Posted on May 23, 2013
The Affordable Care Act established the nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to promote the use of evidence-based medicine by disseminating comparative clinical effectiveness research findings. This new Institute, which is funded in part by fees collected from insurers and plan sponsors, will ideally help patients and clinicians to make better informed health care decisions. The fees, which are treated as an excise tax, are often referred to as the “PCORI fees”, “PCOR fees” or “CER fees”.
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Posted on May 23, 2013
Henderson Brothers, Inc. would like to announce the creation of the Pittsburgh Health Care Reform group on LinkedIn. This new forum, created and sponsored by Henderson Brothers, is dedicated to the targeted discussion of relevant developments pertaining to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, ACA, or the Act) and its subsequent regulations.
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Posted on May 22, 2013
Employers are required to provide all new hires and current employees with a written notice about the health benefit Exchange, which is now referred to as the "Marketplace". This notice of Exchange was supposed to be provided to employees back on March 1, 2013, but was delayed pending additional guidance. On May 8, 2013, the DOL issued temporary guidance and model notices that employers may use to notify employees of the Marketplace and the options that it provides.
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Posted on May 21, 2013
The 2013 HITECH Final Rules, which went into effect March 26, 2013, impose significant new obligations on covered entities, business associates, and subcontractors. HHS recognizes the additional burden the new requirements impose on these entities so many organizations will have additional time to execute amended business associate contracts beyond the September 23, 2013 compliance date. Businesses that qualify for transition relief may have an additional year beyond September 23, 2013 to execute amended business associate contracts.
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Posted on May 21, 2013
On May 8, 2013, the DOL released an updated model COBRA Election Notice. The notice has been revised to include basic information about the availability of other coverage in the new public Exchanges. These new Exchanges, which the DOL is now calling the “Health Insurance Marketplace” or “the Marketplace”, will be another option for COBRA qualified beneficiaries beginning January 1, 2014.
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Posted on May 17, 2013
The Affordable Care Act provides that individual and small group premium rates charged by insurers, both inside and outside the Exchange, may vary with respect to a limited number of factors. We have known for quite awhile that insurers selling to individuals and small businesses will no longer be able to take health status or claims experience into consideration. Four factors will determine the rates charged for individuals and small group businesses beginning in 2014.
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Posted on May 17, 2013
The DOL, IRS and HHS have jointly issued a new set of FAQs to address alterations to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC). Changes to the SBC apply for coverage beginning on or after January 1, 2014 and before January 1, 2015, which is referred to as the “second year of applicability”. In addition to the new FAQs, the regulators have also provided an updated SBC template and sample SBC.
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Posted on Apr 29, 2013
Henderson Brothers continues to build the expertise and breadth of its Employee Benefits Division by adding Donna J. Dietrick as assistant vice president, senior benefits consultant, and Susan (Cornelius) Marks as assistant vice president, senior underwriting consultant. Henderson Brothers, Inc., based downtown, is one of Western Pennsylvania’s largest providers of insurance, risk management and employee benefits advisory services.
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Posted on Apr 03, 2013
Many large employers are beginning to set up their process and procedures to begin measuring hours of service for their seasonal and variable hour workforce. It is highly likely that more clarification will be provided, especially since most of the information we are relying upon to construct the measurement period, administration period and stability period have been outlined in proposed regulations released by the Department of Treasury on January 2, 2013. Employers are permitted to rely on the proposed regulations for guidance pending issuance of final regulations or other applicable guidance.
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Posted on Apr 02, 2013
Melissa L. Whittier, Robert J. Hippert and Katie L. Wilson have joined the commercial lines division at Henderson Brothers, Inc. Henderson Brothers, based downtown, is one of Western Pennsylvania’s largest providers of insurance, risk management and employee benefits advisory services.
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