Governor Wolf Receives Conditional Approval from Federal Government to Pursue State Based Health Insurance Marketplace

Governor Tom Wolf today announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conditionally approved the administration’s application to create a Supported State Based Marketplace. Click here to read more.

Two states win approval for ObamaCare backup plans

Both Delaware and Pennsylvania have won approval from the federal government to pursue back-up plans to save their ObamaCare subsidies if the healthcare law loses in court this month. Click here to read more.

Highmark Commission Information - Clarification regarding upcoming changes to commission for SEP enrollment

Last week we sent this alert regarding Individual Market commissions. Please see clarification noted below: This only affects commission payments from August 1 through December 31. Click here to read more.

Federally-facilitated Marketplace Agent and Broker Training and Registration for Plan Year 2015 Closing

Beginning on June 15, 2015, the 2014-2015 Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM) training and training curriculum completion certificates for Agents and Brokers will no longer be available on the Medicare Learning Network® (MLN) Learning Management System (LMS) as we prepare to launch the training for plan year 2016. Click here to read more.

Central Penn Business Journal Healthcare Symposium 2015

Please join Deb Wilkinson on July 22nd for the Central Penn Business Journal Health Symposium. This annual event will feature timely and informative speakers to keep you abreast of the ever changing health insurance market in Pennsylvania. 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.

ACA-Related Filings

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a federal statute that was signed into law on March 23, 2010. As part of federal health care reform, states are encouraged to make health filings that meet ACA eligibility requirements accessible to interested parties via the Internet. Click here to read more.

CVS to Buy 1,600 Drugstores From Target for $1.9 Billion

The voracious CVS Health is already a dominant player in nearly every corner of the health care world — it is the nation’s largest dispenser of prescription drugs, the biggest operator of health care clinics and the second-largest pharmacy-benefits manager. Click here to read more.

Wolf: All CHIP plans now meet federal requirements

Gov. Tom Wolf announced today that all CHIP health insurance plans under which families pay the entire premium now meet the minimum essential coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Click here to read more.

IRS clarifies ACA reporting requirements for large employers

Affordable Care Act reporting requirements for applicable large employers begin in 2016, but many employers and their benefit advisers remain confused about requirements for certain employers with special circumstances. Click here to read more.

Skyrocketing drug prices leave cures out of reach for some patients

Sophisticated drugs are opening the door, scientists say, to an era of "precision medicine." They're also ushering in an age of astronomical prices. Click here to read more.

CMS outlines plans for year three on federal health exchange

New consumer tools are in the works for Healthcare.gov, as the federal government focuses on the exchange’s long-term success. Click here to read more.

King v. Burwell in Perspective: Only 1 Out of 5 Whose Insurance Costs Grew Because of Obamacare Got Subsidies

The Supreme Court will soon hand down its decision in King v. Burwell. That case asks the court to decide if the statutory text of the Affordable Care Act authorizes the Treasury to pay subsidies to individuals who purchased coverage through HealthCare.gov—the federally operated health insurance exchange for states that did not establish their own exchanges. Click here to read more.