March 16th Question From Vince Phillips
Senator Toomey's office reached out to PAHU to see what the individual market is like these days. Well, how's it going? Please give specific examples -- no names but explain particulars of various cases. These will be forwarded back to Senator Toomey's staff. Submit your answer.
Leg Reg Rerview #11 - 03/13/2017
The gauntlet of hearings on the State Budget for FY 2017-18 has been completed. Read more.
Starmark | A new reference-based pricing self-funded plan design - available soon!
A new reference-based pricing self-funded plan design for small to mid-size employers. Read more.
Highmark Agency Action Alerts
This week's Agency Action Alert covers the following topics: Small Group Update - CMS Extends 'Grandmothered' Policies for One Year and Individual Market - Affordable Care Act Talking Points. Read more.
GOP health plan to increase uninsured by 24M, CBO says
About 24 million people are expected to lose healthcare coverage by 2026 under Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace parts of Obamacare, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Read more.
Broker organizations plot next moves on MLR provision
Despite years of lobbying efforts by broker advocacy organizations, the American Health Care Act makes no mention of removing broker commissions from the Affordable Care Act’s medical loss ratio provision. Read more.
PinnacleHealth to affiliate with UPMC, acquire four midstate hospitals
PinnacleHealth has signed off on two agreements today that could radically change health care in the midstate. Read more.
3 weird AHCA individual health product effects
If the House Republicans' American Health Care Act proposal really becomes law and takes effect as written, what could it do to the individual major medical insurance products and supplemental health products? Read more.
Trump meets with Democrats at White House on drug prices
President Donald Trump told Democrats at the White House Wednesday that he wants to do something about U.S. drug prices, according to a lawmaker at the meeting, an area of potential bipartisan agreement as the two parties wrangle over Republicans’ attempt to repeal Obamacare. Read more.
House Advances Reconciliation Repeal of the ACA, Drops Provision to Cap the Employer Exclusion
On Tuesday, congressional Republicans introduced the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the reconciliation bill to repeal and replace provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and quickly moved to advance the legislation through the committee process. Read more.
Five Ways The GOP Health Bill Would Reverse Course From The ACA
After literally years of promises, House Republicans finally have a bill they say will “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. Read more.
Feds try to ease ACA subsidy program data agony
The cost-sharing reduction program serves 4 million Affordable Care Act public exchange users who have family income under 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Read more.
Healthcare reform bill opens the door to more flexible plan design
If the provisions in the GOP’s health reform bill hold, specifically the removal of the employer mandate, advisers say they expect to see more flexibility in employer-sponsored healthcare and the broker’s ability to help companies create customized benefit plans that are not hampered by essential health benefit requirements. Read more.
What are midstate leaders saying about the proposed American Health Care Act?
We canvassed some businesses in the midstate about their initial thoughts on the GOP's replacement of the Affordable Care Act. Here are their thoughts. Read more.
Lawmakers take up Obamacare revision without an independent scorekeeper
You might think of it as the legislative equivalent of flying into a storm without instruments. Read more.
Obamacare revision clears two House committees as Trump, others tried to tamp down backlash
A Republican proposal to revise the Affordable Care Act claimed its first major victories Thursday amid a backlash that both Republican leaders and President Trump spent the day trying to tamp down. Read more.
Where Does Your Premium Dollar Go?
Health care costs are too high for too many. Read more.
Why the ACA replacement bill is missing the mark for employers, employees
Anyone curious enough to read the 123 pages of the recommendations relating to the replacement of the Affordable Care Act will quickly find that it’s as difficult to navigate as our healthcare system. Read more.
Who wins and who loses under Obamacare replacement bill
Republicans in Congress have long vowed that they can make health care more affordable and accessible. Americans will now see if they can keep that promise. Read more.
Is UPMC making a run at PinnacleHealth in Harrisburg-area hospital 'vacuum'?
A proposed merger of PinnacleHealth and Penn State Hershey Medical Center was scrapped last year due to arguments the unified system would be dangerously big. Read more.
3/20 My URL 101: Cases, Contracts & Commissions
As an agent contracted with URL, you can access application information by carrier, case status, date range and more. Read more.
Weekly PPACA Update Conference Call
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act Law in 2010, there has been incredible change in the Individual and Group Health industry with products and in the way they are sold and paid for. A new Federal Administration is in place and even more changes will be ahead of all of us. Because of these inevitable changes and in a continuing effort to keep our agent-partners informed, we are holding weekly webinars. The webinars will serve as a place to get your questions answered, learn about compliance requirements and discuss topics and strategies that will lead to your continued success in the individual and group health insurance markets. Register once for all of the Weekly PPACA Conference Calls. Register now. Register now.
Weekly PPACA Conference Call Archives
Click here to view the archived recordings of the PPACA Conference Calls.
