For some, it is a question as old as, well, a few months at least since the IRS sanctioned carryovers in health FSAs. On Friday March 28th, the IRS provided some answers. In the form of a Memo from the Office of the Chief Counsel dated February 24, 2014, the IRS provided some guidance on […]
Many news outlets are reporting on the break the administration plans to give to insurers. (See the Kaiser report here.) The break is expected to come in the form of an adjustment to the MLR calculations. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurance carriers to maintain a certain medical loss ratio (MLR). The MLR requires carriers […]
An article from the Kaiser Family Foundation highlights an unintended consequence of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) evolution after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the summer of 2012 – a “coverage gap” for low income adults who are not eligible for Medicaid, but who do not make enough money to qualify […]
On Thursday, September 5, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC (BCBSNC) published the cost of the insurance plans it will be offering in the North Carolina Marketplace (also called the Exchange). Although 27 states, including North Carolina, have defaulted to a federally-facilitated marketplace instead of a state-based marketplace, the cost of plans offered in the Federal marketplace can […]
North Carolinians will have to wait a little bit longer to see exactly how much individual health 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 News & Observer recently reported on the health plans that will be available in the Marketplace in North Carolina in October. Three insurance carriers will be offering plans in the Marketplace, and in some counties, that number is reduced to one. Despite the small number of carriers particpating, as many as 60 plans may be offered. Details of […]
On Tuesday, July 16th, House Bill 649 was presented to Governor McCrory for signature. H649 makes technical changes to the Small Employer Group Health Coverage Reform Act. The stated purpose of the bill is to “mitigate the effects of the federal Affordable Care Act on North Carolina’s small businesses and to increase stop loss insurance […]
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 […]
A recent article in The Business Journal by Owen Covington begs the question: Will North Carolina have a marketplace or a mini-mart for health insurance in the fall? A key part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the Health Insurance Marketplace, scheduled to open in October. The marketplace is designed to give families, individuals and […]
On May 1st, the North Carolina General Assembly sent House Bill 247 (Senate Bill 359) to Governor McCrory for signature. The bill, titled An Act to Allow Health Providers and Health Insurers to Freely Negotiate Reimbursement Rates by Prohibiting Contract Provisions that Restrict Rate Negotiations, would prohibit “most favored nation” clauses in healthcare contracts, a regular clause found in Blue Cross and […]
