Health care reform

Posted July 17th, 2018 in Employers, Producers

Many of you are familiar with the reinsurance fees that were charged to health insurance plans from 2014 to 2016, but you may not be as familiar with the risk adjustment program. The risk adjustment program was authorized under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This permanent program is intended to protect against adverse selection and risk selection in the individual and small group markets (inside and outside of the Exchanges).

Posted June 15th, 2018 in Employers, Producers, Individuals

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law last year wiped out the federal penalty for not having health insurance (a.k.a. the Individual Mandate) starting in 2019. Some state officials are concerned that the elimination of the penalty could destabilize their local insurance markets, and they have responded with their own Individual Mandate requirements.

Posted May 8th, 2018 in Employers, Producers, Individuals

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the status of the Individual Mandate, so we thought it would be appropriate to provide some clarification on its status.

Posted April 17th, 2018 in Producer
Health plans in the individual and small group markets that were issued after March 23, 2010 and prior to January 1, 2014 are commonly referred to as grandmothered plans.  March 23, 2010 is the date the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law, while January 1, 2014 is the so-called full implementation date of the ACA.
 
Posted March 29th, 2018 in Employers, Producers, Individuals
Last week, President Donald Trump signed into law a 2,232-page federal spending bill avoiding another government shutdown. In the days leading up to the bill’ s passage, it appeared that Congressional leaders were on the verge of including funds which aimed to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 
 
Posted March 15th, 2018 in Producers, Employers

As a benefits professional, you know that navigating the benefits industry can sometimes be a tricky endeavor. Let’s face it; employee benefits can be confusing—even for those of us who deal with this stuff for a living. Whether you’re a Human Resource Manager, an insurance agent or benefits consultant, people are counting on you to have all the answers. Flex is here to make sure you get them.

Posted February 22nd, 2018 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
The state of Idaho is looking to do something no other state has done – allow for the sale of health insurance plans which don’t comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The primary purpose is to allow for lower premiums plans to be available. 
 
Posted December 26th, 2017 in Individuals, Producers, Employers

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, also known as the Tax Act, was signed into law on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act makes several changes to the existing tax code, including the repeal of the Individual Mandate (kind of, sort of). The Individual Mandate was not literally repealed by the Tax Act, but the penalty for failing to have minimum essential coverage (e.g., health insurance) has been reduced to $0 starting on January 1, 2019. This is effectively the equivalent of repeal; however, the Individual Mandate will still be applicable for the 2017 and 2018 tax years. This change to the Individual Mandate has spurred numerous questions and/or speculations, including:

Posted July 24th, 2017 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
Senate Republicans may vote as early as Tuesday on a bill that would repeal and replace key parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but there are still a couple of unknowns. 
 
Posted March 8th, 2017 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
On February 24th, Politico got its hands on a rough draft version of a Republican bill that would repeal several key parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and they leaked it to the public. Naturally, Democrats were disgusted by the contents of the bill, but the more interesting thing was even several Republicans said they wouldn’t vote in support of this bill. 
 

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