Latest News + Info
The latest information relating to the health insurance industry.
IRS resolves employer queries about calculating health costs
Business Insurance reports: "WASHINGTON—Internal Revenue Service guidance released last week resolves additional questions employers have raised about a health care reform law requirement that they report the cost of health care coverage on employees' W-2 wage and...
543,812 union workers receive waivers
Catholic Online reports: "The overwhelming majority of waivers from the president's health care reform law remain Labor unions, which have continued to receive the largest amount of waivers since the Obama administration tightened application rules last summer....
Kaiser poll for most popular PPACA provision yields runaway favorite
Employee Benefit News reports: "Okay, so it’s no secret that the individual mandate included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act isn’t going to win any popularity contests — nor is most of the law, for that matter. However, Americans aren’t blowing...
Five health reform dates to watch in 2012
The Washington Post reports: "Health reform had a big year in 2010, when it passed Congress and a slew of consumer-friendly provisions came online. And it’ll have another big year in 2014. That’s when the individual mandate kicks in, pre-existing conditions end and...
Cook County Health seeks early expansion of Medicaid
Crain's reports: "The Cook County Health and Hospitals System is seeking approval to add thousands of uninsured patients to the Medicaid rolls nearly two years early, a move that could generate millions of dollars in new revenue for the cash-strapped network. Approval...
Uninsured turn to deal sites for health care
Benefitspro reports: "NEW YORK (AP) — The last time Mark Stella went to the dentist he didn't need an insurance card. Instead, he pulled out a Groupon. Stella, a small business owner, canceled his health insurance plan more than three years ago when his premium rose...
Preventive care: It’s free, except when it’s not
Benifits Pro reports: "CHICAGO (AP) — Bill Dunphy thought his colonoscopy would be free. His insurance company told him it would be covered 100 percent, with no copayment from him and no charge against his deductible. The nation's 1-year-old health law requires most...
Gridlock in Washington, change everywhere else: 2011 in health policy
The Washington Post, Wonkblog reports: "It was the most gridlocked of times, it was the least gridlocked of times. In one sense, nothing much happened in health care this year: Congress and the White House proposed ambitious Medicare reform packages, only to take...
IRS announces new HSA limits for 2012
Benefitspro reports: "The IRS has released the 2012 cost-of-living adjustments affecting health savings accounts. The HSA contribution limits and HDHP out-of-pocket maximums will increase slightly, while the HDHP minimum required deductibles remain unchanged for the...
Drug prices to plummet
Benefitspro reports: "The cost of prescription medicines used by millions of people every day is about to plummet. The next 14 months will bring generic versions of seven of the world's 20 best-selling drugs, including the top two: cholesterol fighter Lipitor and...