“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 pay for Medicare:
Posts Tagged ‘Spring Grove’
Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs You Should Expect to Pay
Thursday, April 5th, 2018Tags: deductibles, doctors, health care costs, health insurance, Individuals, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, premiums, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, Solon Mills, Spring Grove, St. Charles
Posted in Health Insurance Cost | Comments Off on Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs You Should Expect to Pay
Health reimbursement arrangements for small employers
Friday, February 2nd, 2018“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 reimburse employees for medical expenses, such as health insurance premiums, as defined under Sec. 213(d). Qualified small employer HRAs are solely employer-funded; employees cannot contribute to them. Payments from a qualified small employer HRA to an employee are not includible in the employee’s income, as long as the employee has obtained qualifying health insurance. An employer can establish a qualified small employer HRA for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2016. The guidance within Notice 2017-67 is effective for arrangement plan years beginning on or after Nov. 20, 2017.
Tags: ACA requirements, Affordable Care Act, group health plans, health insurance coverage, health savings account, requirements, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, small businesses, small group, Solon Mills, South Barrington, South Elgin, special enrollment, Spring Grove, Sugar Grove, Tax
Posted in Small Business | Comments Off on Health reimbursement arrangements for small employers
Trump administration releases association health plan rule
Friday, February 2nd, 2018“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 would encourage these kinds of plans by removing the requirement that says associations have to have a purpose besides health insurance.
The bottom line: The rule says its goal is to help small businesses buy health coverage more easily, but the bigger question is whether they’d pull healthy people out of the Affordable Care Act exchanges.”
Tags: Affordable Care Act, association health plan, Health and Human Services, health insurance, small businesses, Spring Grove, Stone Park, Sugar Grove, the affordable care act, Tower Lakes, Trout Valley, Union, United Health Care, United Healthcare
Posted in Health Insurance News | Comments Off on Trump administration releases association health plan rule
CMS Proposes Health Insurance Exchange Changes for 2017
Monday, January 11th, 2016California Healthline Reports:
“On Friday, CMS released a proposed rule that would require minimum network standards for health plans sold through the federal exchange in 2017, Modern Healthcare reports.
Proposed Rule’s Network Standards
Under the rule, states would be required to implement CMS-approved quantitative measures to ensure that individuals with exchange plans have adequate access to health care providers. States could either:
- Adopt default network adequacy standards set by CMS; or
- Draft their own network adequacy standards and submit them for HHS approval.
Such standards could measure a plan’s network adequacy based on policyholders’ maximum travel distances and times to access providers. According to CMS, minimum adequacy standards for the plans will be determined at a later date. HHS would then notify insurers of the standards in each state (Herman/Dickson, Modern Healthcare, 11/20). (more…)
Tags: ACA, ACA requirements, Advisor, affordable care, Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Albany Park, Algonquin, Andersonville, Arlington Heights, aurora, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, BCBS, BCBSIL, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, bronze plan, Bucktown, buy health insurance, buying insurance, California healthline, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Changeing Health Care, Chicago, Chicagoland, Cicero, Cook, Cook County, Costs, coverage plan, Crystal Lake, Darien, DeKalb, DeKalb County, departments of health and human services, Des Plaines, Desplaines, Downers Grove, DuPage County, East Dundee, employer health insurance, enroll, enrollment, exchange, Forest Park, Fox River Grove, Franklin Park, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, government regulations, Hampshire, health, health care benefits, health care costs, health care law, health care reform, health care system, health exemption, health insurance, health insurance costs, health insurance coverage, Health insurance exchange, health insurance premiums, health insurance reform, health plan, health programs, health savings account, healthcare reform, healthcare.gov, Hoffman Estates, Huntley, IL, individual, Individuals, insurance broker, insurance industry, insurance news, insurance plan, Insurance Reform, Kane, Kane County, Kendall County, Lake County, Lake View, Lakewood, Lincoln Park, Long Grove, Marengo, McHenery, McHenry, McHenry County, Medicare, Montgomery, Naperville, Navigator, new health care, New health insurance law ACA, Niles, North Barrington, North West Suburbs, Northern Illinois, Northlake, Northwest Suburbs, notices, Oakwood Hills, Obama care, ObamaCare, Obamacare regulation, open enrollment, Palatine, Park Ridge, Prairie Grove, Roselle, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Self Employed, self-insurance, SHOP, Skokie, small businesses, Spring Grove, St. Charles, state health insurance, state legislatures, Streamwood, the affordable care act, Tower Lakes, Village of Lakewood, Wasco, West Chicago, Wheeling, Wicker Park, Winfield, Woodstock
Posted in Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance News, Open Enrollment | Comments Off on CMS Proposes Health Insurance Exchange Changes for 2017
With Michigan Closure, More Than Half of Obamacare CO-OPs Have Now Failed
Monday, January 11th, 2016“WASHINGTON, DC – The number of failed Obamacare CO-OPs grew to one dozen today as Michigan became the latest to announce it was closing. To date, 12 of the original 23 CO-OPs have closed, bringing the total cost to taxpayers at more than $1.23 billion. This Thursday, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on “Examining the Costly Failures of Obamacare’s CO-OP Insurance Loans.” (more…)
Tags: ACA, ACA requirements, affordable care, Affordable Care Act, affordable health insurance, Algonquin, barack obama, Barrington, Bartlett, Bensenville, Bull Valley, buy health insurance, buying insurance, Carol Stream, Changeing Health Care, Chicago, Chicagoland, Cook, Cook County, Costs, coverage plan, Crystal Lake, DeKalb, DeKalb County, Des Plaines, Desplaines, Downers Grove, DuPage County, enroll, Government, government regulations, health, Health and Human Services, health care benefits, health care costs, health care law, health care reform, health care system, health exemption, health insurance, health insurance costs, health insurance coverage, Health insurance exchange, health insurance marketplace, health insurance premiums, health insurance reform, health programs, healthcare reform, healthcare.gov, IL, Illinois, Illinois Department of Insurance, Illinois health insurance exchange, individual health insurance, insurance news, insurance plan, Insurance Reform, Kane, Kane County, Kendall, Kendall County, Lake County, Lake View, Logan Square, Long Grove, McHenery, McHenry, McHenry County, Naperville, new health care, New health insurance law ACA, North Barrington, North West Suburbs, Northern Illinois, Northwest Suburbs, Obama care, ObamaCare, Obamacare regulation, open enrollment, Palatine, Park Ridge, Prairie Grove, revenue measures, Riverwoods, Saint Charles, Schiller Park, Skokie, Spring Grove, state health insurance, state legislatures, Tax, taxpayer dollars, the affordable care act, Village of Lakewood, West Chicago, Wicker Park, Will, Will County, Wilmette, Wood Dale, Woodstock
Posted in Health Insurance Cost, Health Insurance News, Heath Care Costs | Comments Off on With Michigan Closure, More Than Half of Obamacare CO-OPs Have Now Failed
Benefits Selling’s 2014 Employer Survey
Friday, October 3rd, 2014“The implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has made most employers “rethink” their employee benefit offerings, including increasing employees’ share of cost even more via consumer-driven plans.
According to Benefits Selling’s 2014 Employer Survey, 70 percent of employers said PPACA has made them rethink their employee benefit offerings, compared to 30 percent who said the health care reform law hadn’t had any impact on their offerings.
Tags: affordable care, dental, health insurance, long-term, Marketplace, Saint Charles, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, Solon Mills, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, St. Charles, Stone Park, Streamwood, Sugar Grove, Sycamore, Voluntary Benefits
Posted in Health Reform | Comments Off on Benefits Selling’s 2014 Employer Survey
UnitedHealthcare vying for a slice of Obamacare pie?
Thursday, June 12th, 2014Crain’s Chicago Healthcare Daily reports:
“If UnitedHealthcare of Illinois Inc. starts selling plans on the state’s health insurance exchange this fall — as reported today — the insurer most likely won’t make a large dent in Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois’ market share.
Still, there are chances for the carrier, an arm of Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth Group Inc., to make inroads in the state.
Tags: Chicago, enrollment, health insurance, Health insurance exchange, health insurance marketplace, Marketplace, South Elgin, Spring Grove, Streamwood, Tower Lakes, Trout Valley, United Health Care, United Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare
Posted in Exchange | Comments Off on UnitedHealthcare vying for a slice of Obamacare pie?
HHS: Health Care Premiums Likely To Go Up In 2015
Friday, April 4th, 2014“Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says health insurance premiums are likely to increase in 2015.
Sebelius’s comments came Wednesday during a hearing of the House Committee on Ways and Means about the White House’s 2015 budget proposal, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“I think premiums are likely to go up, but at a smaller pace than what we’ve seen since 2010,” Sebelius said.
The increases seen in 2015 will likely be smaller than those seen in previous years, Sebelius said.
The number of young Americans signing up for health insurance has been below the level needed to keep premiums stable, the Wall Street Journal reported.
On Tuesday, the Obama administration said about 25 percent of people age 18 to 34 have signed up for Obamacare — lower than a 40 percent target believed needed to keep premiums relatively stable.
Overall, 4.2 million people have signed up for health insurance since October, the administration said.”
Tags: 2015, Health and Human Services, health insurance, health insurance premiums, insurance, insurance news, Solon Mills, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, St. Charles, Sugar Grove, Warrenville, Wasco, Wheaton, Wheeling
Posted in Insurance Reform | Comments Off on HHS: Health Care Premiums Likely To Go Up In 2015
ACA Out-of-Pocket Max Clarity
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013“The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires non-grandfathered plans to impose limitations on out-of-pocket expenses for essential health benefits starting in 2014. The out-of-pocket limitations will be capped next year at $6,350 for single coverage and $12,700 for family coverage.
However, some self-funded plans will be exempt from this requirement until 2015. The guidance indicates that self-funded plans contracting with multiple service providers can delay this requirement for one year.
For example, some self-funded plans contract with one service provider to administer their major medical benefits and another service provider to administer their pharmacy benefits.
The reason for the delay has been linked to administrative complications in tracking the out-of-pocket expenses when multiple service providers are used.
The new out-of-pocket limitations will still apply in 2014 to all individual health plans, fully insured group health plans and self-funded group health plans that use a single service provider to administer their plan benefits.””
Tags: Affordable Care Act, group health plan, group health plans, health, individual, Sleepy Hollow, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, St. Charles, state health insurance, Stone Park, the affordable care act
Posted in Health Laws, Health Reform | Comments Off on ACA Out-of-Pocket Max Clarity
New health insurance markets: Not like Travelocity
Wednesday, July 31st, 2013“You may have heard that shopping for health insurance under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul will be like using Travelocity or Amazon.
But many people will end up with something more mundane than online shopping, like a call to the help desk.
Struggling with a deadline crunch, some states are delaying online tools that could make it easier for consumers to find the right plan when the markets go live on Oct. 1.
Tags: enrollment, exchange, Health and Human Services, insurance plan, Marketplace, premiums, SHOP, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, small businesses, Solon Mills, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, Stone Park, Streamwood
Posted in Exchange, Insurance Reform | Comments Off on New health insurance markets: Not like Travelocity
