The thought of midterm exams is unsettling to students. Late nights, review sheets, study groups. The results of these tests are a significant component of a final grade. Health care midterms are much the same; individuals will need to vote in their state’s “midterm” to determine the future of health care reform in their states.… Continue reading Can Health Care Pass Midterm Exams?
October and November are traditionally the months when large employers offer employees the opportunity to enroll in benefits for the coming year. These plans may include 401ks, other retirement programs, and of course, health insurance. Many open enrollments include several benefits fairs that give a chance for providers to showcase their offerings so that employees… Continue reading Federal Government Open Enrollment: Medicare
For many, mental health benefits have represented a significant unreimbursed medical expense. The coverage for these benefits varies widely among health insurance plans, yet has often not been on par with medical and surgical services. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 could change that for more than 100 million Americans. The… Continue reading Take A Mental Health Day
As the end of August approaches, students are readying themselves for the upcoming academic year. Parents may be faced with the largest educational expense that they have ever seen. There also may be a line item that is unfamiliar to parents: a college health care plan. Most colleges offer health insurance to its students that… Continue reading Your Tuition Dollars at Work: College Healthcare
We will soon be celebrating the July 4th holiday with family and friends, and hopefully be enjoying some vacation time. So will health care reform, as much of the fanfare that surrounded its passage has waned. There has been some progress made on the easier-to-implement provisions, including a $250 rebate to those Medicare recipients who… Continue reading Even Health Care Reform is on Vacation
It’s been all over the media: President Obama has released his own health care plan that will be debated in a live television broadcast beginning at 10am, February 25th, live on C-Span. Although the Senate health care reform hearings have been broadcast live, in an unprecedented move, President Obama will meet with Democratic and Republican… Continue reading Don’t Get Thrown Off the Island: Watch Health Care Reform LIVE
The cost of employee benefits in general has increased over time, with health care leading the way. With an aging employee population, defined benefit retirement plans went the way of the Sony “Walkman”, to be replaced by the 401k Ipod. Other expensive employer sponsored programs have followed suit: among them post retirement health care. As… Continue reading Post Retirement Health Insurance at 55: No Questions Asked!
Many provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act were designed so that the small business owner could afford to offer health insurance to employees and, in many circumstances qualify for federal aid to do so. If it was only that simple … Federal subsidies are based on number of employees, annual wages and… Continue reading Does healthcare reform REALLY help the small business owner?
After a year of 5 proposed major health care bills, markups on these bills, reconciliation and every other possible means by which legislation can be agreed upon and sent to the President, finally there will be a new health care system in the U.S. The bill itself is 2000+ pages and, depending upon the provision,… Continue reading Can Health Care Reform Be Implemented? Doubtful.
After a Sunday afternoon debate, including drama, and what seemed like all members of Congress taking the floor to verbalize their opinions, House Democrats garnered enough votes to pass the Reconciliation Act of 2010. Bart Stupak (D. Michigan) announced at a 4pm press conference that, as a result of an agreement with an executive order… Continue reading House Democrats Whipped into Shape by Executive Order
