Obamacare

As letters from the U.S. government arrive at benefits departments, the first responses are often uncertainty and suspicion.

Importing provider networks, increasing deductibles and cost sharing are just a few proposed ways to make private benefit exchanges more efficient.

When it comes to healthcare proposals such as Paul Ryan and the GOP’s latest, gradual is better, says adviser Craig Hasday.

Let’s consider the impact of the approaching moratorium, the ways employers can use it to their financial advantage and what might happen when it ends in 2018.

The insurer warned the government in a July letter that it would be financially forced to step back its participation in the individual insurance exchanges if the DOJ tried to block its $28 billion purchase of Humana. Guess what happened, writes Max Nisen.

Later this year, residents of Pinal County, Ariz., who go shopping for health insurance under the ACA will face a peculiar dilemma — they’ll have to buy a product that may not exist.

Aetna will stop selling individual ACA plans next year in 11 of the 15 states where it had been participating in the program, joining other major insurers that have pulled out of the government-run markets in the face of mounting losses.

Broker-friendly changes and ‘more open dialogue’ with CMS have led to multiple favorable changes for the community.

In a “system built by the rulemakers,” Mark Gaunya, principal at Borislow Insurances, discusses how to stem rising costs through provider and payer competition.

The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid have enacted revised rules that will enforce covered entities providing healthcare programs and services to have accessible websites, say attorneys from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter, & Hampton LLP.

The ‘natural fit’ will allow insurance brokers and employers to gain access to ben admin, enrollment solutions and ACA capabilities, says Troy Underwood.

With 2017 open enrollment beginning, adviser expertise needs to extend beyond just benefits and insurance, says Courtney Simpkiss, ADP’s VP, broker strategy.

When it comes to healthcare proposals such as Paul Ryan and the GOP’s latest, gradual is better, says adviser Craig Hasday.

Post-ACA, more and more small companies have stopped offering insurance for employees.

Compliance, creativity, clarification and confusion reign in employee benefits, says Eric T. Helman, chief strategy officer at Hodges-Mace.

The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid have enacted revised rules that will enforce covered entities providing healthcare programs and services to have accessible websites, say attorneys from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter, & Hampton LLP.

Most companies have been through ‘hell’ in the last year due to reporting requirements, says a Lockton exec who shared some of the biggest obstacles.

With ACA compliance slowing down, employers have more time to look at their offerings.

Even as eligibility rates rise, limited workforce participation and smaller premium increases have kept the employer health benefits landscape stable.

Most companies have been through ‘hell’ in the last year due to reporting requirements, says a Lockton exec who shared some of the biggest obstacles.