"As 2023 comes to a close, and before the onset of 2024, [this article describes] the residual impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on benefit plans and its related relief ... [as well as] general refreshers regarding general compliance requirements of Internal Revenue Code Section 125 cafeteria plans, nondiscrimination testing, Form 5500 filing obligations, San Francisco Health Care Expenditure Rates, and updated Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute or Clinical Effectiveness Research (PCORI) fees."  MORE >>

"To ensure that employees derive more value from their health benefits and their FSA or HSA, organizations need to educate their teams about account eligibility and how to use funds to supplement, or fill in the gaps, in health plan coverage.... [1] Doctor visits ... [2] Over-the-counter (OTC) medications ... [3] Everyday wellness products ... [4] Chronic condition management ... [5] Lifestyle management."  MORE >>

"HR 5378, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act ... [1] Empowers patients and employers to shop for health care and make informed health care decisions by providing timely and accurate information about the cost of care, treatment, and services.... [2] Equips employer health plans with the drug price information they need to get the best deal possible for their employees." [Also available: Section-by-Section Summary]  MORE >>

"More Americans than ever, about 92%, now have health insurance -- and simultaneously face enormous bills. Over the last decade, insurers and employers have pushed more cost-sharing onto individuals and families. Now, squeezed by medical costs and inflation, more than 100 million Americans have medical debt and roughly the same proportion report avoiding a prescription because of it."  MORE >>

"Insurance companies and [CMS] are shifting from reimbursing health providers a fixed amount for a service to reimbursement based in part on patients' outcomes. This approach is called value-based care (VBC) and includes a wide range of programs. Although the behavioral health providers that have been impacted by VBC to date are primarily those in larger health systems, use of VBC is expanding as payors seek to combat rising health care costs and increase transparency and accountability for health services. Thus, behavioral health providers need to know about VBC models and their impact as well as steps they can take to be better prepared for this shift."  MORE >>

"Those who believe that the [ACA] should work well for all of us, if only we take advantage of what it has to offer, should be paying more attention ... [T]hree new sources show us that employer-sponsored plans are still leaving health care unaffordable for employees of small businesses, but that is now extending into larger businesses as well."  MORE >>