by Tom Barrett | Nov 9, 2016 | Employer Issues, General Health, General Insurance Issues, Health Policy, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Issues, Healthcare Reform, National News, News and Events, Uncategorized
Highly respected industry expert Bob Laszewski provides an ongoing review of health care policy activity and the health insurance marketplace. We have followed his takes on healthcare reform for some time and have always found them to insightful, balanced, realistic...
by Mike Barrett | Sep 14, 2016 | Employer Issues, General Health, General Insurance Issues, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Issues, Medicare Medicaid, Pharmacy Costs, Pharmacy, PBMs and Pharma Costs
We have all heard jokes that begin with “Three guys walk into a bar….” I thought it might make sense to use that model to explain why “referenced-based pricing” and general consumer awareness in healthcare are important to consider. Here...
by Tom Barrett | Sep 1, 2016 | Employer Issues, Health Policy, Healthcare Issues, Healthcare Reform, Uncategorized
Notifications from insurance carriers about this year’s rebates have recently started going out to employers. Under the ACA, carriers have until September 30 to notify employers if they are to receive a rebate. Any impacted employees will also be notified by the...
by Tom Barrett | Jul 29, 2016 | Employer Issues, General Health, General Insurance Issues, Health Policy, Healthcare Issues, Healthcare Reform, Uncategorized
The “Controlled Group” question is popping up for many employers with much greater frequency as part of various and sundry regulatory applications, audits, surveys, reporting requirements and underwriting questionnaires. Netting it out in layman’s terms — at...
by Tom Barrett | Jul 25, 2016 | Employer Issues, General Health, General Insurance Issues, Healthcare Issues, Healthcare Reform, Pharmacy Costs, Research
There’s plenty of cost related analytics available to support the disproportionate cost premise that medical expenses are highly concentrated among a very small proportion of enrolled employees. These highlights, for example, from a Agency for Healthcare Research and...
by Tom Barrett | Jul 15, 2016 | Employer Issues, General Health, General Insurance Issues, Health Policy, Healthcare Issues, Healthcare Reform, National News
While this was more of a hot topic when the full monty of healthcare reform was implemented back in 2014, some employers perhaps unaware of the turmoil in the individual marketplace still ask about reimbursing employees for individual health insurance policies. The...