Tag: health care reform

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Small Employer Tax Credit

On Monday, May 17, 2010, the IRS released new guidance on the small-employer healthcare tax credit provided under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”), including detailed guidance on eligibility and transition criteria. Key items in the guidance include: Eligibility:  The IRS notice includes detailed guidelines on how a […]

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Arizona Health Insurance Legislative Update

The Arizona Legislature convened its regular session in January. With the state facing a deficit of more than $4 billion in fiscal years 2010 and 2011, the budget overshadowed all other issues again this year. Lawmakers faced difficult decisions, including the elimination of critical state programs, in their effort to […]

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CBO Adds Billions of Dollars for Discretionary Spending Cost Estimate

On May 11, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report with additional information about the potential effects of the new health insurance reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), on discretionary spending that the CBO initially provided on March 13, prior to the legislation being passed. […]

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Health Insurance Reform State High Risk Pools

In the new health insurance reform law the states are permitted to create their own high risk pools, expand existing pools, or allow the federal government to create and administer the pools for them. The following states will operate their own pools: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, […]

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Nevada Health Insurance No High Risk Pool

In Nevada health insurance, an April 29 letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Governor Jim Gibbons estimated that the $61 million his state would receive to implement a high-risk pool under the federal health care reform law would be grossly inadequate; serving roughly 2,900 of the 100,000 people who may […]

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Nebraska Health Insurance No High Risk Pool

In Nebraska health insurance, an April 27 letter, Governor Dave Heineman informed Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius that Nebraska has elected not to participate in the temporary federal high-risk pool created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009. In his letter, Governor Heineman cited […]

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Aetna Health Insurance Extends Dependent Coverage

We know many families are worried about their dependents losing health insurance coverage when they graduate from high school or college or otherwise age out of coverage. Health care reform will address this issue nationwide later this year, when new regulations will go into effect. However, some plan sponsors may […]

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Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas Health Insurance Dependents

Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas health insurance (BCBSTX) will be accelerating its implementation of the “Dependent Age 26” reform provision for premium business. You may have heard that concerns about this spring’s college graduates spurred the government to ask some insurers to comply before the Sept. 23, 2010, effective date […]

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Health Insurance Reform Update April

The Senate reconvened on April 12, following its two-week recess.  That day, by a vote of 60 to 34, the Senate approved a cloture motion paving the way for Senate floor action on H.R. 4851, the “Continuing Extension Act.”  This bill, which the House approved on March 17, includes a […]

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Truth of Health Insurance Reform by the New York Times

In Sunday’s edition of the NY Times, buried in the Regional section, comes an analysis of the current health insurance reforms in the state of New York that were implemented over fifteen years ago.  Similar to Obama Care, the state of New York required all health insurance carriers to issue […]