Leg Reg Review #12 - 03/20/2017

The House Insurance Committee reported out House Bill 133 (Baker-R-Tioga) on March 13. The Insurance Department would be required to “develop flexible guidelines” for coverage and approval of health savings account eligible high deductible plans and “encourage and promote the marketing” of health savings account eligible high deductible plans by insurers (but not to “be construed to authorize the sale of insurance in violation of requirements relating to the transaction of insurance or prohibiting the interstate sale of insurance.”) Read more.

Save The Date for the CPAHU Annual Golf Outing

Join the Central Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters on May 19th at the Armitage Golf Club. Read more.

The wait is over... Starmark Healthy Choices now available!

Now available for small to mid-size employers in select states, Starmark Healthy Choices is an innovative self-funded reference-based pricing plan design with stop-loss insurance from Trustmark® Life Insurance Company that helps control plan costs while enabling employers to offer freedom of provider choice! Read more.

Highmark Individual Market Update - NEPA Individual HMO Plans Require PCP Be Selected

The NEPA Individual Product Portfolio includes mostly HMO products. These products require a PCP selection for each family member enrolled. Read more.

Healthcare consolidation: Mapping Pennsylvania's evolving healthcare landscape

Over the last several years, healthcare systems across Pennsylvania have seen a series of mergers, consolidations and affiliations as economies of scale and other factors push the healthcare industry towards ever larger and larger systems. Read more.

How to fix Obamacare with this one amazing trick

Forcing young, mostly healthy Americans off their parents' coverage could help Republicans make good on their promise to salvage the health care system. Read more.

Freedom Caucus aligns with Bannon in risky Obamacare gambit

The Republican hard-liners are going around House Speaker Paul Ryan and finding a sympathetic ear in Trump's right-hand man. Read more.

Compliance Penalties Increase For 2017

On January 13, 2017, Department of Labor (DOL) agencies - including the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - increased penalties for rule violations as required under the Inflation Adjustment Act. Read more.

Freedom Caucus threatens formal opposition to Obamacare replacement bill barring dramatic changes by Wednesday night

A key group of conservative Republicans in the House is threatening to issue a formal statement of opposition to the Obamacare replacement bill — potentially crippling its chances of being passed in its current form Thursday during a scheduled vote by the full House. Read more.

Freedom Caucus keeps heat on would-be ACA changers

Members of the House Freedom Caucus are still making the Republican fight to get the American Health Care Act proposal through the House interesting. Read more.

Despite AHCA Tweaks, Conservatives Say They Have the Votes to Defeat the Bill

House Republican leaders unveiled changes to the American Health Care Act on Monday night that are meant to secure the bill’s passage on Thursday, but several conservatives are adamant that they still don’t have the votes. Read more.

House Obamacare repeal bill faces first big test Thursday

The House Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare will face its first real test Thursday as it comes before the House Budget Committee, where conservative Republicans who have declared the bill a failure could cast their votes to derail it. Read more.

GOP dissent mounts on health care even as bill advances in House

Republican dissension is mounting over a proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, even as the bill passed another hurdle in Congress and President Donald Trump said he’s open to negotiation on the plan. Read more.

Reminder: Learn about Medicaid/CHIP PDM on March 22

Some of your clients may soon receive Medicaid/CHIP PDM warning notices because the Marketplace has found that they may be dually-enrolled in a Marketplace plan with advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) or income-based cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) AND Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage that counts as qualifying coverage. Read more.

Local entities join to boost technology in health care

What happens when a health insurance company, a health technology firm and medical providers get together? Read more.

It's a case of health imitating sports

As their local hospitals change hands, patients in Central Pennsylvania may feel a familiar tug, especially if they love football. Read more.

Highmark ends bleeding from ACA plans

Highmark Inc. is finally seeing signs of stability when it comes to health plans sold on the individual marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act, the Pittsburgh-based insurer said Friday. Read more.

Local hospitals react to PinnacleHealth move

By this summer PinnacleHealth could be operating seven hospitals in Central Pennsylvania. Read more.

Where Does Your Premium Dollar Go?

Health care costs are too high for too many. 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.