Last week we received word that the House Ways and Means Committee “approved legislation that   that would temporarily repeal the law’s employer mandate.” Reps. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) sponsored the bill, which “would suspend penalties for the employer mandate for 2015 through 2019 and delay implementation of the tax on high-cost employer-sponsored [...]

ACA plans are “projected to jump an average of 15% next year,” according to the Congressional Budget Office. This increase is being attributed “in large part” to the repeal of the ACA’s individual mandate, which takes effect in 2019. This alone will cause premiums to be 10% higher because fewer healthy people will buy coverage, [...]

ABC World News Tonight (5/18, story 9,) reported, “The Trump Administration has moved to cut off funds to family planning clinics that perform abortions or provide referrals for them.” This change is expected to impact “some $260 million of Title X family planning funds,” and Planned Parenthood in particular. On its front page, the Washington [...]

A previously extended transitional policy that permits health insurance issuers to continue group coverage that would otherwise be terminated or cancelled due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been further extended to policy years beginning on or before October 1, 2019, provided that all policies end by December 31, 2019. Health insurance issuers that [...]

Fierce Healthcare (4/5, Sweeney) reports that CMS intends “to ‘wind down’ support for the federal exchanges by the time open enrollment hits in 2019 and shift funding to states.” In order for this plan “to work, the agency is relying on Congress to do something it failed to do several times last year: Pass an [...]

2018 is already proving to be another year of disruption, innovation, and transformation in the health care industry, as it strives to create a model that better meets the needs of all its stakeholders. Here are some of the trends that will be impacting the industry this year. Some of them have been around for [...]

Cigna Corp. agreed to buy Express Scripts Holding Co. for $54 billion in cash and stock, another move toward consolidation between U.S. health insurers and the companies that oversee patients’ drug benefits. The acquisition is a shakeup for the industry that runs prescription drug programs for insurers and employers, negotiating prices with drugmakers and sometimes [...]

The Washington Times  (1/31, Airey) reports that Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed legislation Wednesday that will require all health insurers in the District to cover several women’s health procedures without any out-of-pocket costs. The move is aimed at protecting residents in the event that the GOP-controlled Congress repeals the ACA. The list of services [...]

Model Notice Informs Employees of Eligibility for Premium Assistance Under Medicaid or CHIP The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has updated its model notice for employers to provide information on eligibility for premium assistance under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This notice is generally updated twice a year. Click here to download [...]