On Monday, July 19, the Federal Register published interim final regulations from the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury requiring new health plans beginning on or after September 23, 2010, to cover certain evidence-based preventive care without cost sharing. In other words, plans cannot charge patients copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles for such services (if a network provider supplies the services). However, the preventive care requirements do not apply to grandfathered plans.

The regulations are designed to implement the preventive health services requirements under the massive health care reform legislation (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act) that became law in March. These regulations are the latest part of a series of rules the administration has issued to implement various provisions of health care reform.

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On June 14, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Treasury issued new regulations addressing grandfathered plans under health care reform and how such plans can keep their grandfathered status. Although the new health care reform legislation (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010) requires health plans to provide new benefits, the legislation “grandfathers” plans that existed on March 23, 2010, by exempting them from certain new requirements.

According to a fact sheet released by the departments, the regulations clarify that grandfathered plans will be able to make certain routine changes to their plans without losing their grandfathered status. Such changes include: read more…

A part of the massive health care reform law aimed at encouraging employers to offer health insurance to early retirees is set to launch June 1.

Regulations for the Early Retirement Reinsurance Program were issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on May 4. The program will provide $5 billion for employer health plans that offer coverage to early retirees who are ages 55 to 64. That’s a group the White House considers particularly vulnerable because they aren’t eligible for Medicare until they reach age 65 but they’re in an age bracket that makes them more likely to report fair to poor health.

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Updated Thursday, March 25, 2010

Since President Barack Obama signed part of an expansive health care reform package into law on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, employers should prepare for many changes to their health and benefits plans. The President signed the U.S. Senate’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), which the U.S. House of Representatives passed by a 219-212 vote on March 21, 2010. On that same day, the House also passed the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872), a compromise reconciliation bill designed to provide a package of “fixes” to the Senate’s original bill. The total legislation package (the original Senate bill and the reconciliation bill) will have far-reaching effects on employers.

Audio Conference: Health Care Reform Is Here: Impact and Answers for Employers

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Yesterday, congressional Democrats released the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872), a compromise bill designed to provide a package of “fixes” to the U.S. Senate’s original health care reform bill — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). Similar to the original Senate bill, there are several provisions in the new reconciliation bill that would affect employers in many different ways.

Audio Conference: Health Care Reform Is Here: Impact and Answers for Employers offered April 22, May 6 and May 20

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This week, Democrats have been moving full steam ahead toward passage of health care reform legislation that would affect employers in many ways. Since the Democrats lost their supermajority in the U.S. Senate, many of their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives want to pass the Senate’s version of health care reform so the Senate doesn’t have to vote on another bill and encounter an inevitable Republican filibuster. House Democrats, however, don’t like the Senate legislation in its current form and don’t want to pass it without also passing a package of “fixes.”

Audio Conference: Health Care Reform Is Here: Impact and Answers for Employers offered April 22, May 6 and May 20

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Days after President Barack Obama released his own health care reform proposal, he presided over a health care reform summit on Thursday that both Democrats and Republicans attended. The summit was supposed to help the parties find common ground on the issue of health care reform and allow them to discuss their views. Although the summit identified some areas of agreement, it mostly highlighted the significant gap between the two parties’ views.

Audio Conference: Health Care Reform Is Here: Impact and Answers for Employers offered April 22, May 6 and May 20

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This morning, President Barack Obama released a health care reform proposal that “bridges the gap between the House and Senate bills.” The President released his proposal in advance of the upcoming televised health care summit on Thursday, February 25, and White House officials have noted that the proposal will serve as the starting point for the bipartisan summit.

Audio Conference: Health Care Reform Is Here: Impact and Answers for Employers offered April 22, May 6 and May 20

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By Michael Leahy

With news of Republican Scott Brown’s victory in a special election held to fill the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s term, many employers are wondering what the future holds for health care reform. The answer is, it’s still coming.

Last year, the Senate and House each passed their own health care reform bills with significant differences. Typically, the next step would be for the House and Senate to reconcile their two bills. Although Brown supports the 2006 Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act, he opposes both the House and Senate health care reform bills and is expected to become the crucial 41st Republican vote, enabling the minority party to filibuster any reconciled bill that comes before the Senate. Earlier Wednesday, the President announced that the Senate won’t rush to pass a reconciled bill before Brown is seated. However, despite reports to the contrary, health care reform clearly isn’t dead. Democrats are still weighing a number of options.

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The White House reportedly reached a deal with organized labor on Thursday over the controversial “Cadillac” tax found in the U.S. Senate’s health care reform bill. The original provision in the Senate’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) creates a tax on employer-sponsored high-end “Cadillac” coverage. Under the original provision, the tax would have been 40 percent of the “excess benefit” of plans that exceed the thresholds of $8,500 for individual coverage and $23,000 for family coverage.

Audio Conference: Health Care Reform Is Here: Impact and Answers for Employers offered April 22, May 6 and May 20

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