How business can save America from health care
Commentary: One of Americas most enduring mysteries is why the organizations that pay for most health care dont work together to force better value from the health care industry.
Benefit plan design
Advisers question ACA income calculation in light of slew of discrepancies
Millions of ACA application inconsistencies come as no surprise to benefit advisers and could trigger an influx of business to brokers from confused 2015 ACA enrollees.
Online SHOP enrollment expected to be operational for advisers this year
CMS says benefit brokers and advisers are expected to be able to enroll their small business clients on the federal SHOP exchange online by sometime later this year.
More education needed for small employers in SHOP
Small businesses are poised to benefit from the Small Business Health Options Program but more education for small-business owners is needed, says an industry group supportive of the Affordable Care Act.
Adviser training for 2015 SHOP enrollment to begin in July
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced training and registration dates, along with requirements, for benefit advisers and brokers who want to enroll small business employers on the federally facilitated SHOP exchange.
Can advisers survive a demise of small group health insurance plans?
Benefit insiders predict a steep decline in small business group health insurance sales in the coming years, which could prove harmful for many independent brokers and agents.
IRS: Pre-tax payment plans wont satisfy ACA employer mandate
The IRS this month clarified for benefit advisers and their clients that employers cannot escape ACA penalties and taxes via pre-tax premium reimbursement plans.
More ACA insurers could help brokers enroll more consumers
Evidence shows that more insurers bring down premiums on the ACA exchanges, which could ease conversations benefit brokers have with the uninsured about affordability of coverage.
The $36,500 per employee ACA penalty
The Internal Revenue Service has threatened employers with Affordable Care Act penalties of $36,500 per employee, per year, nondeductible. Makes those $2,000 and $3,000 penalties look like small potatoes, right?
By
Ann Caresani
Senators pledge support for agents and brokers to CMS
In follow-up to two broker-friendly bills introduced in late March, a group of five U.S. Democratic senators are asking the agency again for changes that will help ACA-certified agents better enroll consumers.
Rx drug costs on exchange plans higher than employer-sponsored coverage
Individuals could pay more than twice as much for prescription drugs with certain exchange plans, as employers that provide health coverage gain another asset to leverage.
Lessons learned from selling the exchanges
Everyone understands that advertising helps sell products and that was the top way to sell health plans through the public exchanges. But looking back on the first open enrollment, which advertising techniques worked and what lessons were learned to raise the number of enrollees further for 2015?
This supplemental benefit is a value-add and cost-saving measure
Supplemental benefit SurgeryPlus is a new product offering for advisers, especially those who work with self-funded clients.
Makeup of state-run exchanges vs FFM to change
The breakdown of states running their own health insurance exchanges versus those using the federally facilitated marketplace will change in due time but exactly how it will change is still up in the air, said a speaker at Wednesdays National Health Insurance Exchange Summit, held in Washington, D.C.
Benefits Think Should employers consider spousal surcharges?
The concept of limiting coverage of spouses through the implementation of a surcharge or waiver program has been talked about for years. This is a microcosm of the employee benefits environment where employers are considering every possible cost-control strategy.
Insurers say ACA just needs fine-tuning
Insurer groups this week shared ACA reform ideas with Congress, including the creation of a copper plan.
Take control of the controlled group issue
Knowing how many companies your client owns is critical to meeting ACA compliance. Heres what you need to know about your clients that own more than one company under a controlled group.
House tries to untangle who’s paid for ACA coverage
Members of Congress came out swinging Wednesday at a committee hearing with top insurers called as witnesses to determine whom of the more than 8 million Obamacare enrollees have paid their first months premium.
Employers want advisers to help solve the exchange puzzle
Employers remain unclear about the benefits and drawbacks of switching their health plans to a private exchange, but the majority of those that will evaluate exchange vendors in the future plan to seek guidance from a benefit adviser.
Uninsured rate at five-year low while ACA remains unpopular
Obamacare reduced the percentage of U.S. adults without health insurance to its lowest point since 2008 even as the law remains unpopular with the public, separate surveys showed.
By
Alex Wayne