“Dear Employer” Letter from Medicare (Part 2) – Compliance Overview

The CMS Data Match program determines whether an employer-sponsored group health plan has the responsibility for paying health care claims before Medicare. As discussed in last week’s post, with the number of workers age 65 and over steadily increasing, many...

Letters From CMS (Medicare) to Employers Regarding Group Health Plan Reporting Are Causing Some Confusion

Many employers are receiving letters from CMS (Medicare) requesting information and it’s causing some confusion. The actual title of the letter reads “Requirement to Submit the Group Health Plan Report for the IRS/SSA/CMS Data Project”. Here’s an overview that may...

In Case You Missed It – HHS Has Again Extended the Small Group “Keep Your Plan” Provision of the Affordable Care Act

We know you get updated on a lot of healthcare issues.  Just in case you missed our previous announcement this is worth repeating for those employers in the under 50 segment who have kept pre-ACA plans in place. For our under 50 employee groups, we were ramping up to...

New Source of Over-Utilization? Study Indicates Use of Retail Clinics May Be Increasing Healthcare Costs

Use of retail clinics leads to higher costs. Seems a bit counter-intuitive doesn’t it? You’d think that the use of retail clinics like those found in some CVS and Kroger stores and typically staffed by nurse practitioners would be apt to lower total costs. In fact...