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BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter
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[Guidance Overview]
Overview of the Principal Provisions of Health Care Reform Affecting Group Health Plans
This summary describes the main provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Topics covered include: Plan Changes; Employer and Insurer Administrative Requirements; Tax Incentives/Penalties for Employers, TPAs and Insurers; Exchanges and Co-Ops; and Requirements, Taxes and Benefits for Individuals.
(Quarles & Brady LLP)
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[Guidance Overview]
When Is a Summary More than a Summary? (PDF)
"Applying the effective date of the [Summary of Benefits and Coverage, or "SBC"] rules can be tricky. For some plans with fiscal years, the SBC rules may first apply to newly eligible individuals and special enrollees."
(Alston & Bird LLP)
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Senate Heads for Showdown over Contraceptives
"The Senate is expected on Thursday to defeat a largely symbolic measure that would exempt employers such as Roman Catholic hospitals, universities and charities from a controversial White House rule requiring free birth control coverage."
(The New York Times; free registration required)
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FSA Tips for 2013
"It's not too soon to start preparing for new health care flexible spending account rules that take affect beginning next year — or consider a new approach to health care spending with health savings accounts.... Though current law doesn't set a dollar limit on FSA contributions, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act sets a new $2,500 limit on annual contributions to health care FSAs. This limit applies to all FSA plans in taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2012."
(BenefitsPro)
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Delegating Health Cost Crisis Won't Help, Says Health Policy Expert
"[S]ome of the health care provider reimbursement provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) ... [give] doctors, hospitals and other providers better incentives to hold down the cost of care and improve the quality. But many other proposals, including many 'Medicare privatization' proposals, would simply put dump the health care cost burden onto the shoulders of private health plans[.]"
(Producers Web)
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The Status of Health Insurance Exchanges
"[D]espite persistent confusion and concerns surrounding health insurance exchanges, the White House recently released a report on the progress of state-level health insurance exchanges. This publication took a favorable and possibly misleading view of the headway being made by states that are creating their online insurance marketplaces."
(The Health Care Blog)
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DOMA Still Hinders Domestic Partners of Federal Employees
"The Office of Personnel Management has been able to obtain some benefits for same-s.ex partners, but it's been hamstrung by the 1996 statute, which contains a section barring the federal government from granting benefits to same-s.ex couples."
(Government Executive)
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HHS Bulletin Outlines Intended Approach to Actuarial Value Definition and Cost Sharing
"Although the bulletin said the innovative plan design features, such as value-based insurance designs that vary copayments for services based on expected value, are 'meaningful to consumers,' there is a 'limit on the number of features that can be recognized for incorporation in a practical and easy-to-use [actuarial value] calculator.' HHS asked for comment on which benefits and services should be included in the calculator."
(Bloomberg BNA)
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Telework Week 2012 Encourages More Work from Home
"The second annual Telework Week, taking place March 5-9, 2012, encourages businesses, government agencies and individuals to telecommute. Individuals and organizations can visit Telework Exchange, a public-private partnership, to calculate potential commuter cost and environmental savings and to pledge to telework."
(Society for Human Resource Management)
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[Opinion]
State Health Insurance Mandates Now Total 2,262; Premiums Go Up for Everybody
"Based on our annual analysis, mandated benefits currently increase the cost of basic health coverage from slightly less than 10 percent to more than 50 percent, depending on the state, specific legislative language, and type of health insurance policy."
(The Council for Affordable Health Insurance)
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[Opinion]
Budget for Health Care Reform's Exchange Subsidies Increased by $111 Bil.lion
"If employers dump many of their workers onto the exchanges, as numerous independent analyses suggest is likely, taxpayers may need to spend as much as $200 bil.lion a year extra on these exchange subsidies.... [T]he Obama Administration agrees that initial spending estimates are too low. The White House's fiscal year 2013 budget adds $111 bil.lion in exchange spending between 2014 and 2021, with even more spending to come in future years."
(Forbes)
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Press Releases
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