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2014 Healthcare Symposium On July 25, the Central Penn Business Journal will host the 2014 Healthcare Symposium at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey hotel. Topics include: Consumer involvement with healthcare decisions, Plan options for employers, How employers are keeping costs down and keeping employees healthy, How hospitals and Health Systems are aligning with physicians, insurers and each other. Click here to learn more and get tickets.
Final rules issued for the 90-day waiting period On June 25, 2014, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Treasury, and Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly issued final regulations clarifying orientation periods and the waiting period provision under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Departments realized that a lengthy orientation period could affect the 90-day waiting period limitation. Click here to read more. Most Will Be Able to Automatically Renew Coverage Under Health Law The Obama administration announced Thursday that most people would be able to renew subsidized health insurance coverage without filing an application and without going back to HealthCare.gov, the website that frustrated millions of consumers last fall. Click here to read more. NAHU Washington Update: CMS Releases Re-Enrollment Rule for 2015 Coverage Late Thursday afternoon the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule on re-enrollment in individual and small group exchange plans for 2015. Under the proposed rule, most people who have already enrolled in exchange coverage in the individual market, even subsidized coverage, will not have to fill out a new application or go back through Healthcare.gov in 2015. Agent and broker NPN numbers will be passed through with the re-enrollment. Click here to read more. Special Enrollment Periods and Hardship Exemptions for Persons Meeting Certain Criteria This guidance provides information related to three types of special enrollment periods (SEPs) for persons seeking to enroll in qualified health plans (QHPs) through the Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM). Click here to read more. *Don’t Forget about the COBRA Special Election Period!
UPMC Producer Update 6/27/2014 - Statement on Transition Plan UPMC is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to a robust, patient-focused transition plan that addresses the expiration of the Highmark-UPMC contracts on December 31, 2014. Click here to read more. Highmark Patients First initiative delivers certainty for health care consumers in Western Pennsylvania Through the support of Governor Corbett and leaders in Harrisburg, Highmark has entered into an arrangement with UPMC that lays out a roadmap for how our members can access health care across Western Pennsylvania, including UPMC, Allegheny Health Network and a comprehensive network of community hospitals. Click here to read more. United Concordia: New Product Available in Your Market No one wants to pay for more than what they need; and not everyone needs an expensive, comprehensive dental plan. Click here to read more. Highmark Channel Insights – May/June 2014 Welcome to the May/June edition of our electronic newsletter Channel Insights - News for the Producer Community. Inside you will find valuable information to help you successfully serve your customers and grow your Highmark book of business. Click here to read the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Channel Insights. Click here to read the Highmark Blue Shield Channel Insights.
2015 FFM Certification Support classes start August 7th. Look for more information coming next week. FFM Update: FFM registration for the 2015 Plan Year launches July 7, 2014 You successfully completed both Parts I & II of the agent/broker registration process for the 2014 Plan Year in the Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM). Click here to read more. PrimePay Broker Webinar Series - July 2014 Managing regulatory compliance ranks as one of the top 3 business issues of your clients. How do your clients focus on growing their business through this constant barrage of new and ever-changing regulations and requirements? Click here to read more. Find Opportunities Outside of ACA Enrollment The window may be closed, but we're about to open doors. Did you know options exist for those that missed the enrollment deadline and for those that are struggling with high-deductible exchange plans? Click here to read more. Weekly PPACA Update Conference Call In a continuing effort to assist our agent-partners in getting the information needed to flourish within the under 65 group and individual markets in Pennsylvania, we are holding weekly live webinars. They will serve as a place to get your questions answered and discuss topics and strategies that will lead to your continued success in the health insurance market. Click here to register. Weekly PPACA Conference Call Archives Click here to view the archived recordings of the PPACA Conference Calls. IRS Premium Tax Credit Information Click here to download the Presentation Slides. Click here to download the Resources.
PinnacleHealth, Hershey Medical to form 'collaborative and innovative health enterprise' Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and PinnacleHealth System have signed a letter of intent to form a new health enterprise in Central Pennsylvania, the organizations announced this afternoon. Click here to read more. PPACA enrollees may face new plans or hefty increases Many consumers will have a big choice to face in 2015: Either switch plans, or face “substantial premium increases." Click here to read more. Half of brokers still mulling industry exit Though that success threatened some brokers, some insiders point to the continued role brokers still have in the exchanges. For example, roughly half of those who bought a plan that met the PPACA’s rules said they got help enrolling from brokers, navigators or family members, according to the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Click here to read more. PPACA enrollees may face new plans or hefty increases Many consumers will have a big choice to face in 2015: Either switch plans, or face “substantial premium increases.” Click here to read more. 10 ACA questions small employers should be asking “The majority of Americans, including many small business owners, are still confused about the health reform legislation,” according to Health Partners America, a broker training and education organization. Here are 10 FAQs about the Affordable Care Act and its implications for small businesses. Click here to read more. NAHU Washington Update: Musical Carrier Chairs With the 2014 open enrollment period behind us, many are looking ahead to 2015, including the insurance carriers. Last year, we all watched as the federal government and states struggled to build exchanges, then, as the exchanges seemingly began to come together, we looked to the carriers to see who would actually sell in the new marketplaces. Click here to read more. Funding bill hits IRS PPACA implementation House Republicans are trying to draw attention to the role of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Members of the House Appropriations Committee today voted 28-21 to approve the fiscal year 2015 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill. Click here to read more. Hobby Lobby and the future of religious exception Did the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in the Hobby Lobby case open the floodgates for thousands of businesses to disregard federal mandates if they conflict with their religious views? Or was it a narrowly defined victory for Hobby Lobby and its supporters that won’t have much application beyond paying for certain contraceptives? Click here to read more. ObamaCare coverage for millions in jeopardy as watchdog finds widespread data flaws The Obama administration is struggling to resolve data discrepancies that could jeopardize coverage for millions who sought health insurance on the federal exchange HealthCare.gov, according to a watchdog report on the still-rocky implementation of ObamaCare. Click here to read more. Employer Reporting of Health Coverage Code Sections 6055 & 6056 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created new reporting requirements under Internal Revenue Code (Code) sections 6055 and 6056. Under these new reporting rules, certain employers must provide inf ormation to the IRS about the health plan coverage they offer (or do not offer) to their employees. Click here to read more. How Employers Should Handle MLR Rebates The Affordable Care Act ( ACA) requir e s health insurance issuers to spend a minimum percentage of their premium dollars on medical care and health care quality improvement . This percentage, or medical loss ratio (MLR ) , is 85 percent for is suers in the large group market and 80 percent for issuers in the small and individual group markets. Click here to read more.
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