Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
Lower costs, fewer benefits in new health insurance option
AP News reports: "The Trump administration’s new health insurance option offers lower premiums for small businesses and self-employed people, but the policies are likely to cover fewer benefits. Another caveat: if healthy people flock to the new plans as expected,...
4 New Exemptions To The Tax Penalty For Lacking Health Insurance
NPR reports: "There already have been more than a dozen reasons U.S. consumers can use to avoid paying the penalty for not having health insurance. Now the federal government has added four more. These "hardship exemptions" let people off the hook if they can't find a...
Most Short-Term Health Plans Don’t Cover Drug Treatment or Prescription Drugs, and None Cover Maternity Care
KFF reports: "A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of short-term, limited duration health plans for sale through two major national online brokers finds big gaps in the benefits they offer. Through an executive order and proposed new regulations, the Trump...
What is Trump’s New Short-Term Health Insurance Order?
Investopedia reports: "On February 20, 2018, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor and the Treasury released a proposed rule that would increase the length of coverage for short-term health insurance plans from three months to 364 days. They...
A Rare Loss for U.S. Pharma Lobby Will Cost the Industry Billions
Bloomberg reports: "Deep in a budget deal Congress passed earlier this year -- just 118 words in Section 53116, a little before passages on prison reporting data and payment yields for seed cotton -- was a hit to pharmaceutical companies that will cost them billions,...
Scammers Are Using New Medicare Cards to Try to Trick Seniors
The Motley Fool reports: "If you're a senior on Medicare, new cards are coming soon. New cards will be mailed out between April 2018 and April 2019, and these new cards will no longer have your Social Security number on them. The switch to the new Medicare card is...
Medicare Advantage Plans Cleared To Go Beyond Medical Coverage — Even Groceries
The Washington Post reports: "Air conditioners for people with asthma, healthy groceries, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals may be among the new benefits added to Medicare Advantage coverage when new federal rules take effect next year. On Monday,...
Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs You Should Expect to Pay
Yahoo Finance reports: "Medicare provides valuable health insurance for individuals 65 or older and certain people with disabilities who are under age 65. But it also comes with complex rules and sometimes significant out-of-pocket costs. Here's what you can expect to...
Health reimbursement arrangements for small employers
The Tax Advisor reports: "The IRS recently issued Notice 2017-67 to provide guidance on "qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements" (qualified small employer HRAs) under Sec. 9831(d). Qualified small employer HRAs enable an eligible employer to...
Trump administration releases association health plan rule
Axios reports: "The Department of Health and Human Services has posted its long-awaited proposed rule to make it easier to form “association health plans,” aimed at groups of workers who team up to get better deals on health insurance. Among other things, the rule...