Open enrollment is upon us. If your employer offers more than one plan and you are like a majority of others, you’ll just reenroll in the same plan. It may not be perfect, but it’s working pretty well. Not so fast. On the surface, it may look identical to what you have this year, but… Continue reading Will Your Prescription Drugs Be Covered Next Year? Better Check!
You’ve been watching the presidential campaign, so you can’t miss the references to Obamacare. It’s a significant component of the rhetoric for all the candidates. Hillary wants to add to it, Bernie wants a “Medicare for All” program, and Trump wants to repeal it altogether. We haven’t heard much else about healthcare from the candidates.… Continue reading Note to Candidates: Health Care is More Than Obamacare
You’ve been covered by private health insurance through your employer for years. It’s taken care of all of your medical expenses. Sure, the premiums and the deductibles have gone up, but given the state of health care in the United States you feel lucky. With retirement on the horizon, you’ll be enrolling in Medicare, which,… Continue reading Retiree Health Insurance: I Have That, Don’t I?
More than three quarters of large employers are offering high deductible plans, and in increasing numbers it is the only plan. Although the premiums are often lower, the deductible can be as high as $6550 for an individual or $13,100 for a family. In order to keep out-of-pocket expenses manageable, consider the following: Preventative… Continue reading A High Deductible Plan Was My Only Choice: Now What?
Yes, with proper health care planning. Although health savings accounts are offered with high deductible health care plans and are often thought of as a current benefit, individuals may want to consider using their HSA balances as a future health care benefit. What are the short and long term benefits of HSAs? For 2016, individuals… Continue reading Can an HSA be a retiree health plan?
The Affordable Care Act created a myriad of health insurance provisions for small business owners that took effect in 2015. For 2016, however, a new law modifying the ACA can prevent some businesses with 51 to 100 employees from increases in health insurance premiums. Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees or PACE as it is also… Continue reading The ACA 2016: News for Small Business Owners
It’s open enrollment season and everyone needs to enroll in a health insurance plan. Yes, millennials, that means you, too. What exactly does this mean for you? Millennials, those of you in the 18 to 34 age range, may have employer sponsored health insurance. If you’re fortunate enough to have health care included in a… Continue reading Note to Milennials: Open Enrollment For Health Insurance
If you’re covered by an Obamacare health insurance exchange plan, be careful: its coverage may be narrower than you think. And that can add up to a significant increase in your out-of-pocket expenses for health care. Let’s say, for example, that your doctor is concerned about your thyroid and thinks it makes sense for you… Continue reading How Narrow is Your Network?
It’s open enrollment season, and with it comes a menu of benefits from your employer. Now, in addition to what is often considered standard, is a wellness benefit. Wellness programs are becoming common in the workplace, however what constitutes participating in wellness may not be as ordinary as you think. Over half of large employers… Continue reading Am I Watching My Health Carefully Enough?
You’ve read about the “Cadillac” health tax slated to take effect in 2018. The Affordable Care Act’s tax on high cost employer health insurance tax will impose a 40% non-deductible tax on benefits that exceed a government set threshold. The expected threshold for this tax is $10,200 in health benefits for individual coverage and $27,500… Continue reading Will I Be Driving a Chevy in 2018?
