Client strategies

Two employers shared how they’ve gotten creative with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at Thursday’s National Business Group on Health conference in Washington. One chose to move to a new consumer-driven health plan and the other chose a private exchange through Aon Hewitt.

Sam Smith, a member of California’s SHOP exchange advisory group and president-elect of CAHU, predicts a bright future for adviser involvement in PPACA’s state health insurance.

Buck Consultants is the latest benefit and consulting firm to form a private exchange. The move aims to reduce employer uncertainty about 2014 by reducing costs and increasing employee health care options.

More than half of employers have not calculated the costs of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but of those that have, 61% say PPACA has increased their expenses.

Guest blogger Linda K. Riddell shows how an eye for detail and some simple calculations could prove to be a life-saver for employees that are overusing/abusing narcotic painkillers. As always, share your thoughts in the comments.

HHS outlines various conditions and services insurers must cover, and rules to let companies expand employee wellness programs in new proposed regulations of the ACA posted Tuesday.

Now that health reform is here to stay, blogger Dave Petno says he is ready for the challenge to understand what he calls the “entire 2,700 page monstrosity.” Here’s how you can be prepared too for your client’s questions.

Updated throughout the day after Obama's re-election, hear what industry leaders and industry groups say the president's win means for the broker community. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments, too.

A survey by online health benefits seller eHealthInsurance finds that more than three-quarters of small business clients are not doing long-term planning on how health reform, including insurance exchanges, may affect their business.

New legislation begins this month in Massachusetts, a state ahead of the country on “health care reform,” says EBA Blogger Mark Gaunya. But what can others learn from this new law, a “a state-based, cost control experiment that may prove to be a glimpse of the future in your state?”

Who will do most of the work implementing PPACA? Blogger Ed Bray, J.D., sees a tide that could be turning to a shared role between human resources and finance.

How do you present PPACA to clients and how does that help you prepare for the future? EBA Blogger Mark Lacher shares three things he has learned in his presentations.

The Summary of Benefits and Coverage is supposed to be an easy-to-understand summary about a health plan's benefits and coverage. But guest blogger Ed Bray maintains the SBC has the potential to confuse employees.

During an at times confrontational second debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney, health care and the landmark health care reform bill were, surprisingly, not a focus, and when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act did come up, it was primarily used as an attack vehicle.

In the immortal words of Albert Einstein, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.” Are you trapped in this pattern? If so, embrace the guiding principle of evolve or perish to take your career to the next level. As I travel the country, speaking with my colleagues at state and local health underwriter association meetings about surviving and thriving in a post-health care reform world —…

The surprise vote by Chief Justice John Roberts to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the end of June really was a bold decision that redefined the Commerce Clause. In an era when ego, power and politics rule, Roberts made the brave decision not to use judicial power to overrule the democratic process. He actually gave us an early Independence Day gift by not letting the Supreme Court define the future of…

As carriers ramp up to gain market share ahead of PPACA, Aetna acquires Coventary —increasing its overall share of government health plans to more than 30%, and nearly 42 million members nationwide.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling now finalized and the minimum essential health insurance provisions in place, companies have begun to ask us “What’s next?” or “What will the financial impact be for our company in 2014?” My belief is that by taking a proactive approach to the individual mandate and understanding the impact on your company’s financials, you will be able to make that critical decision whether to continue offering a group health care…

Talk about hogging the spotlight! Washington DC is driving the uproar around the reaction to the recent Supreme Court decision and all we’ve been seeing in the national media is coverage of the political ramifications. What does this mean to the political landscape? What’s Obama saying? Romney? Sure, the recent decision will define the road to election 2012 in November. It’s a landmark decision. We get it. …

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with the individual mandate being upheld under the Congressional power of taxation.