Advisor strategies

Employers are still figuring out how to work with PPACA in the next nine months. That was the consensus during a panel at the 10th World Health Care Congress Monday in National Harbor, Md.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed yesterday, following the release of proposed rules on Navigators and what they’re calling non-Navigator assistance personnel, that the information is not necessarily intended for brokers

When it comes to the public health exchanges, the broker experience may vary drastically from state to state. For example, while Maryland officials say they plan to communicate certification timing to brokers this month for their state exchange, HHS says it will happen sometime between now and August.

Mel Schlesinger on why advisers shouldn’t let health care reform control their future

Jack Kwicien on what forward-thinking advisers are doing to adjust to ACA changes.

New legislation was issued last night in the Senate that would remove broker compensation from the MLR calculation.

Despite the progress made through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on health care access, there are challenges to come from health reform, said Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) Thursday at the AHIP National Policy Forum in Washington.

Most brokers who plan to stay in the industry in 2014 are learning to embrace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But as two health policy minds from opposite sides of the political spectrum discussed Wednesday at America’s Health Insurance Plans conference in Washington, unknown effects of PPACA and rising costs of health care should still be on the minds of carriers and brokers alike.

Nearly half of all health plan members in the group and individual markets nationwide say they are interested in using a state exchange to purchase health insurance, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates.

We’re starting your week with three important facts, developments or conversations from recent and upcoming events. This week, we look at the new IRS guidelines, final ruling from CMS on MLR ratio and what’s going on in Europe with retirement taxes.

Nelson Griswold on what insurance brokerages need to keep up with health reform.

Craig Davidson on what health insurance stores should look like under health reform.

Early bird gets the worm. That’s an applicable motto for the National Association of Health Underwriters Capitol Conference attendees, who packed into a hotel on Capitol Hill early Tuesday morning for an overflowing session of speakers, from a senator to a president of a health insurance enrollment non-profit to Mercer and Wellpoint representatives.

Mercer is one of the latest companies to enter the private exchange game, and the consulting giant gave employers an opportunity to check out the service during a conference call Thursday. Company executives revealed some of those specifics during the call, especially during the Q&A period for the audience.

The National Association of Health Underwriters hosts its annual Capitol Conference on Capitol Hill this week, bringing business leaders and bipartisan legislators together to discuss the changing marketplace and pending health reform regulations. Employee Benefit Adviser will be on site at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill to bring you coverage from this summit.

The role of brokers in the new world of health care in 2014 is changing, and while it’s tough, there are five key marching orders for making the most of it. This sentiment opened the Workplace Benefits Renaissance in Atlantic City, N.J. on Monday with a keynote from Andrew Webber, the president and CEO of the National Business Coalition on Health based in Washington, D.C.

While brokers are experiencing anxiety about their role in exchanges, employees of all types may be confused about their options — thus providing brokers the chance to come to the rescue with targeted communication on the subject.

With PPACA implementation in full swing, the top four broker organizations set their sights on making inroads on Capitol Hill to secure regulatory fixes.

Mercer health benefit consultants have come up with a short list of what employer health plan sponsors need to keep top-of-mind in the New Year:

What employers and brokers need to know and do to success under the new health care reform model.