Posted By cmonfils on December 30, 2011
Obesity has long been a source for health problems, but new data shows the epidemic is also taking a heavy toll on wallets.
According to eHealth data, policyholders in the obese BMI category pay an average monthly premium 22.6 percent higher than those in the normal BMI category ($164 compared to $201). For men, it’s an even heftier toll: The average monthly premium paid by men in the obese category ($187) is 30.8 percent higher than the average premium paid by men in the normal category ($143).
Category: Health Insurance |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 30, 2011
The Obama administration’s surprise announcement Friday that it planned to give states broad leeway to pick the benefits offered under the federal health care law offers yet another example of a gradualist approach to carrying out its signal domestic policy achievement.
Category: Health Care Legislation |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 30, 2011
From our state’s beginning, Utah has been known for its industrious nature. From its earliest settlers who drew inspiration from the industrious nature of worker bees — labeling us the Beehive State — to our modern day small businesses that are on the front lines of creating new jobs.
Our small businesses continue to push ahead through these hard economic times, creating jobs and contributing to Utah’s economy. This has allowed the state to make it through a number of economic storms.
Category: Health Insurance |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 30, 2011
Recent college graduates who are having a hard time finding permanent employment do have options when it comes to finding affordable health insurance.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, dependent children have the option to remain on their parents’ health-care plan until age 26. The reform also aims to make private, individual health insurance more affordable.
Category: Health Insurance |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
Pandering to Republicans on health reform does not serve the American people. The Obama administration should know that by now.
When Congress was crafting the law, Democrats negotiated away a needed “public option” that would have allowed people to buy coverage from the government, similar to how Medicare works. It was an effort to win conservative support. But not a single Republican supported the final legislation. Americans paid the price by being required to purchase coverage from insurance companies.
Category: Health Care Legislation, HHS |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
One of the intriguing things about the 2012 election is how both President Obama and his Republican opponents believe that the Obama health care law will be a winning issue for them.
Category: Health Care Legislation |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
The individual mandate is the Affordable Care Act’s least popular provision and lies at the heart of the legal challenge to the law before the U.S. Supreme Court. But a new poll finds that public opinion can be swayed by how the mandate’s implications are described.
Category: Health Care Legislation |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
DUBLIN (Reuters)—Ireland’s Quinn Healthcare has been sold to management in a deal that will see its 500,000 policies underwritten by reinsurer Swiss Re Ltd.
Quinn Healthcare, Ireland’s second-largest health insurer after state-owned VHI, was under the control of the state-owned Irish Bank Resolution Corporation following the collapse of the business empire of its former owner, Sean Quinn.
Category: News |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee in November signed legislation that imposes new rules on the use of health reimbursement arrangements to satisfy the city’s health care spending law. Among other things, employees will have more time to use their account balances and have a new right to tap account balances after they terminate employment, while employers have new requirements to provide to employees a summary of contributions and reimbursement amounts. The City and Country of San Francisco Labor Standards Enforcement department has published the full law, highlighting the most recent changes, as well as sample contribution and separation of employment forms.
Category: California, Reimbursement |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
In Mitchell, et. al. v. Marcus Tyrone Robinson, Sr., et. al. the Plaintiffs are the grandparents of some minor children of Marcus Tyrone Robinson and his deceased wife. The allegation is that Mr. Robinson killed his wife. The wife had $121,000.00 in life insurance through her employer, Unilever, and insurer MetLife. Mr. Robinson made a claim for benefits under the policy which was paid. Thereafter, the grandparents filed suit alleging that Mr. Robinson was not entitled to recover under the Missouri Slayer Statute, and claimed that the benefits were wrongfully paid as a result thereof. Plaintiffs asserted several state law claims to recover the money and named Unilever and MetLife as Defendants. In the attached order the court is deciding Unilever’s motion to dismiss the state law claims based upon ERISA preemption. The court holds that the Missouri Slayer Statute is preempted.
Category: ERISA, Missouri |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, Forms 5500 and 5500-SF must have electronic signatures. The consequences of filing without them are serious: it will result in a form not being processed at all, and could result in penalties being imposed on the plan.
Forms 5500 and 5500-SF that have no electronic signature will be given a filing status of “unprocessable”; forms that have an invalid electronic signature will be given the status “processing stopped.”
Category: Form 5500 |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — This has been a volatile year for the stock market. But one sector has been consistently earning a windfall for investors: health insurers that provide private Medicare plans to seniors
Category: Medicare |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 29, 2011
To view a PDF version of this article, please click here.
Medicare expands resolution options to include a new Medicare repayment program for small settlements or judgments. This program will be available starting in February 2012 and applies to cases settling for $25,000 or less. Under this program, Medicare will provide final conditional payment amounts before settlement under certain circumstances. This program has the potential to revolutionize the settlement process for many Medicare beneficiaries, their counsel, and settling parties. The foundation of that process is to start the verification process early.
Category: CMS, Medicaid, Medicare |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 27, 2011
In response to the federal health reform law, now known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and separate state reform initiatives, some members of at least 45 state legislatures have proposed legislation to limit, alter or oppose selected state or federal actions. In general many of the opposing measures, in 2010 and 2011:
Category: Health Care Legislation |
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Posted By cmonfils on December 27, 2011
The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has begun a pilot program of HIPAA privacy and security audits for health care providers and health plans, and the audits will have some very short turnaround times.
Category: HHS, HIPAA |
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