ACA Exchange Price Shock?
ACA Exchange prices are expected to rise by 3.6% in 2022 and boost overall healthcare spending growth 4.6% to $4.5 trillion. Prices grew 2.7% in 2021, 3.1% in 2020 and 1.1% in…
PCORI Fee Due
A reminder that if you are self-funded or have an HRA you must file the PCORI fee by July 31, 2022. The Comparative Effectiveness Research Fee (CERF), also known as…
Health Costs Transparency
On August 22nd the New York Times reported on compliance with a new federal rule requiring transparency in costs from hospitals. According to the Center for Medicare Services, starting January…
Proactive Cost Control: Reference Based Pricing
President Trump just signed an executive order to increase the transparency of hospital charges and the ability to know and negotiate prices before treatment. The order directs agencies to develop…
New York Paid Family Leave Update
All of our clients have been under a new New York state mandate since January 2018 to provide coverage for Paid Family Leave, usually via a supplement to their New…
Issues with Medicare for all
There are a number of new proposals which call for the overall expansion of the role of government health programs. The Kaiser Family Foundation has put forth an issues brief…
FINANCIAL WELLNESS FOR EMPLOYEES
– A FEW RESOURCES
According to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the definition of financial well being is “a state wherein a person can fully meet current and ongoing financial obligations, can feel…
All about HSA’s
We mention HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) frequently because they are a growing share of the market in employer sponsored health insurance. This is because they lower the cost of insurance…
Telemedicine: Band-aid or Permanent Fix?
Telemedicine is a rapidly expanding employee and employer benefit that should be considered in your 2018-19 benefits discussions. From the employer perspective it has the potential to deliver better health…
What is Single Payer?
Single payer is emerging as a potential solution to health care woes in the United States both on some state levels as well as in a recently proposed bill by…
The New York Paid Family Leave Act: What you need to know now.
The New York State Paid Family Leave (PFL) Law is set to go into effect January 1, 2018. Funded by a new payroll tax, the law provides that employees can…
The Importance of HSAs
HSAs are increasing in popularity and now are one option in over a quarter of employer sponsored insurance plans. According to the Kaiser Survey eighty-three percent of covered workers have…
Entering Middle Age? 7 Things To Consider About Your Benefits Plan
“Planning” is the operative word for thinking through healthcare coverage decisions as you age. Although one can never know what the future will bring you can be better prepared by…
The 2017 American Healthcare Act Bill: What Employers Need to Know
The eagerly awaited Trump American Healthcare Act bill has been unveiled to repeal and replace the current Affordable Care Act. This will continue to unfold over the next few months,…
Employer Health Plan Offerings Are Often Out of Reach for Employees Wishing to Purchase Coverage for Children
As we all know, the overall cost of employer-sponsored insurance premiums and associated out of pocket costs such as deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance keeps going up. These rising costs can…
Making the Benefits Process Easier: Key Benefit Terms and Definitions for Employees
The healthcare landscape is getting more and more complicated and all aspects of the annual benefit offerings can quickly become confusing to employees. Its not just during enrollment period but…
