The Chartwell Chronicles: An Overview of New Jersey Workers' Compensation
Midyear Premium Increases and Cafeteria Plan Rules
The D&O Renewal Market: Will the Wild Ride of Premium Increases, Stretched Capacity and Restrictive Terms Continue?
Health Reimbursement Arrangement Update
Podcast: Health Reimbursement Arrangements
Is Private/Non-Profit D&O Coverage Under Priced?
Does the Affordable Care Act really make health insurance more affordable?
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions about the interaction of HIPAA, the Affordable Care Act, and various group health plan issues relating to the COVID-19...more
The Final Rule. In a Final Rule posted by CMS last Tuesday, July 24, 2018, CMS announced that $10.4 billion in “risk adjustment transfers” (“Risk Transfers”) for benefit year 2017 (as calculated pursuant to the Affordable...more
Resolving a split in the lower courts, the Federal Circuit issued two decisions on June 14, 2018, wherein the Court held that health insurers Moda Health Plan Inc. (Moda Health) and Land of Lincoln Mutual Health (Land of...more
On April 25, 2017, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services released for public comment a draft Section 1115 waiver application to implement new eligibility and coverage requirements for MaineCare, the State’s...more
On April 18, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published in the Federal Register a final rule (the "Final Rule") aimed at stabilizing the individual and small group health insurance markets...more
After narrowly passing the Budget Committee, the Republican-sponsored health reform repeal and replace bill, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), is scheduled for a floor vote for Thursday, March 23, 2017, seven years to the...more
The Future of Essential Health Benefits - Editor's Note: The Essential Health Benefits (EHB) rule may be among the many parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that are on the chopping block as the Trump Administration and...more
Since I began writing this year-end review in 2013, there have been some common themes – a shift to pay for quality and away from fee-for service, much of which has been brought about by the Affordable Care Act (ACA): efforts...more
President-elect Donald Trump announced on November 28, 2016, that current House Budget Chair Representative Tom Price is his choice for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. Many providers are wondering what health care...more
Minnesota’s Governor and legislators propose financial assistance options for on- and off-Marketplace individual coverage; Vermont receives final federal approval for the country’s first all-payer ACO model; and a report...more
HealthCare.gov consumers begin previewing 2017 coverage options as HHS projects a 9% enrollment increase over last year and an average 22% benchmark premium increase; Oregon study finds increased primary care spending in...more
Kentucky receives final approval from CMS to transition its Marketplace to the HealthCare.gov platform; Ohio puts a prescription drug price ceiling on its November 2017 ballot; and a new study links Medicaid expansion to...more
A federal report finds that Marketplace premiums are lower in expansion states; Massachusetts and Pennsylvania launch prescription drug monitoring systems; and Kentucky submits a slightly modified Medicaid expansion waiver to...more
CMS concludes no QHPs can be certified as comparable to CHIP coverage; California's Marketplace plans to connect consumers to vision coverage issuers; and states react to CMS's proposed HealthCare.gov user fee....more
Overview - On August 18, 2015, Arizona released the Modernizing Arizona Medicaid proposal for a new 1115 waiver to implement coverage and delivery system reforms in its Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost...more
CMS permits states to use income information from other means-tested benefit programs for Medicaid eligibility determinations; Alaska’s Medicaid expansion is given the green light to launch today; and Washington State submits...more
In This Issue: - Medicare Releases Set of Payment Rules, Physician Fee Schedule on Deck - Implementation of the Affordable Care Act - Federal Regulatory Initiatives - Congressional Initiatives - Other...more
In this week’s highlights, new proposed guidance from the feds would allow default renewals to lower cost plans and bring enhanced transparency to Qualified Health Plan rate increases; open Enrollment hits its stride –...more
In This Issue: - Implementation of the Affordable Care Act - Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives - Other Congressional and State Initiatives - Other Health Care News - Upcoming Hearings and Markups -...more
On April 14, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) reported their findings that show a smaller rise in insurance premium costs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) than previously...more
The deadline to enroll in coverage for January 1 was officially extended by a week, but the new December 23 deadline is fast approaching, and premium payments are required to be paid by the last day of 2013 for January 2014...more
In an October 30th letter addressed to Congressman Jim McDermott, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, left little to interpretation: Qualified health plans (QHPs) purchased through...more
On October 28, 2013, CMS announced that Medicare beneficiaries are realizing significant out-of-pocket savings as a result of health care reform efforts. The savings are based on cumulative savings in the prescription drug...more
On the heels of HHS’s recent announcement that qualified health plans (QHPs) purchased through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance exchanges are not “federal health care programs” for purposes of the federal anti-kickback...more
On September 27, 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Arkansas’s waiver to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion by using premium assistance to purchase QHPs in the Health...more