Healthcare reform

Congress members weigh in on the ACA and the current system that regulates the insurance industry at the Big I legislative conference.

The excise tax remains a primary focus for employers as they plan their health care coverage strategy for 2016 and 2017, and many will be looking for assistance from their benefit adviser to address their concerns.

With the Affordable Care Act hitting its five year birthday and the second open enrollment period nearly finished, Americans are turning their attention and wishes for Congress and the Obama administration to a focus on prescription drugs.

Thomson Reuters has introduced a Checkpoint Learning Health Care Reform Certificate Program for tax and accounting professionals.

If I had a dollar for every time an industry professional reacted to my choice of college major with, “Risk Management and Insurance?  I didn’t know you could major in that,” I would be a rich man. From what I see, many people who make up the industry did not set out with the intention of working in insurance or employee benefits. So why would a young professional just entering the job market choose employee…

Commentary: Despite all the media coverage of the Affordable Care Act, there is still a fair amount of confusion and misunderstanding about the law, even among employees whose job it is to administer benefits.

While debate continues about the long-term effects of the Affordable Care Act, many employers report minimal changes in their health care premiums as a result.

Technical difficulties may have marred public exchanges' first year of operation, but at least providers were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief about not being inundated with a sharp increase in new or sick patients scheduling appointments.

The Affordable Care Act has increased the burden for benefit professionals and forced employers to alter their business practices to comply with the health care reform law, industry experts told Congress.

A third of employers say they’ve experienced fines and penalties in the past year because of non-compliance with government regulations, many of which they are simply unaware of. For many, expert advice from benefit advisers could be a real solution.

Avoiding the Affordable Care Act's excise tax, set to take effect in 2018, is front-of-mind for many benefits decision-makers.

The decrease in compensation is negligible since the medical loss ratio took effect, study finds, but other industry organizations disagree.

Commentary: It depends, says Borislow Insurance’s Mark Gaunya, who points to the Massachusetts system. The national model must evolve first.

Michelle Capezza, a member of law firm Epstein Becker Green, highlights new changes to the ACA's Summary of Benefits and Coverage and what steps plan sponsors should be taking to prepare.

Commentary: In response to confusion over the IRS’s role in verifying employers are meeting minimum essential coverage and employer shared responsibility requirements, dozens of ACA reporting have entered the market in the last two years. EmployeeTech’s Michael Weiskirch shares how to find the right tracking solution for your clients.

Commentary: From mournful reflection to birthday celebration, the bottom line is your attitude about health reform affects your clients, says David C. Smith

The fight over the Affordable Care Act in Washington is as fierce as ever, with a Republican budget plan that would repeal the health care law Democrats passed five years ago. In the rest of the country, opposition to the law appears to be easing.

An Affordable Care Act-fueled surge in self-insurance for medical benefits among smaller employers appears to have leveled off somewhat, but not due to any disenchantment with the cost-management strategy.

Senate Republicans are also seeking a repeal of the medical device tax.

Commentary: CMS has issued a special enrollment period for certain individuals to sign up for health care coverage on the exchanges. Blogger Craig Hasday wonders if the administration's leniency is also hurting its credibility.