Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield reminds you about PCORI fee

At Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, we are committed to keeping you informed about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how Health Care Reform affects you and your employees. Click here to read more.

It Keeps Getting Better! Capital BlueCross' Producer Incentive Program

Once again, we're bringing back our popular incentive program so you can earn extra on the sale of medical + dental contracts effective August 1, 2015 through January 15, 2016! Click here to read more.

Highmark Product Information - Correction to HSA talking points

A July 23, 2015 producer alert provided the below information and link to talking points. Please note that within the talking points, there was a reference to the monthly HSA fee, stating, "Members with standalone accounts will be charged a fee of $3.50." Click here to read more.

Highmark Updates | Clarification on off-exchange enrollments

This week's Agency Action Alert outlined the change that starting Aug. 1, 2015, SEP enrollments must be submitted using a paper process. These enrollments now require additional documentation be submitted with the application. Click here to read more.

UPMC Hospitals Rank in the US News and World Report Honor Roll

UPMC Health Plan is pleased to offer our members access to some of the best hospitals in the country. U.S. News analyzed 4,716 medical centers in the nation, but only those that achieved high scores in six or more specialties were included in the distinguished Honor Roll group. Click here to read more.

Aetna | Supreme Court decision

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that all states must license a marriage between two people of the same sex and honor marriages licensed in another state. Click here to read more.

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Care Reform Update - Additional option for clients with 51-100 employees

Clients can renew their existing Highmark large group policy in 2016, and it will have "grandmothered" status (meaning that the policy would not be required to include certain ACA small group market requirements). Click here to read more.

Webinars added: FFM registration and training for agents and brokers

2016 FFM Certification will be released 9/1/2015. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) presents a webinar for agents and brokers focused on Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM) plan year 2016 registration and training. 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.

Employer, employee concerns about private exchanges affect adoption rates

Benefits today are all about flexibility — from offering employees customized choices that meet their individual needs, to the different channels through which these benefits are offered. Click here to read more.

How would a $48B Anthem-Cigna merger affect rates?

The proposed merger of Anthem Inc. and Cigna Corp. would create a health insurance giant with unparalleled clout in the commercial health insurance business. Click here to read more.

It’s not just the DOL that thinks you may have more employees

Commentary: Just last week, the DOL provided guidance about people treated as independent contractors, but who may really be your employees. That is just part of the trend. Click here to read more.

Money In, Money Out

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on Tuesday the results of the first year of the PPACA’s individual responsibility requirements. Click here to read more.

CO-OPs reach yet another tipping point

As pressure mounts on state-run public health insurance exchanges to be financially self-sufficient in time for 2016, consumer operated and oriented plans created under the Affordable Care Act face the same challenge. Click here to read more.

Tax filing problems could jeopardize health law aid for 1.8M

About 1.8 million households that got financial help for health insurance under President Barack Obama's law now have issues with their tax returns that could jeopardize their subsidies next year. Administration officials say those taxpayers will have to act quickly. Click here to read more.