Senior Defined Benefit Data Programmer
for Diversified in MA

Onsite Participant Counselor - Retirement Services
for Diversified in MI

ERISA Associate
for Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley in ID

Retirement Plan Wholesalers
for NYC based TPA in NY

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[Guidance Overview]

A Refresher on Reporting and Handling Medical Loss Ratio Rebates (PDF)
"What should you do if your group receives a rebate? The Department of Labor (DOL) issued Technical Release No. 2011-04 outlining the proper handling of rebates: 'If the participants and the employer each paid a fixed percentage of the cost, a percentage of the rebate equal to the percentage of the cost paid by participants would be attributable to participant contributions. Decisions on how to apply or expend the plan's portion of a rebate are subject to ERISA's general standards of fiduciary conduct.'" (Cammack LaRhette Consulting)

Hedge Funds, Real Estate and Other Alternative Investments   [Advert.]

Offered in partnership with the Wharton School, this course provides practical education to help you understand the complexities of alternative investments and make effective investment decisions. Register now to attend July 16-18 in San Francisco!

$2,500 Cap on Salary Reduction Contributions to FSAs Prompts Re-examination of 'Use It or Lose It' Rule (PDF)
"IRS Notice 2012-40, released May 30, 2012, provides guidance on the application of a cap (currently $2,500 but indexed for inflation) on salary reduction contributions to health flexible spending arrangements ('FSAs') imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.... Significantly, the Notice states that due to the imposition of this $2,500 cap on health FSA contributions, the IRS and Treasury Department are re-examining the long-standing 'use it or lose it' rule for health FSAs." (Groom Law Group)

When to Pay a Higher Health Insur.ance Deductible
"These days there are dozens of 'mini-med' plans out there that offer next to no benefit if you have a major illness. That's why the best way to save on health insur.ance is to pick a plan that has a high deductible but offers generous coverage once you meet that deductible." (ABCNews)

Number of Young Adults Gaining Insur.ance Due to the Affordable Care Act Now Tops 3 Mil.lion
"New survey findings released today by the National Center for Health Statistics show that the extension of dependent health coverage up to age 26 continues to lead to greater rates of insur.ance coverage among young adults.... The new estimates show that from September 2010 to December 2011, the percentage of adults 19 to 25 with insur.ance coverage increased from 64.4% to 74.8%, which translates into over 3 mil.lion additional young adults with coverage." (Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

Striking Down Affordable Care Act Might Doom Some State Measures
"Within months [after the ACA became law, California] enacted several measures that implement or build on the federal law, including one to create a state health insur.ance exchange and another to allow young adults up to age 26 to remain covered by their parents' health insur.ance policies. Lawmakers passed more bills related to the overhaul last year and continue to debate proposals now.... 'We will have to rethink everything" if the federal law is overturned in part or whole, said ... the chairman of the [California] Senate Health Committee. 'We have to reassess all of these measures. Some of them are actually contingent upon the implementation of the Affordable Care Act[.]'" (Merced Sun-Star)

A Medicare Exchange Could Be Your Answer.   [Advert.]

With the group model becoming increasingly unsustainable, how do you cut costs and still take care of your retirees? Discover the top 4 reasons organizations are exiting their Group Plan & moving to a Medicare Exchange.

Many Americans Struggle to Pay for Health Care
"As the nation awaits the Supreme Court's ruling on challenges to the health care law, Americans continue to report that they struggle to pay for medical care. A quarter of Americans report problems paying medical bills in the past year, and about 60 percent say they've 'cut corners' to avoid health care costs[.]" (The New York Times; free registration required)

Large Employers Offering More On-Site Health Care
"On-site workplace clinics used to be primarily focused on patching up people who got injured on the job. Then companies added primary care and started emphasizing preventive screenings and other 'wellness' services. Now, some big employers are beefing up their clinic offerings further with a host of add-ons, including physical therapy, dental and vision exams, mental health counseling and even acupuncture and massage." (The Washington Post; free registration required)

Health Insur.ance Market Reforms: Rate Restrictions
"Rate restrictions limit how much insur.ance companies can vary premiums charged to individuals and businesses based on factors such as health status, age, tobacco use and gender.... [B]eginning January 1, 2014, insur.ance companies must meet the Affordable Care Act's minimum premium rating rules for health plans for individuals and small businesses. This brief explains the current status and trends of rate restrictions and how these trends will change when the ACA is fully implemented." (Kaiser Health Reform)

Key to Health Care Costs Is Not Government or Insur.ance Companies: It's Your Employees
"Whether it is struck down, upheld, or tweaked, PPACA has done, and will do[,] nothing to control the cost of healthcare. Carriers have also failed at controlling claim costs and will continue to fail in an existing or post PPACA environment. So what's the solution? It's your employees. Of course it is." (William Gallagher Associates)

McGraw Wentworth Benefit Advisor, June 2012 (PDF)
"[This issue provides an] annual review of health plan trends and actions employers are taking to keep health plan costs in check. The factors contributing to rising costs are complicated. Some factors can be influenced by employers, while others can't. Employers can take steps to achieve health plan budgets. This Advisor reviews local and national data on how employers are keeping health plan costs in check." (McGraw Wentworth)

Deloitte Health Care Reform Memo, June 18, 2012
Describes recent developments in various health plan and health insur.ance matters at the federal and state levels. This issue includes a discussion of the effects of the Supreme Court decision on health care costs and delivery, the Society of Actuaries report about potential implications of risk mitigation programs in ACA, health spending growth projections, and more. (Deloitte Center for Health Solutions)

[Opinion]

Text of Letter from Business Roundtable to Congress on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PDF)
"Whatever the ruling, the nation would be well served by a 'cooling-off period' that would allow elected leaders to fully consider their options. A careful review of the court decision could then lead to hearings before development of a legislative response." (Business Roundtable)

[Opinion]

The Supreme Court Ought to Strike Down All of the Federal Health Care Law
"Here's a quick checklist of the 10 worst things that will be left in the law if the Supreme Court voids only the individual and Medicaid mandates:" (Galen Institute)

[Opinion]

Why the Supreme Court's Health Care Decision Will Mean a Lot -- and Not So Much
"The two fundamental challenges to American healthcare today are how to improve value (quality divided by cost) and how to improve access (primarily by insuring the tens of millions of uninsured people). The bill sought to address these twin challenges in ways that were complex and intertwined. [The author argues] that a decision by the Court to throw out all or part of the ACA will have a profoundly negative effect on the access agenda, but surprisingly little impact on the value agenda." (The Health Care Blog)

States Are $1.38 Tril.lion Short in Employee Benefits Funding
"States continue to lose ground in their efforts to cover the long-term costs of their employees' pensions and retiree health care.... [S]tate pension plans represented more than half of [the $1.38 tril.lion] shortfall, with $2.31 tril.lion set aside to cover $3.07 tril.lion in long-term liabilities—leaving about a $757 bil.lion gap. Retiree health care and other non-pension benefits accounted for the remaining $627 bil.lion. States have amassed $660 bil.lion in non-pension liabilities but saved just $33.1 bil.lion to pay for them—slightly less than 5 percent of the total cost.... Over the last three years, the majority of states put reforms in place to better manage their retirement bills, but there is more work to be done to get back on solid fiscal footing." (Pew Center on the States)

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Grants Patent to HighRoads for The Lab®, its Health Care Plan Benchmarking Database Covering More than 40 Million Lives
(HighRoads)