Author: Scott Welch
A California workplace safety board postponed a vote Thursday on a proposal that would have allowed workers to return to their jobs without social distancing or face masks so long as everyone in a room is vaccinated.
Among the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021’s many economic stimulus provisions is a temporary subsidy for COBRA coverage that will undoubtedly be a significant benefit for individuals who lost health coverage during the pandemic, but which is just as certain to be a tremendous administrative burden for employers and group health plans.
According to California’s Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, some 97% of the state’s companies have a gender wage gap. To close that gap, the state legislature has instituted a new law, SB 973, also known as the “pay data reporting law.”
Advertising on Google for health insurance providers just got more complicated. Starting on June 2, 2021, Google will only allow ads from government exchanges, first-party providers and licensed third-party brokers who complete the new third-party certification program.
Many progressive Democrats and President Biden face the political reality that sweeping health care overhauls are unlikely to be successful in the short term, meaning their hopes could instead be based on building on recent changes to the Affordable Care Act and the cost of prescription drugs Lower medication. Almost 1.4 million uninsured people are ...
Claim: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state had an estimated $76 billion budget surplus when he introduced his May budget revision last week. But on Monday, the Legislative Analyst’s Office released a report that estimated the surplus at $38 billion, much lower than the administration’s figure. The difference in estimates led his critics on social media to ...
In the wake of Haven — the much-touted employer-sponsored health care joint venture that paired Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Berkshire Hathaway before disbanding in January — JPMorgan Chase has launched Morgan Health. The new business unit will focus on improving the quality, efficiency, and equity of employer-sponsored health care, the company says, and plans call for Morgan ...
Employers and their workers have hundreds of billions of dollars at stake in the fight over House Democrats’ drug pricing bill, according to a new West Health Policy Center analysis. Why it matters: If anyone has the political clout to take on the drug industry, it’s employers. By the numbers: The House bill could reduce employer health spending by ...
A group of insurers and brokers has created a new advocacy group aimed at preserving health reimbursement arrangements that could be targeted by the Biden administration. The new HRA Council, launched Friday, will serve as a nonpartisan advocacy group aimed at raising awareness about individual and small employer HRAs, which allow employers to subsidize their ...
President Biden proposed lowering the age of Medicare eligibility to 60 during the presidential campaign and reiterated his support recently, with the goal of broadening coverage and making health coverage affordable for older adults. Proposals to lower the age of Medicare, either to 60 or a younger age, may be considered by Congress. One KFF analysis shows ...