Author: Scott Welch
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires fully insured Small Group medical plans to offer an annual one-month Special Open Enrollment (SOE) Window. This period, which runs from November 15 to December 15 annually, allows eligible Small Group employers to enroll in medical coverage without needing to meet the usual contribution or participation requirements. Group coverage obtained during the SOE ...
Governor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed an Assembly bill opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce that would have harmed access to health care by cutting off needed private funding for health care providers. The bill, AB 3129 (Wood; D-Santa Rosa), would have required private investors to obtain the consent of the California Attorney General before acquiring ...
As open enrollment begins this month at Covered California, state residents shopping for health insurance through the agency can take advantage of more financial help than at any time since the Affordable Care Act went into effect. In 2024, 1.5 million Californians received an enhanced premium tax credit from the U.S. government that they were ...
When Camila Bortolleto was 9 years old, her parents brought her from Brazil to the U.S. Bortolleto’s parents are undocumented, but in 2013 she was approved for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allowed her to get a job and, with it, job-based health insurance. Bortolleto, now 36 and living in Connecticut, left her ...
Legislation signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom on September 24, 2024 will subject commercial debt collectors to new compliance requirements starting in 2025.
Nearly 80% of employees "strongly agree" or "agree" they will spend more time reviewing their employee benefits options and coverage this year than they did during the last enrollment period.
The IRS has announced new 401(k) contribution limits for 2025. In its release Friday, the agency increased the employee deferral limit to $23,500, up from $23,000 in 2024. The change applies to workplace plans, including 401(k)s, 403(b)s and most 457 plans, along with the federal Thrift Savings Plan. The IRS also unveiled 2025 catch-up contribution limits for savers age ...
Physicians will see their Medicare reimbursement fall 2.9% next year if Congress doesn’t stop the cuts. Meanwhile, reimbursement for hospital outpatient departments is rising 2.9%.
Just over 4 in 10 U.S. workers are extremely or very satisfied with their benefits packages, the 2024 EBRI/Greenwald Research Workplace Wellness Survey found. This percentage is in line with previous years of the survey. Health insurance is most often mentioned as a top benefit when deciding whether to stay at a current job or leave (72%), ...
At least three major insurers are eliminating broker commissions for some Medicare Advantage plans. According to documents shared with Becker’s, Elevance Health will eliminate commission payments beginning Nov. 1 for new enrollees in some Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 15 states. The company will still pay commissions to brokers for renewing existing members. Aetna will eliminate commissions ...