Washington Watch

ACA: Replacement Plan. Last week, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Senate Finance Committee member Richard Burr, R-N.C., released an outline of a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. The plan would scrap the ACA's insurance marketplaces, individual and employer mandates, medical device tax, and Medicaid expansion. Tax credits would be available to employees of smaller companies and people earning up to three times the poverty rate. (The New York Times, 2/5)

ACA: Online Brokers. Health insurance brokers have asked the federal government to allow their customers to enroll in a health insurance plan and determine eligibility for premium support without leaving the broker's website. IRS regulations restricting the sharing of income status with third parties might be the holdup. CNBC (2/2)

ACA: 2/15/2015 Open Enrollment Ends. Enroll by this date and coverage can begin as soon as March 1. After this date, you can enroll in or change plans for 2015 only if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. If you don't have health coverage during 2015, you may have to pay a penalty. The fee in 2015 is higher than it was for 2014 - 2% of your income or $325 per adult/$162.50 per child, whichever is more. More information here:

https://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace-deadlines/2015/
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Anthem Hacked. Anthem, one of the nation's largest health insurers, said last week that the personal information of tens of millions of its customers and employees, including its chief executive, was the subject of a "very sophisticated external cyberattack." The company, which is continuing its investigation into the exact scope of the attack, said hackers were able to breach a database that contained as many as 80 million records of current and former customers, as well as employees. This is likely the largest data breach disclosed by a healthcare company. (New York Times, 2/5 and Wall Street Journal, 2/4). More information can be found here:  

http://www.anthemfacts.com/

PA. The Senate Banking & Insurance Committee took up Senate Bill 293 (Eichelberger-R-Blair) requiring that navigators and "assistors" under the ACA register with the PA Insurance Department and undergo individual background checks. A re-introduction from last session's bill which passed the Senate, SB 293 is the top legislative priority of the PA Association of Health Underwriters. (LEG REG REVIEW, 2/2/15, by PHILLIPS ASSOCIATES)