Individuals
As one of the essential health benefits covered in the Health Insurance Marketplace, pediatric dental care has been top of mind. This February will be the first time that National Children’s Dental Health Month will take place while the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in full swing.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the 2014 Federal Poverty Levels (FPL) last week. The 2014 FPL guidelines have been raised 1.5% in comparison to the 2013 FPL. The FPL is a measure of income used to determine eligibility for various government programs including healthcare, housing and food stamps. The FPL is also used as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to determine eligibility for subsidies available through the Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as the Exchange.
Winter in Chicago. As the joke goes the only other season should be construction. Now that the worst of the polar vortex has passed (or we’ve grown accustomed to it) people are more expressive and passionate about two things this week: food and health care reform.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a report earlier this week with details about enrollment numbers and other information as it relates to state and federal insurance exchanges. Below is a list of some key information that was included in the report.
Ever wonder if the Co-Ops created by the ACA offer QHPs with access to APTCs and an ACO network? Yikes!!!
So many acronyms, what do they all mean? There are a number of different acronyms that are regularly used when we talk about healthcare reform. Here are some of those acronyms along with definitions.
The maximum amount that can be reimbursed with pre-tax dollars for mass transit officially dropped to $130 per month for employees as of January 1st. Last year the maximum reimbursement was $245 per month for mass transit so this may come as a shock to some employees. The decrease is a result of a tax law that expired at the end of 2013.
President Obama had previously announced that individuals could keep their health plan for another year if they received a cancellation letter in the mail. But he ultimately left this decision up to each state to decide. There were several states that chose not to allow these health plans to be continued for another year. As a result, several individuals are being forced to find new coverage.
Healthcare Reform, Obamacare, Affordable Care Act, thingamajig, whatchamacallit, no matter your choice of nickname—it’s unavoidable this holiday season. Much like those ugly sweater holiday parties that force you to raid a family member’s closet or a local thrift store, your treasure hunt is now for the best, most affordable health insurance for yourself, family members, employees and/or clients.
A recent article gave insider tips on how to shop at a thrift store. A lot of these same practices apply directly to the insurance shopping experience under the new health law.
Note: All of the tips that the source article gave for shopping at a thrift store are listed within parentheses.
Flexible Benefit Service LLC (Flex) has been administering Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) since the beginning. These ten years have gone by fast, and every year more and more people are starting to take notice of them. They have been celebrated as popular, consumer-driven and a great tool for retirement planning.
Moreover, HSA participants themselves have received the reputation of being cost-savvy and more involved overall in their health care spend. While HSAs are not for everyone, these plans offer consumers a triple tax advantage – which is not very common in the tax code.
Here are three major Affordable Care Act (ACA) deadline changes that have made headlines recently.
1. Individuals looking for a January 1, 2014 effective date will now have until December 23, 2013 to submit an application and until December 31, 2013* to make their initial premium payment in the public exchange. Additionally, each carrier must decide how they will handle the implementation of this change outside of the public exchange.
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