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Archive for November, 2014

Group Health Plans That Do Not Cover Inpatient Hospital or Physician Services | New York Benefits Broker

November 28th, 2014   |   by admin   |   in Health News, Industry News

Posted by Linda Rowings Beginning in 2015, large employers must offer affordable, minimum value coverage to their full-time employees or potentially pay a penalty. Some companies have been marketing a plan that they state satisfies the minimum value requirement (an actuarial value of 60%), based upon a calculator provided by the Department of Health and […]

Timing of Wellness Reward Screenings | NY Benefit Brokers

November 20th, 2014   |   by admin   |   in Health News

Question: Are we required to have employees complete wellness reward screenings which impact health care premiums, prior to the new plan year beginning? Answer: While some employers do take this approach, it may be possible for employers to apply premium reductions for those who complete the required screenings mid-year. The challenge relates to compliance with […]

Can Employers Assist Employees with Premiums for Individual Plans? | NY Employee Benefits

November 17th, 2014   |   by admin   |   in General News

Posted by Carol Taylor On November 6, 2014, the collective Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor (DOL) and the Treasury released three Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) directed at employer payment plans for the purchase of individual insurance. While the departments had previously released several other pieces of guidance about these arrangements, this latest […]

Reference-Based Pricing and Cost-Sharing Limits | New York Benefits Broker

November 12th, 2014   |   by admin   |   in Industry News

Posted by Linda Rowings The Department of Labor (DOL), the IRS, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have jointly issued a FAQ that addresses how “reference-based pricing” works with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) restrictions on out-of-pocket maximums. PPACA limits the out-of-pocket maximum a non-grandfathered plan may impose, and […]

Requirement to Obtain a Health Plan Identifier (HPID) Delayed | New York Employee Benefits

November 10th, 2014   |   by admin   |   in Industry News

By Linda Rowings On Friday, October 31, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) quietly updated its Health Plan Identifier information page to delay the requirement that insurance carriers and self-funded health plans obtain a health plan identifier (HPID). The delay is in effect until further notice. Plans that have already obtained their […]

Self-Funded Plans Must File Transitional Reinsurance Fee Form by November 15 | Brio Benefits

November 7th, 2014   |   by admin   |   in Health News, Industry News

Posted by Linda Rowings The transitional reinsurance fee (TRF) applies to fully insured and self-funded major medical plans for 2014, 2015, and 2016. The purpose of the fee is to provide funds to help stabilize premiums in the individual insurance market in view of uncertainty about how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) […]

Top Health Care Statistics | NY Employee Benefits

November 3rd, 2014   |   by admin   |   in Health News

Nov 3, 2014 Posted by briobenefits in Health News, Surveys | Comments Off Top Health Care Statistics | NY Employee Benefits By: Peter Freska, MPH, CEBS, Benefits Advisor The LBL Group A UBA Partner Firm We field many calls to review, speak, and comment on a variety of topics. Of course, the generally pertain to […]