Month: April 2021
Now that COVID-19 vaccines are becoming more widely available, many employers are faced with an important decision: whether to require or simply encourage employees to get vaccinated. This decision can be fraught with difficulties if not handled correctly. In advising clients on how best to deal with the vaccine issue, three common mistakes employers make ...
Nevada’s COVID-19 test positivity rate on Monday increased for the first time in nearly three months, according to state data. The uptick in the two-week daily positivity rate to 4.3 percent came after a week where the rate remained unchanged at 4.2 percent.
A controversial price transparency rule that went into effect in January was intended to enable consumers to comparison shop for certain healthcare services. But a new study from Kaiser Family Foundation discovered that such comparison shopping is difficult among different providers. The study, published Friday, also found that few hospitals are giving out payer-negotiated rates, a key ...
The House on Tuesday approved a bill that would put off automatic cuts to Medicare provider payments until the end of the year. The bill passed with a strong bipartisan majority of 384-38. Technically, the House vote comes nearly two weeks after the cuts were set to take effect, but the delay came with knowledge ...
Employers commonly allow employees to fund their portions of health premiums – that is, their employee contributions – with pre-tax dollars. This feature is so common that many employers (incorrectly) assume they are automatically privileged to utilize pre-tax dollars to fund benefits, just by sponsoring a health plan alone. While there is some work involved ...
Chuck Peterson of Omaha, Nebraska, recently experienced a swollen, painful knuckle caused by arthritis. He got a prescription for colchicine. Doctors have used the drug for treating gout and other rheumatic conditions for well over two centuries. When Peterson went to the pharmacy, he was shocked to discover that a two-month supply of 120 pills, ...
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law – a sixth round of long-awaited support and relief from Congress to help Americans deal with the grappling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, the latest COVID-19 relief measure put forth by the Biden administration, was signed into law in March 2021. It includes a variety of changes affecting the health insurance industry, business owners and managers, and health care providers.
The American Recovery Plan (ARP) Act was signed into law in March 2021, establishing some of the most significant changes to the employee benefits industry since the inception of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – particularly in the COBRA space.
The American Rescue Plan, now federal law, is resulting in some of the biggest changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) since the ACA’s passage more than a decade ago. The new $1.9 trillion stimulus package supports healthcare affordability and increases marketplace access for millions of Americans by expanding consumer eligibility for premium tax credits to pay for health insurance premiums.