This month marks the third anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act becoming law.

Consumers have gained access to many new benefits under the law including free preventive services, new rights to appeal insurers' decisions, drug discounts for seniors on Medicare, and tax credits for small businesses.

Yet the biggest

One of the many components of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA aka Health Care Reform) is each state must decide if they will implement the Medicaid expansion. The goal is to expand coverage to state residents that aren’t covered by or eligible for one of the many programs currently offered.

Indiana already has several program options in place, including the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), but eligibility can be complicated and varies based on the individual program guidelines. There is much disagreement between parties as to which program is the most cost-effective for the state and how to provide the coverage needed by over 400,000 low-income Hoosiers.

There are certain items you automatically associate with workplace safety tips. Whenever anyone offers advice on safety, you assume they’ll be talking about safety goggles, high-visibility jackets, hard-hats and handrails. Those are vital building blocks in creating a safer work environment. Of course none of these measures provide guaranteed workplace safety.

To truly ensure that your employees are safe you need something extra, alongside the standard equipment. There are four key measures you can implement alongside your standard safety practice that don’t require a single piece of equipment.

Training

The Wellness Council of Indiana (WCI) has received a grant to provide a tobacco cessation program to up to 100 employers of any size in Indiana. The program is called QUIT NOW! It's an easy-to use, web-based program that links organizations with support for tobacco cessation.

Businesses are getting into high gear figuring out how to deal with the new Healthcare Reform requirements that take effect in 2014.

Indiana does not want a state-run health insurance exchange.

Long-Term Care insurance (LTC) has been among the fastest growing executive benefits for the last several years. As we approach the end of the year, many employers are reviewing their strategy for retaining key contributors and Long-Term Care insurance could provide valuable tax incentives.

For the 19^th consecutive year, Gibson has earned Best Practices status from Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA).

It's that time of year when many companies are conducting their employee benefits 'open enrollment'.

The following table provides a timeline of effective dates for the primary healthcare reform provisions affecting employers.
 
Caution: PPACA is under constant review. Provisions could be adjusted, re-interpreted and even repealed in the future. This is a snapshot as of July, 2012.