by Jennifer Kupper In-house Counsel for iaCONSULTING, a UBA Partner Firm The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) specifically encourages and promotes the expansion of wellness programs in both the individual and group markets. In the individual market, the secretaries of the departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Treasury, and Labor are directed … Continued
By Danielle Capilla, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors In the Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2016 Final Rule issued in February 2015, federal agencies included a clarification that annual cost-sharing limitations for self-only coverage apply to all individuals, regardless of whether the individual is covered by a self-only plan or is covered by … Continued
By Jennifer Kupper The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) specifically encourages and promotes the expansion of wellness programs in both the individual and group markets. In the individual market, the secretaries of the departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Treasury, and Labor are directed to establish a pilot program to test the … Continued
By Danielle Capilla, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors On March 4, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a case that centers on the meaning of statutory language in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). At question in the case is whether or not the Internal … Continued
By Bill Olson, Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors Employer health savings account (HSA) funding strategies have changed in recent years in response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and its impact on employer-sponsored health insurance plans. Employers are contributing less, on average, to HSAs and the increase in popularity of … Continued
By Linda Rowings, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services issued a Final Rule with standards for insurers and Marketplaces in 2016, covering topics such as transparency in health insurance rate increases, formulary drug lists, drug mail order opt … Continued
Posted by: Bill Olson United Benefit Advisors Health Plan Survey Finds Higher HSA Contributions Correlates to Increased Enrollment in High Deductible Health Plans In 2014, employees saw a 10 percent decrease in their average single Health Savings Account (HSA) employer contribution from the previous year, from $574 in 2013 to $515 in 2014, according … Continued
By Elizabeth Kay, Compliance & Retention Analyst, AEIS Advisors Employers that are growing up, and are in the awkward teenage years, are about to get a big surprise, and not the good kind. When a company first opens, they are excited when they first implement their benefit plans for their handful of employees. They offer … Continued
By Linda Rowings, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors On February 18, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2015-17. This Notice addresses employer payment or reimbursement of individual premiums in light of the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). For many years, employers were permitted to reimburse premiums … Continued
By Linda Rowings, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors On February 13, 2015, the regulatory agencies issued an FAQ on whether supplemental health insurance coverage that provides additional categories of benefits may qualify as supplemental excepted benefits. Many provisions of PPACA do not apply to excepted health benefits. Supplemental excepted benefits are those that … Continued