by David Gorn Early in October, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill to make health insurance companies release accurate directories of their network of physicians and other providers. It was one of 10 health-related bills the governor approved on Thursday, October 8. Other bills now becoming law include an effort to cap the cost of prescription drug co-payments and a requirement that … [Read more...]

The Washington Post (8/13, Ehrenfreund) reports in its "Wonkblog" that the Affordable Care Act "hasn't meant less time on the job for American workers, according to three newly published studies." Congressional Republicans have argued that the law's employer mandate, which defines full-time work as 30 hours a week, encourages business to cut hours below that threshold in order to avoid the … [Read more...]

US News & World Report (8/15, Leins) reported that while Republicans and Democrats "agree on little when it comes to" the ACA, there is bipartisan support for repealing the law's so-called Cadillac tax on high-cost health plans. While the tax was once expected to affect "the benefits of only the wealthiest Americans, projections show that the rising cost of health care will contribute to more … [Read more...]

The New York Times (8/12, A11, Pear, Subscription Publication) reports that the number of Americans without health insurance "continues to decline and has dropped by 15.8 million, or one-third, since 2013, the Obama administration said Tuesday." According to the Times, the report from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics "suggests that the Affordable Care Act produced the most … [Read more...]

Last week, The LA Times published an article about Blue Shield's 2015 Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) rebates. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires health plans to spend a minimum percentage of premium revenue on medical expenses. This percentage is known as the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR). Blue Shield's report will show that we owe the following rebates to contract holders in plans regulated by the … [Read more...]

Recently, the Internal Revenue Service released final forms and instructions for reporting on the individual mandate (Code Sec. 6055) and the employer mandate (Code Sec. 6056). While these final forms (1094-C and 1095-C) reference calendar year 2014, reporting for 2014 is not required. Employers will be subject to these reporting requirements for 2015 with filings due in early 2016. We expect … [Read more...]

HHS is considering yet another Obamacare delay, this time of the law's 2016 expansion of the small group market. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the insurers' trade association, among others, have asked HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell for a two-year delay in broadening that market to businesses with up to 99 employees. It currently includes employers with fewer than 50 workers. The … [Read more...]

On February 23, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a notice covering a number of issues concerning the 2018 Cadillac Tax, or excise tax, and requested comments on the possible approaches that could ultimately be incorporated into proposed regulations. Regulations about the Cadillac Tax have not been issued. The notice specifically addresses the following: Defining which coverage is … [Read more...]

Capital Public Radio's KXJZ News, Sacramento Business Journal California lawmakers are considering a bill that aims to address the high cost of certain prescription drugs by increasing transparency. Data on pharmaceutical production costs higher than $10,000 would be compiled into an annual report and posted online. … [Read more...]

There has been a lot of confusion on the new reporting rules required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Whether it be from a news article or vendor some of the information is accurate, but some is not or is inconsistent or misleading. Recently, the IRS released their own ACA fact sheet on applicable large employer compliance and 1095-C / 1094-C reporting. Surprisingly, it's clear, concise … [Read more...]