HHS Marketplace / Exchange Stakeholder Conf Call
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- 8,448
It looks like the Small Business (SHOP) exchange is being delayed by a year due to operational challenges. Another thread is pulled from Obamacare. It's unraveling slowly, but surely.
Story: Blog: Small business shafted again by Obamacare
Now, more employees will enroll for individual plans, thereby giving employers less incentive to start/continue group insurance in 2015. This will increase the subsidy burden on taxpayers by billions of dollars.
Anyone know where the subsidy fund is? No word of it's existance from Washington, but insurance companies will need to have the insured's AND the government's share of individual policy premiums before the 1/1/2014 health policy effective date. Insurers always collect the premium before the effective date. At least that's how it always has operated.
ac
Story: Blog: Small business shafted again by Obamacare
Now, more employees will enroll for individual plans, thereby giving employers less incentive to start/continue group insurance in 2015. This will increase the subsidy burden on taxpayers by billions of dollars.
Anyone know where the subsidy fund is? No word of it's existance from Washington, but insurance companies will need to have the insured's AND the government's share of individual policy premiums before the 1/1/2014 health policy effective date. Insurers always collect the premium before the effective date. At least that's how it always has operated.
ac
The SHOP will still exist, it's just that the multi-plan option is delayed a year. Employers can only pick one plan only. The "cafeteria" style menu of options won't be available until 2015. The SHOP was weak in the first place, and that takes out one of the 2 only attractive options the SHOP had in the first place. The other one is business tax credits that will go up to 50% of premium and are only available on the exchange. Most group agents don't think many businesses will purchase from the SHOP.
- 1,896
Probably not, but it's another year with many of our small group clients before they decide to drop their plans completely. And one less item we need to be worried about knowing intimately before 1/1/14 renewals come out.
- 8,448
Stuy119, I thought the conventional wisdom was that smaller employers were going to drop their group plans and send people to the Exchanges after 1/1/2014. I have a few really small (<10 employees) employer clients who are paying for individual Major Meds for the employees that wanted one. Each of these employers are planning on sending the employees to the Exchange and simply paying the portion of the premium that the subsidy doesn't cover. The S.H.O.P. is probably for larger "small" employers?
-Allen
is that even legal? something just smelled bad with that approach.... if it is allowed then ok, but something made me think it was not.... Ann... comments??
- 8,448
TaterPeeler, I read that you're selling 4 health plans a day now? WOW! Are you taking from the Colored company, or giving to the Colored company? If not them, then who's your fortunate targeted recipient?
Curious,
-ac
Curious,
-ac
no... that was today... yesterday I only sold 1
2 med supps.... one bcbs and the other forethought.... and 2 indy health both humana family plans..
no, I did not rob peter to pay paul... they were new clients to me
It is allowed, within tax laws and non-discrimination laws. If the employer simply gives employees a raise to purchase their own insurance, it's okay. But it's taxable income. It has to be reported on the W2, it raises the family's MAGI for qualifying for a subsidy, and it must be non-discriminatory within classes (you can't give one employee $200 and another employee in the same occupation $1200). A workaround for small employers would be to give a higher raise to a particular employee for quality work. You shouldn't tag the extra income to the cost of benefits, or it could be construed to be an employee benefit. Unless it's a small employer, or a family held business, it would be almost impossible to keep it non-discriminatory when the family sizes and subsidy amounts vary.
The idea of giving employees cash to buy their own insurance MIGHT also be allowed NON-taxable through an HRA or Section 125 POP, but that's still being argued by the experts.
- 8,448
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 -- Exchanges are falling further behind schedule. Even the GAO is starting to trend negative in its comments, which is not a good sign.
Source: Health-Insurance Exchanges Are Falling Behind Schedule - WSJ.com
Excerpt:
""The Government Accountability Office said federal and state health officials still have major work to complete, offering its most cautious comments to date about the Obama administration's ability to bring the centerpiece of its signature law to fruition.
"Whether [the government's] contingency planning will assure the timely and smooth implementation of the exchanges by October 2013 cannot yet be determined," said the GAO in twin reports to be released Wednesday.""
-ac
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Now, the Feds (GAO) are discovering that the Navigator and Assistor programs are a whopping 44% behind schedule nationwide.
Story: GAO sees exchange helper program delays | LifeHealthPro
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Source: Health-Insurance Exchanges Are Falling Behind Schedule - WSJ.com
Excerpt:
""The Government Accountability Office said federal and state health officials still have major work to complete, offering its most cautious comments to date about the Obama administration's ability to bring the centerpiece of its signature law to fruition.
"Whether [the government's] contingency planning will assure the timely and smooth implementation of the exchanges by October 2013 cannot yet be determined," said the GAO in twin reports to be released Wednesday.""
-ac
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Now, the Feds (GAO) are discovering that the Navigator and Assistor programs are a whopping 44% behind schedule nationwide.
Story: GAO sees exchange helper program delays | LifeHealthPro
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