Group items tagged

Remember, the best employees are or will become Intelligent, Connected, Health Consumers. They’ll appreciate it if you empower them to make a difference in their own coverage. Give them access to innovative services like Castlight Health. Castlight is a “health care transparency solution” which can tell you, for example, that the same colonoscopy you’ll get in Chicago can cost hundreds of dollars less at a quality hospital a few miles away. Explain to your employees that the money they save can end up in their pocket—and be willing to shar

The Obama administration said in April it was scaling back the complexity of the small-business marketplace by delaying by one year a feature to allow employees of such businesses to pick from a range of plans, instead of the company selecting one on workers' behalf.

Business owners will be allowed to submit a paper application using a PDF form starting Tuesday, but they won't be able to complete an electronic application until a few weeks later, the official said. A call center for businesses will open Tuesday for employers who want help completing the paper application.

These small group requirements are expected to increase the cost of small group coverage by an average of 15%––with wide variation by state and the average age of the group.

Why not do the same for small employers as well? And while they are at it, use the time to reconsider the impact many of these regulations are likely to have on the number of small employers continuing to offer coverage

Consumers, meanwhile, who are paying a greater share of the cost, are making spending adjustments.  Many are delaying care, using fewer services and choosing less expensive options such as retail clinics, urgent care centers and mobile health devices.

“Healthcare cost increases continue to exceed overall growth in wages, but the gap appears to be shrinking.  The long-term trends suggest that as the economy improves, the cycle of runaway cost increases will be broken,” said Michael Thompson, principal with PwC’s human resource services practice.  “This is critical as employers strategically reevaluate the role of healthcare benefits to their organizations and step up efforts to engage employees more directly in value-based healthcare decision making.”

“You lie!” in the middle of the president’s reassurances that unauthorized immigrants to the U.S. wouldn’t receive health benefits. It also included these fateful words: “The plan I’m proposing will cost around $900 billion over 10 years—less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration.”

An employee who worked 1,800 hours over the course of the measurement period would average 34.6 hours per week, and would thus be eligible for coverage.  The “administrative period,” which can be up to 90 days, is the period where you enroll these eligible employees. The “stability period,” which has to be at least as long as the measurement period, defines how long they will have coverage.

Just remember that, starting in 2015, employees always have to be in a stability period for full compliance. So employers should not wait until October of next year to start planning.  Even though the mandate is delayed, employers still have to prepare.