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Happy July 4th – Summer 2011
Healthcare Reform - Year Later Hello. It’s been awhile, hope you’re all well. To all who have inquired, my thanks for your concern, but all’s good. Hectic, but good. Lot’s going on and an awful lot of travel. I’ve had a chance to meet and talk with with...
Wellness plans pay for themselves
Although employers continue to use cost shifting to control health insurance expenses, many companies are also making wellness programs part of the overall strategy to keep costs down by keeping staff members healthy. "Our entire health care system is organized around...
SPONY Winter 2011
Small Business Tax Credit
Small Business Tax Credit. From our blog http://alexmillers.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/president-kills-new-1099-reporting-of-ppaca/ More small businesses are providing health insurance to their employees in 2011 as a result of the tax credit of up to 35% and 25% for...
Reform Video – Kaiser
Health Reform Hits Main Street - Kaiser Health Reform
Health Care Reform Glossary
Accountable Care Organization (ACO) – These organizations coordinate patient care and provide the full range of health care services for patients. The health reform law provides incentives for providers who join together to form such organizations and who agree to be...
HSA 2012 Limits
The IRS has announced the Health Savings Account (HSA) limits for 2012. In 2012, HSA limits are as follows: HDHP Minimum Annual Deductible (No change from calendar year 2011): Single - $1200 Family - $2400 HDHP Out-of-Pocket Maximum: Single - $6050 Family - $12,100...
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The Employer Mandate under Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
Larger employers that don’t offer minimum essential health coverage to full-time workers may face penalties under health care reform if any full-time employees receive a government premium credit or subsidy to buy their own insurance through an exchange. The so-called...
What does FTE(Full Time Equivalent) mean?
To determine the FTE (Full Time Equivalent) you must count FT and PT employees. Full Time Employees are those working 30 hours+/week.* The number of full-time employees excludes those full-time seasonal employees who work for less than 120 days during the year.4 The...
HTTPS is your friend
At times a non related health care themes needs posting. This one is an important security measure that ought to be applied by all users whenevr possible. HTTPS connections are often used for payment transactions on the World Wide Web and for sensitive...
Massachusetts: 5 Years after Health Reform
This month on April 12th, 2011 marked the five-year anniversary of Massachusetts 2006 State Health Care Reform. The reform was signed into law by then-governor Mitt Romney with the goal of providing affordable health insurance coverage to the estimated 6% of...
President kills new 1099 reporting of PPACA
A taxing provision for small businesses was officially repealed last Thursday. The widely unpopular provision would have had businesses report transactions to IRS of $600 in a year paid to ALL businesses for goods and services. Suddenly businesses would have to...
New Fed. Labor Laws by #of Employees
Aside from the many health care related questions that are popping up with the new Health Care Reform Act otherwise known as Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act there are also new Labor Law changes that affects businesses of all sizes. For the latest info...
Tax Credit Boosts Small Business Health Plan Enrollment
More small businesses are providing health insurance to their employees in 2011 as a result of the tax credit of up to 35% and 25% for non-profits offered through PPACA starting in 2010. Several insurers have reported significant increases in small group enrollments....
Health Reform News: Fed. Judge Rules on Individual Mandate
Yesterdays ruling on Individual Mandate by Florida Federal Judge on buying a health plan is unconstitutional changes everything. More importantly, Judge Vinison also struck down the entire bill as unconstitutional. According to Politico, the health reform law lacks...
IRS Will Not Enforce Non-Discrimination Clause….For Now.
The IRS issued On December 22, 2010 a Notice http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-11-01.pdf which states compliance with the non-discrimination provisions of the Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) are suspended for insured group health benefit plans....for now....
Health Reform Hits Main Street – Kaiser Health Reform
[vodpod id=Groupvideo.7904996&w=450&h=325&fv=] Discovered Health Reform Hits Main Street - Kaiser Health ... via adamsorensenFollow my videos on vodpod
HSA 2011 Limits
The Internal Revenue Service has released the 2011 limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and for high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), to which HSAs must be linked. The amounts for 2011 are unchanged from 2010. In Revenue Procedure 2010-22, issued on May 24, 2010,...
Westchester Medical Center and Empire Blue Cross end contract
The teaching hospital of Valhalla and Empire no longer have a contractual agreement effective 11/1. This effects the commercial product and not the Medicare plan - MediBlue. This comes up on the heels of the rancorous recent dispute between Empire and Stellaris...
Pharmacists Role Expanding?
Interesting article of Pharmacies possibly expanding new role in health care: Pharmacies Embrace Expanding Medical Role. With access to MDs expected to be reduced as has been felt in Massachusetts, an early adapter of universalized health care, the elevated roles of...
Massachusetts Health Care for “U.S.”?
With the new Health Care Reform – PPACA (Patient Protection Affordibility Care Act) there is a greater need to cut costs on administration in order to compete. New guidelines are becoming more and more onerous on insurers. For example, a member who opts out of purchasing insurance coverage and only buy a plan when sick with minimal penalty and no waiting period then its a potential time bomb for insurers! When member drops out after resuming health and so insurers has no “good years” to profit to save for the “bad years” when one is sick.
NY Ranks Health Insurers Based on Complaints
“Each year, NYSID and DOH receive complaints about health insurers from consumers and health care providers. After reviewing each complaint, the State determines if the health insurer acted appropriately. If the State determines that the insurer did not act in accordance with their statutory and contractual obligations, the health insurer must resolve the problem”
Health Reform: Grandfathering Your Current Insurance Plan (06/14/2010 Press Conference)
As an example, if an Oxford raises the deductible from $1000 to $1200 or by “15% + medical inflation rate”. Think this is unusual, check your benefits form 3 years ago and see if a $10 copay is still available.
Empire & Stellaris Reach Pact effective 8/1/10
The showdown is over and 45,000 Westchester Empire Blue Cross residents can now breathe a sigh of relief. The majority of the Westchester hospitals belong to this network – Lawrence Hospital Center,Northern Westchester Hospital, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center and White Plains Hospital Center.
Top Doc?
Its out there, the big issue came out this week! Sure some of you are thinking Person of the Year or Sports Illustrated Swim Suit issue(that’s in February) but those in the medical field know what I’m talking about. Ahhhh the long awaited annual Top Doc issue is out. Is it HS all over again or is it for real?
So who is the top Payor by Physicians?
According to a 2010 Athena Health Survey Humana is named as the Top Payor by Physicians.
Hospital Contract Non-Negotiations
Just a heads up on a topic that will be all too familiar going forward. We see this as a trend and not the exception. As hospital systems have consolidated in reaction to negative market condition and increasing costs of doing business. But size is better when it...
Rep Ryan (WI) – Obamacare will raise costs
"...This bill explodes the deficit, it explodes the debt..." Paul Ryan Paul Ryan on taxing future generations for today's health care, unfunded mandates and the travesty that is the socialist-style Obama health care reform bill. Recorded 3-21-2010 more...
Health Care Reform Myths
[vodpod id=Video.2797081&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26] more about "Ray Suarez Debunks Health Care Reform...", posted with vodpod
The Health Care Reform Bill
The President earlier today has signed The Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, a historic health care reform that's been 14 months in the making. This is after Sunday's Congressional passage by the slim margins of 219-212. The...
COBRA Subsidy Extended AGAIN
President Obama Tuesday night signed into law legislation that provides a stopgap, 31-day extension of federal subsidies of COBRA health care premiums. The Senate approved this on a 78-19 vote, while the House cleared it last week. Under H.R. 4691, the 65%,...
President’s Health Reform Proposal Issued
The President yesterday released with great anticipation his own version of the Reform Health Bill. This is the opening bid before Thursday's Bipartisan Summit. The proposed Bill for the most part is similar to the Senate Bill passed in December with a few minor...
St. Vincent Hospital Bankrupcy Again?
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100126/FREE/100129916# "Facing crushing cash flow crunch it seeks deal that could keep system from returning to bankruptcy court; Continuum Health Partners says it has entered discussions." Hospitals are obligated to accept all...
Boston Uprising?
The people have spoken it seems as Democrats lost a key Senate seat occupied for nearly 50 years to Republican Scott Brown. The irony of course is that Massachusetts is a progressive state taking the lead in health care reform. The state has had mix success with...