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?
For the first time in four years, the IRS adjusted the affordability percentage used for the shared responsibility penalties. The IRS recently announced that the affordability percentage for 2025 will be 9.02%....more
For the third year in a row, the IRS adjusted the affordability percentage used for the shared responsibility penalties down. The IRS recently announced that the affordability percentage for 2024 will be 8.39%. This is down...more
The Biden administration gave its stamp of approval last week to Colorado’s novel waiver under Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to require premium reductions in a public option program, a first-of-its-kind plan...more
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) in 2010, Texas has deferred to the federal government with respect to certain aspects of health plan rate review. That’s about to change. On October 19, 2021, the...more
Over the past few months, many employers have announced plans to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among their workforce by implementing either medical premium discounts for the vaccinated or surcharges for the unvaccinated. ...more
As many companies continue to struggle with low employee COVID-19 vaccination rates, some employers are evaluating imposing higher premiums for unvaccinated employees under their group medical plans. These employers see this...more
Examine the Evolving Challenges That Lie Ahead for Healthcare Stakeholders and State Regulators—and What You Can Do Now to Prepare and Protect Your Organization—at a New Manatt Webinar. Effective health insurance...more
[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
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
The decision of Blue Cross of Idaho to offer health insurance plans that appear to violate federal law begins the latest chapter in the continuing saga of the Affordable Care Act’s increasingly tenuous existence. Blue Cross...more
At this writing, the prospects for success of the latest Republican effort to replace the Affordable Care Act appear bleak — but the Graham-Cassidy bill on which the GOP has pinned its last-ditch hopes highlights a major...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
On the last day before the U.S. Congress began its spring recess, the U.S. House of Representatives amended the now consolidated bill H.R. 1628, known as the American Health Care Act (the AHCA). We previously discussed the...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
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
Arkansas’ Governor requests to transition to a “State-based Marketplace on the Federal Platform;” Louisiana launches Medicaid expansion with SNAP fast-track enrollment; and study shows 2016 premium increases are lower for...more
In the past, many employers (especially smaller companies) have offered to pay their employees’ premiums for individual healthcare insurance instead of sponsoring their own group health plans. With the advent of the...more
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) recently held a two-day hearing on rate changes proposed by Massachusetts health insurance plans to be effective for the second quarter of 2016 (Q2). Presentations by carriers, in...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