Healthcare reform

Consulting firm announced Thursday the launch of a private benefits exchange developed by Benefitfocus, available to employers with at least 100 employees.

Mercer announced Thursday that it has launched a private benefits exchange developed by Benefitfocus and available to employers with at least 100 employees.

Spending on hospital visits, medications and other care grew 3.9% to $2.7 trillion in 2011, matching the slowest growth in 52 years of recordkeeping, according to federal data released this week. Before the 2007 recession, growth was close to 8%.

Most employees believe that their employer offers them the best health plan they could, and that they might be at a loss to ensure the same on their own, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Conditional approval from federal government allows Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah to move forward in creating state-run health insurance exchanges to comply with health care reform.

Medical insurance markets crafted by four U.S. Republican governors won conditional approval by the Obama administration as the federal government nudges states toward full implementation of the landmark health-care overhaul.

Experts from Mercer offer up a priority list for benefits providers in 2013. The first one: Prepping for 2014.

Insurance Reform

EBA Contributor Barry Cohn is being kept busy with questions about MLR reimbursements, with clients wondering what to do or asking how much they would be receiving.

Pediatric dental and orthodontic coverage could see significant changes under health care reform, particularly in terms of reimbursement. Evelyn Ireland, the executive director of the National Association of Dental Plans, talks about regulations that might or might not have people smiling.

Rules for the six state insurance exchanges that won conditional approval from the Obama administration Dec. 10 are split evenly between those with strict criteria for companies that want to participate and states that have opened their exchanges to all comers, a scenario supported by the insurance industry. A high bar for inclusion could limit the number of insurers offering health plans in some states.

Many states led by Republican governors have already said they won’t build their own insurance exchanges. That puts the onus on the Obama administration.

Of the six states that have won HHS approval to run their health care exchanges, some, like Maryland, have opened theirs to all comers, while others, such as Connecticut, plan strict criteria. Insurers will have to twist and contort to play by the irregular rules.

Health insurance premiums may double for some small businesses and individual buyers in the U.S. when the Affordable Care Act’s major provisions start in 2014, Aetna’s chief executive officer said.

The Department of Health and Human Services says six states – all led by Democrats – have earned conditional approval to begin enrolling members in their health-insurance exchanges.

Before the election last month, 59% of employers surveyed were in “wait and see” mode regarding post-2014 health care plans. Now, 84% are very likely to or definitely will offer health insurance after state exchanges open.

With health reform moving full steam ahead, most employers will continue to offer employee coverage, but will make alterations to how they provide it, said a speaker at the Workplace Benefits Transitions conference Tuesday.

Health care reform means that many patients can no longer be denied health insurance because of preexisting conditions. But there’s a big catch: Coverage for many Americans without insurance will come at a potentially unaffordable cost.

Benefits Barometer is a comprehensive and convenient benchmarking guide to everything from average annual premiums for health coverage to the number of investment options in 401(k) plans.

Less than one week after Obama won a second term in office, dozens of employers already were setting about the business of offsetting the impending business costs of implementing health care reform or other Obama policies they view as unfriendly to their industry.