"This Form 1095-A provides information you need to complete Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit (PTC)."  MORE >>

18 pages, rev. Sep. 2022. "[This document] contains general and program specific testing information for use with ACA Assurance Testing System (AATS).... Software Developers must pass IRS AATS scenarios for the forms and tax year that the software package will support.... Transmitters and Issuers must pass a one-time communication test for the forms they will file."  MORE >>

"Requiring employers to provide additional paid leave to employees during certain public health emergencies -- including Spare the Air days -- Proposition G is not tied to the COVID-19 pandemic or other specific health emergency, unlike prior leave laws. Voted into law by San Franciscans in June 2022, the new ordinance goes into effect on October 1, 2022."  MORE >>

"The American Hospital Association (AHA) and American Medical Association (AMA) filed a motion to dismiss their lawsuit challenging the federal government's final rule on surprise billing released last year, but cautioned more litigation is pending. The health care lobbying groups say the August 2022 final rule on arbitration still poses concerns for providers."  MORE >>

13 pages. "In 2021, the U.S. health care system spent $603 billion on prescription drugs, before accounting for rebates, of which $421 billion was on retail drugs. Spending growth on drugs was largely due to growth in spending per prescription, and to a lesser extent by increased utilization (i.e., more prescriptions). Expenditure growth was larger for non-retail drug expenditures (25%) than for retail expenditures (13%).... Drug spending is heavily driven by a relatively small number of high-cost products."  MORE >>

"In January 2022, the average price increase was nearly $150 per drug (10.0 percent), and in July 2022, it was $250 (7.8 percent). The dollar increases were larger than for the same months in previous years. In 2022, several drugs increased their list prices by more than $20,000 or by more than 500 percent. There were 1,216 products whose price increases during the twelve-month period from July 2021 to July 2022 exceeded the inflation rate of 8.5 percent for that time period. The average price increase for these drugs was 31.6 percent."  MORE >>

"Employers can take steps now to help their employees better understand their benefits options and make more informed decisions.... [1] Communicate with employees about benefits early.... [2] Use multiple communication channels.... [3] Employ clear language and personalized messaging.... [4] Highlight the services that come with coverage."  MORE >>

"This report summarizes findings of an environmental scan on consolidation trends and impacts in health care markets. It describes the evidence on price, spending, quality of care, access, and wages in health care provider and insurance markets, as well as other market trends. The authors found strong evidence that hospital horizontal consolidation is associated with higher prices paid to providers and some evidence of the same for vertical consolidation of hospitals and physician practices. Health care spending is likely to increase in tandem with these price increases."  MORE >>

"While other nations have decades of experience in drug price regulation, the IRA creates a new challenge for Medicare’s administrators. How it carries out this work will have important implications for stakeholders and is critical to determining whether this new authority can be sustained or, as some may hope, built upon to regulate additional drug prices."  MORE >>

"Victims of Hurricane Ian that began September 23 in Florida now have until February 15, 2023, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.... Individuals and households affected by Hurricane Ian that reside or have a business anywhere in the state of Florida qualify for tax relief."  MORE >>

"More than 14 months after her nomination, the Senate on [September 29] confirmed Lisa M. Gomez as assistant secretary of labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA] in a 49-36 vote."  MORE >>