Benefits Buzz
Like the popular television commercials with children explaining their theories on what’s better (when asked if more is better than less), they want more. The concept is that simple. People, in general, do not want to settle for less.
Small businesses want more from a program that is named the Small Business Health Options Program or SHOP exchange. The government, however, has stripped away the “options” (at least for a year). If you’re a worker for a small business employer who is offered the SHOP exchange, you really don’t have anything to “shop” around for.
The Obama administration announced last week that parts of the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) would be delayed until 2015. This announcement has created a lot of confusion in the market.
The SHOP will be a new health insurance marketplace to provide exchange-based coverage to small businesses with up to 50 employees in most states. The SHOP is still expected to be launched as planned in 2014, but one of its key components will be delayed until 2015.
Last week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released proposed regulations about the role of Navigators. The new guidance provides some clarification about the role of Navigators, but it has several producers questioning how they will be compensated for their services next year.
Navigators are organizations that will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance.
As tax season comes to a close, you might be wondering how to save more next year. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are a great tool that allows you and your employees to save on healthcare and dependent care expenses. Celebrating 25 years as a trusted benefits administrator, we have done the math to help you visualize your potential savings with our FlexFSA® product:
Online insurance marketplace offers more choice and flexibility for small businesses struggling with increasing healthcare costs.
InsureXSolutions® today announced that Assurant®, Inc., Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Texas (BCBSTX) and Humana®, Inc. have joined the list of health insurance companies available through their private insurance exchange. The products from these three insurance carriers include individual health plans and offer a variety of premium and deductible options. Along side Aetna® and Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Illinois, the InsureXSolutions private exchange now features leading insurance companies in select markets.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have jointly issued rules that define affordable coverage. Employers and employees still have several questions about how this affects penalty calculations and subsidy eligibility.
The following offers some insight on these key issues:
