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Insurance

ACA young-adult provisions shifting health costs to insurers

06/21/2013
The Affordable Care Act provision that allows adult children to remain on their parents’ health insurance policies through age 26 shifted at least $147 million in health care costs from patients and hospitals to insurance companies in 2011, according to a RAND Corp. study.

Janitor’s health insurance woes a cautionary tale for employers

06/20/2013
When a Maplewood man went to an appointment following colon cancer surgery, his doctor told him his health insurance had lapsed. It turns out, an avoidable HR paperwork mix-up nearly left him destitute and could have threatened his health.

‘Wheel of Fortune’ could land worker in jail

06/19/2013
A North Carolina postal worker could wind up working in a prison mail room after pleading guilty to workers’ compensation fraud. Her problems began when former co-workers spotted her on the television game show “Wheel of Fortune.”

Prepare now for the next round of MLR rebates

06/19/2013
Group health insurers that don’t spend between 80 and 85 cents of every premium dollar on medical care and health care quality improvement must make medical loss ratio (MLR) rebates to employees. This year’s rebates are due by Aug. 1. Take these steps now to prepare.

Kraft improves worker health with new integrated strategy

06/17/2013
Integrating its employee wellness, productivity and health care programs into a unified strategy helped Kraft Foods Group reduce its medical spending growth trend from 8% in 2009 to 1.2% in 2012.

HEXs and SHOPs: Welcome to the new world of health benefits

06/13/2013
Under the Affordable Care Act, open enrollment for the individual health exchanges, or HEXs, begins Oct. 1, 2013. The outlook for the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOPs, through which small employers may buy health insurance is a bit more complicated. Here’s where things stand.

DOL issues revised model COBRA notice

06/12/2013
The DOL last month published an updated version of its model COBRA election notice, as well as model notices that employers can use to tell employees about their options for buying health insurance through the new state exchanges.

New wellness rules allow premium incentives

06/11/2013
Employers will be able to offer rich incentives for employees to participate in workplace wellness programs under final rules issued May 29 by the Obama administration.

6 key ACA terms benefits pros must know

06/10/2013
There’s lots of new lingo built into the Affordable Care Act. Understanding what these six terms mean can help you make better decisions about the health benefits you offer.

Status of States’ Positions on HEXs/SHOPs and Medicaid

06/10/2013

Under the Affordable Care Act, individuals will be able to buy health insurance ­policies through individual health exchanges (HEXs). States may create their own HEXs, and may create SHOPs (Small Business Health Options Program). This chart summarizes the states’ current positions on HEXs, SHOPs and whether they will expand their Medicaid rolls.