White House relying more on insurance carriers to help fix HealthCare.gov

by Eriksen Insurance | Nov 20, 2013 | Insurance Reform

The Washington Post reports: “The White House is increasing its reliance on insurers by accepting their technical help in efforts to repair the problem-ridden online health insurance marketplace and prioritizing consumers’ ability to buy plans directly from the...

U.S. workers can carry over $500 of health spending accounts: Treasury

by Eriksen Insurance | Nov 1, 2013 | FSA, Insurance Reform

Yahoo News reports: “Americans who use flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for healthcare costs may now be able to carry up to $500 of expiring money into the next year, the U.S. Treasury said on Thursday. For nearly 30 years, about 14 million families with FSAs...

White House tweaks health insurance mandate

by Eriksen Insurance | Oct 25, 2013 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Insurance Reform

Chicago Health Care Daily reports: “On the defensive, the Obama administration acknowledged Wednesday its problem-plagued health insurance website didn’t get enough testing before going live. It said technicians were deep into the job of fixing major...

Trader Joe’s will be a health care reform test case

by Eriksen Insurance | Oct 2, 2013 | Health Reform

Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal reports, “Trader Joe’s made a very big announcement last week, one that had nothing to do with Two-Buck Chuck. The grocery chain, in a memo obtained by the Huffington Post, told part-time employees it would end health insurance...

Estimate: Nearly 1M workers to quit when exchanges open

by Eriksen Insurance | Aug 22, 2013 | Insurance Reform

Benefits Pro reports: “Some Obamacare opponents have labeled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as a job-killer. New research indicates there may be a grain of truth to that — although the jobs won’t be “lost” the way the naysayers are predicting....