The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a fee on health insurance issuers and plan sponsors of self-insured health plans to help fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The PCORI fee is calculated based on the average number of lives covered under a policy or plan and is paid annually …
As in-person appointments have been replaced with video conferences and other virtual mediums, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has launched Right2You, a virtual care benefit that aims to assist the approximate 48 million people in the U.S. living with hearing loss. The initiative builds on the home-delivered hearing healthcare model developed by UnitedHealthcare …
On March 23, 2021, President Joe Biden and his administration reported that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is extending the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) — which was originally available through May 15, 2021 —for an additional three months, allowing eligible individuals to enroll in …
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), signed into law March 11, 2021, provides a 100% subsidy of applicable COBRA premiums for eligible beneficiaries and their dependents, for the time period beginning April 1, 2021 and ending no later than September 30, 2021. Who is Eligible? An Assistance Eligible Individual (AEI) …
The $1.9 trillion relief bill, known as the American Rescue Plan, was signed by President Biden on Thursday, March 11, 2021. Additional information surrounding Emergency Paid Leave and Health Insurance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is included in the bill and outlined below. Emergency Paid LeaveSigned into law on …
On April 28, 2020, the Departments of Labor (DOL) and the Treasury issued deadline relief to help employee benefit plans, plan participants and plan service providers impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Thereafter, on February 26, 2021, DOL Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01 clarified the duration of this relief. The deadlines were …
The Biden administration has told the Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  In a letter to the Supreme Court, Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler clarified that the current U.S. Department of Justice views the ACA as constitutional. “Following the change in administration, the Department of Justice …
Since 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has continuously extended a transition policy for certain health plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). On January 19, 2021, the HHS continued this tradition by extending an existing transition policy for certain health plans that …
On December 12, 2020, an independent panel of scientific advisors — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — approved recommended use of Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older. A day later, Pfizer began shipping …
Included in the Stimulus Package passed by Congress on December 21, 2020 are changes pertaining to Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Dependent Care Accounts (DCA). The package is expected to be signed into law by President Trump. We have outlined notable changes below for your review, which include but are …
Over the years, finding easier and more effective ways to identify appropriate treatments for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has been a major focus for liquid biopsy developers. After more than two years of diagnostic evaluation, Biocept’s Target Selector liquid biopsy assay was approved by health insurance carrier, Highmark. …
Due to COVID-19 and the current state of economic uncertainty, employers may be facing limited budgets. Seeking new ways to structure employee benefit plans could put your organization in a better financial position heading into the new year. To reduce healthcare spending, employers can consider several benefit design strategies opposed …
To increase member engagement and combat rising healthcare costs experienced in today’s market, healthcare company Aetna has designed a new innovative insurance plan. The Aetna Connected plan, which will be available in January 2021, will permit members to access appointments at CVS Health’s MinuteClinic and newer HealthHUBs for no copay; …
As schools across the nation open, the health and safety of students and staff remains a top priority amid the current pandemic. With that said, schools have been experiencing a large shortage in personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning products. Therefore, health insurance company, Highmark, has decided to launch a …
On August 17, 2020, a federal district court blocked a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation which was intended to allow healthcare and insurance discrimination based on sex stereotyping, gender identity and pregnancy-related conditions. The U.S. District Court Judge found that the planned regulation, which was announced in …
