North Carolinians will have to wait a little bit longer to see exactly how much individual insurance purchased through the new North Carolina federally facilitated exchange will cost. CNN Money reports that FirstCarolinaCare, a non-profit health insurance carrier and newcomer to North Carolina’s individual health insurance market, plans to release its premium rates for the […]
FirstCarolinaCare May Provide First Glimpse at NC Health Insurance Exchange Premiums
August 8, 2013 By
HHS Office of Inspector General: Security Testing of PPACA Exchange Data Hub Lags Behind Schedule
August 7, 2013 By
A number of news outlets have provided coverage of a recent report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) shows that the security testing of the data services hub, a cornerstone of the new Health Insurance Exchanges (also known as Marketplaces) is behind schedule. Although HHS Secretary Kathleen […]
Federal Government Launches New Healthcare Reform Website for Employers
August 2, 2013 By
The federal government has launched a new website for employers that addresses some common employer healthcare reform questions. The healthcare portion of the website allows an employer to select the location of its headquarters, the number of employees it has, and whether or not it will offer insurance to its employees in 2015. Based on […]
The Big Push: Obama Administration Readies Advertising Blitz to Promote PPACA
July 24, 2013 By
With just under 70 days to go until the Health Insurance Marketplaces, also known as Health Insurance Exchanges, are set to come online, the Obama Administration is gearing up for a “media blitz” to promote the new coverage options available as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The AP reports […]
Treasury Official Testifies on Delay of Employer Mandate and Reporting Requirements
July 17, 2013 By
The written testimony of a U.S. Department of the Treasury official before the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health was published on July 17, 2013. This testimony, given by J. Mark Iwry, Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Retirement and Health Policy, describes the decision to delay the […]
SCOTUS Strikes Down DOMA – What Employer Group Health Plans Can Expect Next
June 27, 2013 By
The Supreme Court of the United States has invalidated Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a landmark decision that will result in significant changes to the employee benefits landscape for same-sex couples legally married in a state. Section 3 of DOMA amends the Dictionary Act in Title I, Section 7 […]
IRS Issues Transition Relief from Individual Mandate for Employees
June 26, 2013 By
The IRS has issued Notice 2013-42 providing valuable transition relief from the Individual Mandate. The Individual Mandate generally requires all taxpayers to maintain minimum essential coverage beginning January 1, 2014. If a taxpayer does not maintain minimum essential coverage, the taxpayer will be assessed a tax penalty that is the greater of a flat dollar amount […]
In the Red Zone: Obama Administration Drafts NFL to Help Advertise New Insurance Options
June 25, 2013 By
In a strategic move to promote and publicize the new health insurance coverage options set to become available to the public for 2014, the Obama administration has asked the National Football League (NFL) to help advertise the new health insurance products available as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). With […]
MLR Rebates Round 2: Employers Prepare for Rebate Distribution
June 25, 2013 By
The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight has published a listing of health insurance issuers owing Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) rebates for the 2012 MLR reporting year. Health insurance issuers must pay these rebates to individual and group policy holders by August 1, 2013. The Department of Health and Human Services announced on June […]
Proposed Legislation Seeks to Expand and Strengthen FSAs and HSAs
June 14, 2013 By
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have introduced the Family and Retirement Health Investment Act of 2013. This bill is designed to broaden the scope of both health savings accounts (HSAs) and health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and to make these types of accounts more consumer friendly as […]
