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Insurance

Proposed model COBRA notice pushes health insurance exchanges

05/28/2014
The Department of Labor has issued a new proposed model notice of continuation coverage rights under COBRA. It’s similar to previous versions you may have used, but emphasizes that separated workers might be better off seeking health insurance from state or federal Health Insurance Marketplaces than purchasing COBRA coverage through your plan.

Church wages don’t count toward unemployment benefits

05/28/2014
Employees can’t count their work histories with religious organizations when seeking unemployment benefits.

New Obamacare tweaks benefit employers

05/22/2014
Many of the regulations for implementing the Affordable Care Act are highly technical, and don’t relate directly to the employer-provided side of the health insurance market. However, the feds have recently released rules that employers can use.

Reference pricing could reduce health costs

05/06/2014
A new health insurance approach called “reference pricing” may help control employers’ health costs, according to a new analysis by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Overlook these health plan failures at your peril

04/24/2014
If you focus strictly on the ACA health care reform law’s free-rider penalties for not providing full-time employees with health insurance, or not providing insurance that’s affordable and offers minimum value, you’re missing the bigger picture.

ACA state exchanges get thumbs up from Consumer Reports

04/23/2014
Back in November, Consumer Reports magazine urged its readers to hold off on buying health insurance through websites operated by the state-based exchanges authorized by the Affordable Care Act. Now it holds a different view.

Small business owners: Do you offer health benefits?

04/15/2014
Two-thirds of small business owners polled say they offer health insurance to their employees. However, size matters—the more employees, the more likely they receive health benefits.

ACA: House bill defines full-time work as 40 hours per week

04/09/2014
Legislation passed April 3 by the House of Representatives defines a full-time job as averaging 40 hours per week, up from 30 hours specified in the Affordable Care Act.

ACA: What majority agrees on

04/08/2014
As the Affordable Care Act’s March 31 deadline loomed for individuals to sign up for health insurance, 38% of the public viewed the law favorably and 46% opposed it, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

33% of firms eye private health exchanges

04/02/2014
Most employers plan to continue sponsoring health benefits for their employees, but will change the way those benefits are managed and delivered in the coming years. New research finds that traditional models for providing employer-sponsored health benefits will continue, while private insurance exchanges are emerging as corporate America’s new favored way to provide coverage.