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Compliance

This section focuses on health care compliance and regulations – both national and state – including the ACA. It includes changes in health care law, regulation, and court decisions and their impact on health insurance professionals, employers, and individuals.

Big Changes To The Retirement System Are Included In Congress’s End-Of-Year Bill

Tucked into the $1.7 trillion government spending bill for 2023 lawmakers unveiled Tuesday are a range of significant reforms to help Americans save more for retirement. These include increasing the age for required minimum distributions from retirement plans to pushing businesses to get more employees enrolled in plans. The bill also includes ideas that may help younger ...

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CMS Proposes Cap On Nonstandard ACA Plans, Network Adequacy Standard Changes For 2024

The Biden administration wants to limit to two the number of nonstandardized Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange plans an insurer can offer on HealthCare.gov in 2024 as part of an effort to make it easier for consumers to pick a plan. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Monday the proposed Notice of ...

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Modest Increases In Premium Found In Health Benefits Survey

The latest survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) concerning employer-sponsored health benefits found modest increases in employers’ and employees’ costs in 2022. In its 24th Employer Health Benefits Survey (EHBS), KFF found the average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in 2022 were $7,911 for single coverage and $22,463 for family coverage. These amounts were up from ...

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Are Indoor Holiday Parties Safe As COVID, Flu And RSV Spread? We Asked Three Experts

The past three years the holidays have been clouded with pandemic concerns. Now, with COVID, the flu and RSV circulating — what should folks look out for at gatherings? The Sacramento Bee service journalism team posed the same questions to three California hospitals. The following doctors provided emailed responses: * Dr. Matthew Eldridge, chief of ...

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More Than 7 Million Incorrect Diagnoses Made In US Emergency Rooms Every Year, Government Report Finds

A new study finds that nearly 6% of the estimated 130 million people who go to US emergency rooms every year are misdiagnosed, which translates to about 1 in 18 patients getting the wrong diagnosis. The report, published Thursday by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, reviewed nearly ...

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CMS Proposes New Medicare Advantage And Part D Reforms On Prior Authorization, Marketing

The Biden administration released a proposal to streamline Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D plan prior authorization and add health equity requirements to star ratings. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule Wednesday outlining policies for MA and Part D plans for the 2024 coverage year and implementing drug price provisions in ...

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IRS' 2023 Contribution Limits For HSA, FSA, 401(K): What Plan Sponsors Need To Know

Following recent announcements by both the IRS and the Social Security Administration, we now know most of the dollar amounts that employers will need in order to administer their benefit plans for 2023.

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Biden Administration Proposes Crackdown On Scam Medicare Ads

The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed a ban on misleading ads for Medicare Advantage plans that have targeted older Americans and, in some cases, convinced them to sign up for plans that don’t cover their doctors or prescriptions.

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After Congress Extends Subsidies, Officials Urge Nevadans To Get Health Insurance

State officials are urging Nevadans to take advantage of low-cost health insurance plans available on the marketplace created through Obamacare, touting a multi-year extension of government subsidies approved over the summer through the Inflation Reduction Act.

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Out-Of-Pocket Health Costs Spiked In 2021

Americans’ out-of-pocket health spending rose 10.4% in 2021, a growth rate not seen since 1985 that was driven in part by demand for dental services, eyeglasses and medical supplies, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ annual National Health Expenditures report. The big picture: Overall health spending grew by only 2.7%, a much smaller rate than ...

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