Congress will be on recess until after Labor Day, starting today for the House and next week for the Senate. NAHU encourages members to meet with lawmakers during this time to discuss our federal priorities, to include surprise billing and repealing the ACA's Cadillac Tax.
The Senate is expected to consider NAHU-supported legislation to fully repeal the Cadillac Tax after the August recess. The House passed their version by a vote of 419-6 last week and NAHU is actively seeking the support of 60 senators for cloture to be considered on the Senate floor.
A legislative package to address surprise billing will not be considered until after the August recess. NAHU strongly supports a benchmark standard over arbitration, both of which are currently being considered by lawmakers.
Bipartisan legislation was introduced the House to reform the ACA's employer reporting requirements. Companion legislation in the Senate is expected as soon as next week.
This week's news is courtesy of the National Association of Health Underwriters.
BenefitWallet, our preferred HSA vendor, now has a local presence. If you’re interested in hearing more about how they integrate with Geisinger Health Plan (GHP), their overall process flow, or need support for HSA Open Enrollment meetings or benefit fairs, contact your account executive.
Managing chronic illnesses at home is an important step for participants to take when maintaining their health. It helps in avoiding hospitalization and the need for emergency care. It also gives the member the self-confidence and the tools to manage their chronic condition. When they feel better and they no longer feel the burden of their symptoms, they can live happier, healthier lives! Significant emphasis is placed on lifestyle management (nutrition, increasing physical activity), behavior change and goal setting.
Geisinger offers five programs to help our patients, members, and the community Live Their Best Life while learning effective tools and resources to take the steps to manage their chronic illnesses:
Live Your Best Life
Live Your Best Life with Diabetes
Diabetes Prevention Program
A Matter of Balance
Freedom from Smoking
People with different chronic health problems attend together and the gain support and friendship from others with similar concerns and challenges. The programs are a complement to the clinical care provided by their medical teams. From the class, participants gain confidence that they can make changes to manage their chronic condition and improve their health. In turn, they can implement healthy behaviors that benefit their long-term care and happiness.
All programs are open to the public (adults 18+) and offered at no cost. Program details can registration information can be found on by clicking here.
Healthy, nutritious food is one of the keys to a healthier lifestyle, but for so many people, accessing healthy food is a challenge. In an effort to address food insecurity and higher rates of Type 2 diabetes in the community, Geisinger has opened its second Fresh Food Farmacy®, bringing this innovative food-as-medicine concept to northeastern Pennsylvania.
Scranton’s Fresh Food Farmacy, at 3 W. Olive St., is now open and enrolling those who have uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes and who are food insecure, meaning their household experiences hunger on a regular basis. Fresh Food Farmacy participants are referred to this program that focuses on providing education and food to create better health outcomes and lower medical costs.
With Type 2 diabetes being a lifestyle-responsive disease, the Fresh Food Farmacy’s food-as-medicine approach is designed to meet a patient on their journey to becoming healthier. In many cases, patients face a major roadblock by a lack of access to healthy food. Patients enrolled in the program are matched with a care team and together they work on meeting goals to control their diabetes through dietary and lifestyle changes. At no cost to the patient, the Farmacy provides food for patients and their households to make 10 meals per week. Patients select from fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and other staple items.
At capacity, the Scranton location will serve 500 patients per week and more than 2,000 community members through the provided food. In addition to providing food, all patients have access to food prep and meal planning advice, nutritional guidance, health education classes and healthy recipes.
A third Farmacy location is expected to open this summer in Lewistown. For more information on the Fresh Food Farmacy, click here.
To view the updated employer application, click here.
As a reminder, the updated broker checklist is available and can be viewed by clicking here.
Geisinger Health Plan may refer collectively to Geisinger Health Plan, Geisinger Quality Options, Inc., and Geisinger Indemnity Insurance Company, unless otherwise noted.
