Podcast: Health Reimbursement Arrangements
K&L Gates Triage: An Insider’s Perspective on the Health Care Debate in Washington, DC
How Does King v. Burwell Decision Affect the Affordable Care Act?
The Affordable Care Act: The Structure of Health Plans – Interview with Alden Bianchi, Member, Mintz Levin
Does the Affordable Care Act really make health insurance more affordable?
[co-author: Claire Pollock, Paralegal] In this episode of Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion, Brydon DeWitt and Claire Pollock discuss proposed health reimbursement arrangement regulations that may provide welcome relief...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
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
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
Even as we write and you read, the Supreme Court in King v. Burwell is considering whether qualifying (often low income) individuals and families who have an opportunity to purchase healthcare coverage through the Affordable...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
On September 4, 2014, the D.C. Circuit vacated a panel decision in Halbig v. Burwell (Civ. No. 14-5018) striking down the federal government’s provision of premium subsidies to individuals purchasing coverage through the...more
In a May 21, 2014, letter to the President of the American Hospital Association (AHA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius confirmed HHS’s position that private, not-for-profit...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
With most Massachusetts health insurance plans, provided he/she has not yet remarried, an employee with at least one dependent child can add a former spouse to the coverage for no additional cost, so there is no additional...more
A district court in the District of Columbia recently held that the Internal Revenue Service’s (“IRS”) rule authorizing premium tax credits to individuals who enroll in health-care coverage through federal exchanges was...more
Royal Oakes was quoted in a Jan. 5th, 2014, Business Insurance article, Lawsuits Over Health Exchange Premium Subsidies Challenge Heart of Reform Law, by discussing a pair of lawsuits aimed at limiting availability of premium...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
Following last week's declaration that Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) on HealthCare.gov are not "Federal health care programs," and thus are not subject to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, CMS released additional guidance...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
In This Issue: - Top News ..Deal to Raise Debt Ceiling, End Shutdown Yields No Major Changes to Health Care Law ..Problems with HealthCare.gov Website Continue; HHS Working to Fix Issues ..Kaiser Study...more
I blogged recently about IRS and Department of Labor (DOL) guidance restricting the ability of employers to subsidize individual health insurance premiums for their employees after December 31, 2013. That IRS and DOL guidance...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
Engaging Consumers to Improve Integrated Care Models - Integrated care is a growing trend in health reform, as states seek to improve care quality, health outcomes and patient satisfaction while containing healthcare...more
With a week until a potential government shutdown and a week until open enrollment begins, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in the limelight. On September 20, the House voted for a continuing resolution that funds the...more
As the Healthcare Landscape Shifts, Four Issues Are Critical to Build Effective Market Access Strategies - In this time of high growth and fast change for the healthcare industry, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and...more
In This Issue: Leading the News; Other HHS and Federal Regulatory Initiatives; Other Congressional and State Initiatives; Other Health Care News; and Hearing and Mark-Ups Scheduled. Excerpt from Leading the News...more
Clearing up the Rumors around Health Reform Delays: What Really Happened, What Won’t and Steps Employers and Insurers Can Take Now - Rumors are flying in health policy circles that the Obama Administration might delay...more
In This Issue: The ACA’s Effects on the Employer Insurance Market; Using the Premium Assistance Option to Purchase Coverage for Medicaid Beneficiaries in the Exchange: A Review of the Legal, Policy and Operational Issues; and...more