Health Care Reform News & Trends from URL

Group Compliance Notice

The rules surrounding 5500 filings for health and welfare plans have changed a bit over the years, and remain somewhat confusing for most employers. 5500’s and associated schedules are due by the last day of the seventh month following the end of the plan year. There are a number of exceptions to this filing requirement. Read more.

Benefix Quoting Platform - New Features Training

Toolkit Items:

Live Benefix Training + Q&A

Spring represents a time of growth and change, which means Benefix is releasing brand new features! We've made it even easier to run quotes for your small groups in no time at all. An updated look to Step 2, auto-selecting plans, and the ability to customize your proposal for every group are just a few of the highlights.

Join Benefix on Tuesday, April 5th at 11am or Thursday, April 7th at 2pm ET for a live training + Q&A. Register now.

Update on Pennie’s Medical Assistance Account Transfer Automatic Eligibility Initiative

As you may know, Pennie has been working diligently to implement an auto-eligibility system that would give customers transferring from Medical Assistance to Pennie a more streamlined process for enrolling in health coverage. Unfortunately, Pennie has decided to delay the implementation of the auto-eligibility feature until we are fully confident the data transfer will ensure a seamless transition for qualified customers. Read more.

Pennie | Broker Workgroup

Pennie | Path to Pennie

Those who have indicated they are uninsured on tax form REV-1882 will soon receive an official notice from Pennie with instructions on how to enroll in coverage. These notices will begin to be distributed in early April and will include unique access codes for recipients to claim their new Pennie account. Learn more at: Path to Pennie | Pennie. Read more.

Pennie | What Effective Date Will My Client Receive?

Check out this Special Election Period Quick Reference Chart. Read more.

Pennie | 2022 Producer Commissions

Pennie is proud to work with insurers to make sure Pennsylvania producers have access to commissions information in advance of the start of the annual Open Enrollment Period and for any changes to commissions throughout the plan year. Beginning with plan year 2022, insurers that offer health plans through Pennie are required to notify their appointed producers of the commissions fee schedule. Read more.

Pennie | Website Walkthrough

Looking for help with the Pennie portal? Take a look at these "How To" videos created to walk you through.

House Passes Insulin Cost-Sharing Bill

House members voted Thursday to cap what diabetic patients with commercial health coverage pay for insulin at $35 per month. The House passed H.R. 6833, the Affordable Insulin Now bill, by a 232-193 vote. The bill may have a chance of attracting some Republican votes in the Senate. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., the sponsor, attracted no Republican cosponsors in the House, but 12 Republicans crossed party lines to vote for it. Read more.

Unwinding and Returning to Regular Operations after COVID-19

The expiration of the continuous coverage requirement authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) presents the single largest health coverage transition event since the first open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act. As a condition of receiving a temporary 6.2 percentage point Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) increase under the FFCRA, states have been required to maintain enrollment of nearly all Medicaid enrollees. Read more.

White House expands ObamaCare again, fixing 'family glitch' and broadening subsidized plan eligibility

President Biden's administration plans to expand the availability of coverage under the Affordable Care Act, citing a "glitch" that has prevented around 5 million people from qualifying for subsidized health plans. The White House will be pushing forward an amendment to the program that will allow families with health insurance through an employer to receive financial assistance paying for the coverage. Under the proposed change, households that spend 10% or more on health care insurance will now qualify for financial assistance. Read more.

Aries Pennie Special Enrollment Period Bonus (qualify through 6/1)

Help your clients with their Pennie special election period (SEP) needs and earn more the Pennie SEP bonus! Read more.

Highmark | Introducing the 2022 New Highmark Incentive (qualify through 1/1/2023)

Highmark is excited to announce the 2022 New to Highmark Incentive. Read more.

NEW Pennie Community Workgroup

Pennie has decided to combine the Broker Workgroup, the Outreach and Education Workgroup as well as the Broker and Assister Lunch and Learns to form one unified, expanded workgroup called the Pennie Community Workgroup. This group will meet virtually the second Friday of every month from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. These meetings will focus on hot topics in the marketplace, system updates, and technical tutorials related to the Pennie platform. Register now.

4/21 UPMC | Learn Why it Matters to Improve Workplace Health Disparities

Join UPMC on Thursday, April 21 at 1 p.m. for a discussion with UPMC’s top thought leaders on social determinants of health (SDOH) and how they affect businesses. Register now.

4/26 Capital Blue Cross ASO 101

Join Elyse Frey (URL's Group Health Manager) and Ashley Keith (Capital Blue Cross Sales & Account Executive) on April 26th at 2pm EST for an ASO overview.

We will discuss:

What is ASO
What is a Surplus
How does the plan work for Employees & Employers
New Incentives
New Products

6/7 Lunch and Learn on Voluntary Benefits: What You Need to Know

Join Elyse Frey (URL's Group Health Manager) and Matt Kuntz (Colonial Life's Regional Broker Manager) on June 7th at 12pm EST for a 2 CE credit lunch and learn about voluntary benefits.

This session will cover the increasing need for voluntary benefits and review typical worksite products. We will also discuss other important pieces in understanding VB including underwriting, sales cycle, implementation, and enrollment.

Attendees can expect to gain an understanding of the following:

The history of voluntary benefits
Different types of voluntary benefits products and how they help fill the medical insurance gap
The value of voluntary benefits for employers and employees
How to position voluntary benefits
Implementation timelines and enrollment methods