News and Updates

  Health Care Reform: Effect of Employer HSA Contributions on Value Requirements for HDHP   One area of uncertainty for HSAs under health care reform has been the effect that employer HSA contributions will have in determining the value of an employer’s HDHP. This is relevant under the shared responsibility provisions, also known as the … Read more

Health Insurance Marketplaces will Not Be Required to Verify Consumer Claims    The Obama administration announced Friday that it would significantly scale back the health law’s requirements that new insurance marketplaces verify consumers’ income and health insurance status. Instead, the federal government will rely more heavily on consumers’ self-reported information until 2015, when it plans … Read more

    Delay for Employers on Large Group Mandate to 2015   The Obama administration last Tuesday July 2nd, 2013 announced a one-year delay in the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that businesses with 50 or more employees offer coverage to their workers or pay a penalty. Administration officials said the delay was in response to … Read more

Comparative Effectiveness Research Plan Fee   The Affordable Care Act established the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to explore the effectiveness, risks and benefits of medical treatments. This study is also known as comparative effectiveness research (CER). PCORI is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization supported by a trust fund that is financed in part by fees … Read more

Affordable Care Act Deadline: Employee Notices of the Health Insurance Marketplace (Exchange) Due by October 1, 2013   On May 8, 2013, the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Technical Release No. 2013-02 (Release) providing important guidance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the … Read more

Proposed Rule for Navigators Stresses Training, Impartially. HHS’s long-anticipated proposed regulation for “navigators” covers familiar ground as it reiterates the need for the new workforce to receive training and certification and remain free of conflicts of interest with health insurers. Navigators, who are considered crucial to the success of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), will … Read more

CMS Releases Explanation of the Role of Agents, Brokers, and Web-agents in Health Insurance Marketplaces   Consumers who access health insurance coverage through an Affordable Insurance Exchange, or Health Insurance Marketplace, will be able to receive assistance in a variety of ways, including in-person, online, and through telephone support. Agents and agents, including web-agents, are … Read more

Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) not delayed   The week of April 2, 2013, the headline of an article in the New York Times led many to believe that Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) was put on hold. That is not true. In March, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suggested … Read more

ACA and the Impact on Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs)   The health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) allows employers (and employee organizations) to put money in a special account for employees to pay for health care expenses. The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) defines an HRA as: …an arrangement that: (1) is funded solely by the employer and … Read more

The ACA and Pre Existing Conditions   Today, as many as 129 million-or 1 in 2-non-elderly Americans have some type of pre-existing health condition, ranging from life-threatening illnesses like cancer to chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, or heart disease. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing a final rule to implement several … Read more