The Situation with Medicaid
Initial proposals for the Reconciliation Bill to continue corporate tax cuts enacted in the first Trump administration call for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid spending over 10 years. In…
New Gallup Poll on Medical Debt
The census bureau has reported that in 2023 A Gallup poll released March 5, 2025 estimates that 30 million Americans borrowed $74 billion dollars in 2024 to pay medical bills….
The State of Play on Medical Debt Credit Reporting
On December 13, 2023 Governor Kathy Hochul of New York signed into law a new bill requiring that unpaid medical debt will no longer appear in New York residents’ credit…
December Case Study: New York City Non-Profit Saves over $95,000 Using The Difference Card!
The Difference Card is a MERP Plan administrator. Using The Difference Card’s proprietary funding strategy, The Difference Card helped reduce the cost of a New York City-based non-profit on their…
Eight Benefit Trends (from SHRM, PayChex, Forbes and Mercer)
1. GLP-1 Drug Coverage Decisions GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which are used to treat type 2 diabetes, drew attention as a weight loss tool in 2023 and…
An Update to Medical Debt
The Kaiser Family Foundation regularly updates its survey and polling results on the subject of Medical Debt. Recent polling shows that lowering out-of-pocket health care costs is by and large the public’s…
The ICHRA and QSEHRA
The ICHRA and QSEHRA are Health Reimbursement Arrangements that allow employers to reimburse employees for health expenses including insurance premiums. They are especially useful to small businesses looking to keep…
Top Ten Conditions by Cost
Sun Life is a stop loss insurance provider backing high claims for self insured plans. In the 2023 edition of its report of high cost claims The top ten in…
Adding up the potential tax savings of popular consumer-directed benefits.
In this environment, benefits leaders are under pressure to get creative and help employees spend smarter and save more. The most common consumer-directed benefits already deliver amazing tax savings, potentially…
2024 HSA Limits
Thanks to ongoing inflation, employees will be able to put more money into their health savings accounts next year. HSA contribution limits for 2024 will see one of the biggest…
The MERP Plan, A Strategy to Consider
There are many employer benefit funding options that maintain pre-tax status with the IRS. One common plan is referred to as an HRA, or Health Reimbursement Arrangement. Some employers allow their…
