On February 27, 2014, the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking (DISB) released a bulletin reminding insurers that medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria, including gender reassignment surgeries, is a mandated benefit in the District of Columbia. This is not the case in every state and serves as a reminder for health insurance plans … Continue Reading
On February 7, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memorandum that adds to the growing library of federal guidance on the permissibility of and limitations for health care providers and other entities paying the premiums of patients covered by qualified health plans (QHPs) in the health insurance exchanges or marketplaces. … Continue Reading
On January 10, 2014, CMS will publish the proposed rule titled Medicare Program: Contract Year 2015 and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs (the “Proposed Rule”). The Proposed Rule propositions extensive reforms to the Medicare Advantage (“Part C”) and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program (“Part D”), partly through … Continue Reading
Last Wednesday, September 18, 2013, Walgreen Company (“Walgreen”) announced its plan to move approximately 160,000 employees to Aon Hewitt’s private health exchange (the “Aon Exchange”) in 2014. This move marks a significant decrease in risk for Walgreen as the company will shift to a defined contribution model for funding its employees’ health insurance. Under the … Continue Reading
Last Thursday, September 12, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) reported that the rate review provisions (the “Rate Review Provisions”) of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) saved an estimated $1.2 billion on health insurance premiums in 2012 for 6.8 million policyholders. The Rate Review Provisions are intended to increase transparency behind premium … Continue Reading
Introduced on June 4, 2013, Ohio S.B. 140 proposes to make some of the most significant changes to Ohio’s insurance laws since perhaps the Ohio Healthcare Simplification Act (H.B. 125) in 2008. If passed, the bill will impact everything from insurer’s filing and disclosure obligations, reinsurance options, online and other automated transactions, risk management programs … Continue Reading
