Healthcare

Nelson Griswold on how under health reform a carrier will not determine how much a broker is worth.

John Lamb on helping employees that have reached the tipping point on health care spending.

Third biggest U.S. health insurer says the share of health care premiums it spends on patient care rose to 84.1% from 80.7% a year earlier. The insurer finished 2012 with 18.2 million members in its medical plans, an increase of 64,000 over the third quarter.

The IRS and HHS released new regulations Wednesday for the individual mandate portion of PPACA. The proposed regulations shed new light on the process the agencies will take in determining which individuals are subject to the mandate or whether they’re exempt, and whether their insurance coverage is sufficient.

Employees can receive government tax credits to buy insurance for their families if the coverage their employers offer would cost more than 9.5% of their income, the IRS said Wednesday in final regulations. However, that calculation will be based on the cost of single coverage, not family coverage, which is more expensive and would give more people access to the credits.

The overall pace of investment prompted Forrester to warn insurers making only limited mobile efforts soon will lose competitive ground to insurers more aggressively pursuing the technology.

“Too few adults are taking advantage of protection from vaccines, leaving themselves and those around them at greater risk for vaccine-preventable diseases,” says one government health expert.

Americans are again taking advantage of health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements. According to new research, average account balances across the nation in 2012 were up 4% from the year before.

Americans are again taking advantage of health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements. According to new research, average account balances across the nation in 2012 were up 4% from the year before.

Doctors are increasingly taking on more patients to compensate for cuts in payments from health insurers, researchers say, and PPACA is expected to increase the volume.