Society for Human Resource Management Employment Law & Legislative Conference held March 4-7 in Washington, D.C.
cmonfils | March 27, 2012
The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) recently released additional guidance on waivers from the annual limit restrictions under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”).
The annual limit restrictions under ACA mandate that, as of January 2014, health plans or insurers offering group or individual coverage cannot impose any lifetime or annual dollar limits on “essential” health benefits. Previous HHS guidance allowed group health plans to obtain a waiver from the minimum annual limit if compliance would cause a significant decrease in access to benefits or a significant increase in premiums. (NOTE: The waiver program was closed in September 2011.). A group health plan that has a waiver is allowed to move to another insurer with a waiver without losing its grandfathered status.
cmonfils | March 27, 2012
No matter what corporations are doing — or not yet doing — to get ready for new health-care reform provisions scheduled to take effect from 2014 through 2018, the fate of the law hinges on an upcoming Supreme Court ruling and this fall’s general election.
cmonfils | March 27, 2012
One thing was clear out of the Supreme Court’s opening session Monday on the federal health care overhaul — the justices are eager to issue a ruling, and unlikely to punt.
The anticipation over how the court might rule on the merits of the law will have to wait another day, as the justices revealed very little about their views during opening arguments. What came out of the day’s 90-minute session — the first of three days covering four unique challenges — is that the justices are poised to decide this year on the constitutional validity of the controversial law.
cmonfils | March 26, 2012
Just when you thought the Supreme Court would decide once and for all whether PPACA is constitutional, they spend hours arguing whether they are even allowed to hear this case. Check out this update from Modern Healthcare Alert at
cmonfils | March 26, 2012
MyHealthGuide Source: Jerry Geisel, 3/20/2012, Business Insurance Article – Unworkable
“Self-insurers and TPAs are now at the center over the controversy of the Obama Administration’s evolving policy pertaining to contraceptive coverage mandates for religious institutions. The notice of proposed rule-making suggests unrealistic way of involving TPAs and as such this triggers our involvement and comment,” says SIIA Chief Operating Officer Michael Ferguson. (more…)
cmonfils | March 26, 2012
MyHealthGuide Source: CChad Terhune, Los Angeles Times, 3/23/2012, LA Times Article
California insurance officials are seeking new limits on a new type of self-insurance for employers with as few as 25 workers. Critics say employers are gaming the system and may undermine a key goal of the federal Affordable Care Act. (more…)
cmonfils | March 26, 2012
MyHealthGuide Source: Aquarius Capital and Columbia University, 3/18/2012, www.aquariuscapital.com
Editor’s Note: Readers are invited to weigh in on Healthcare Reform issues by participating in the Survey. Many companies self-fund pre-65 and post-65 health coverage that integrate with Medicare so any Medicare changes will impact self-funded plans. (more…)
cmonfils | March 26, 2012
MyHealthGuide Source: Frederick D. Hunt, Active Past President, Society of Professional Benefit Administrators (SPBA), 3/20/2012, www.SPBATPA.org
Editor’s Note: Fred Hunt offers a layman’s explanation of the Supreme Court PPACA case in ways it might be decided, the behind-the-scenes pressures and what would be the practical results for each potential decision outcome. Oral arguments start March 26. The decision is expected in June. (more…)
cmonfils | March 26, 2012
Employer-sponsored healthcare insurance continues to decline, although part of the trend could be due to unemployment. But, in this era of healthcare reform — assuming it passes Constitutional muster — HR leaders have an opportunity to consider the impact of healthcare on their talent strategies.
cmonfils | March 26, 2012
The Basic Health Program (BHP) is an optional coverage program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that allows states to use federal tax subsidy dollars to offer subsidized coverage for individuals with incomes between 139-200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) who would otherwise be eligible to purchase coverage through state Health Insurance Exchanges. States can use the BHP to reduce the cost of health insurance coverage for these low-income consumers, a highly price-sensitive population with high rates of uninsurance. Depending on how it is designed, the BHP also can help consumers to maintain continuity among plans and providers as their income fluctuates above and below Medicaid levels.
