5 min read

What You Need To Know About The ACA’s § 6055 And § 6056 Reporting Requirements

By Gibson on Jul 22, 2015 6:30:00 AM

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sections 6055 and 6056 have been added to the Internal Revenue Code with reporting requirements for employers subject to the ACA’s shared responsibility or “play or pay” mandate. Under the new reporting rules, certain employers must submit information to the IRS regarding health plan coverage offered - or not offered - to employees throughout the year. This information will be used by the IRS to administer and enforce the ACA’s large employer shared responsibility penalty and the individual mandate.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform
4 min read

Human Capital Summit: Innovative Experiences For Health Consumers

By Gibson on Mar 18, 2015 6:30:00 AM

On March 11, 2015 we presented the Human Capital Summit. Meredith Baratz, Vice President of Strategic Insight and Innovation at UnitedHealthcare, presented on designing innovative experiences and solutions for health consumers. Below are the highlights.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management
4 min read

Human Capital Summit – Marketplace Perspectives

By Gibson on Mar 17, 2015 6:30:00 AM

On March 11, 2015 we presented the Human Capital Summit. Jill Ostrem and Chad Towner shared marketplace perspectives. Below are the highlights.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management
5 min read

Human Capital Summit: Benefits Legal Update

By Gibson on Mar 16, 2015 6:30:00 AM

On March 11, 2015 we presented the Human Capital Summit. Mike Nader, Partner at Faegre Baker Daniels, presented a compliance update. Below are the highlights.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management
4 min read

2015 Employee Benefits Outlook

By Gibson on Feb 11, 2015 6:30:00 AM

2014 was one for the employee benefits history books! The roll-out of the individual mandate, modified community-rating for individual and small group policies, and the public exchanges.

2015 will be yet another chapter in the revolution of employer-provided health insurance with the employer mandate taking effect and additional compliance and reporting responsibilities placed on employers. Throughout all of this, the overriding themes will continue to be creating and maintaining a culture of health within the workforce and the evolution of technology.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management
3 min read

Getting And Keeping Employees Healthy

By Gibson on Nov 12, 2014 6:30:00 AM

Strategies for managing health care costs are a critical topic for employers…and it won’t be going away anytime soon. There are discussions on the value of transparency in health care pricing, the role of consumer driven health plans, and how to help employees make educated health care decisions. Beyond these techniques, what else can be done to get and keep your employees healthy?

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management
3 min read

The Cost Of Unhealthy Employees

By Gibson on Oct 22, 2014 6:30:00 AM

In March 2013, CVS announced a new corporate wellness program which posed a choice to employees participating in their health plan: complete a free health screening and wellness review OR pay $600 in additional health insurance premiums each year.

This type of incentive strategy is not uncommon. Many employers offer premium discounts or other incentives to employees who participate in wellness programs. However, CVS’s plan was publicly criticized with concerns over patient privacy. Allegations of corporate coercion dominated the media limelight. Though the plan was offered as a voluntary incentive, public perception viewed the $600 as a penalty rather than a reward.

Controversy aside, one key takeaway remains: employers are serious about cracking down on health costs and they are engaging employees for answers.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management
2 min read

Helping Employees Make Good Health Care Decisions

By Gibson on Sep 15, 2014 6:30:00 AM

Health care costs are higher than ever before and they aren’t going to get any cheaper. According to a study by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, health care spending in the United States is expected to total $4.8 trillion by 2021. Wow. How are we, the “consumers”, going to slow down this ship? There is no one answer to this question, but there are several ways employers can help play a role.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management
2 min read

Health Care Pricing And The Value Of Transparency

By Gibson on Aug 20, 2014 6:30:00 AM

What was the price of a gallon of gas this morning on the way to work? You could probably easily rattle off the answer. Big neon signs outside convenience stores on numerous street corners make this request pretty simple. But do you know what your monthly prescription costs are? Or the total price of a simple visit to your family doctor?

Unfortunately a majority of Americans would probably struggle to answer these questions. Most people would say it’s the amount of their health insurance. But this is only part of the overall cost. In a third party payer system, shadowed by copays and very opaque pricing, most people honestly don’t realize the true cost of their health care.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management
3 min read

The Critical Role CDHPs Play In Controlling Health Care Costs

By Gibson on Jul 21, 2014 6:30:00 AM

Think of the last time you paid a visit to your doctor. What type of care or treatment did you receive? Did you know the cost? Chances are, you didn’t. You probably knew the amount of your deductible, coinsurance, or copayment, but who cares about the total bill, right? After all, your health insurance covered the rest. But therein lies the problem. Not only do we lack that information, but also the motivation to seek that information with the current third-party payer system.

Topics: Employee Benefits Health Care Reform Health Risk Management