Starting in 2014, health insurance coverage for individuals and small businesses will become available through new state health insurance marketplaces. Most importantly, the key tax credits (e.g. the small business healthcare tax credits) and tax subsidies (e.g. individual health insurance tax subsidies) will only be available for coverage purchased via a state health insurance exchanges ("marketplaces"). 

A frequently asked question we receive at Zane Benefits is "Are HRAs Required to Cover Essential Health Benefits?"  The answer is No!  Here's why:

Due to health care reform, effective January 1st, 2014, a group health plan may not use a waiting period that exceeds 90 days. A waiting period is the period of time that must pass before coverage for an employee or dependent who is otherwise eligible for the plan can become effective. Being eligible for coverage means having met the plan’s eligibility conditions (such as being in an eligible job classification).

Starting in 2014, health insurance coverage for individuals and small businesses will become available through new state health insurance exchanges. Most importantly, the key tax credits (e.g. the small business healthcare tax credits) and tax subsidies (e.g. individual health insurance tax subsidies) will only be available for coverage purchased via a state health insurance exchange. Below is a summary of progress for health insurance exchange implementation on a state-by-state basis as of December 14, 2012.

On December 7th, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a proposed rule that requires health insurance companies to pay brokers the same compensation for plans sold through a Federally Facilitated Exchange (FFE) that they pay for a similar plan outside the exchange.   

NAHU Director of Government Affairs, Brooke Bell, has graciously put together a presidential candidate health policy position cheat sheet to help health insurance brokers understand what the health insurance industry could look like under each administration. With the Presidential Election two weeks away, it can be challenging to determine fact from fiction when it comes to the candidates’ and their stance on health care. They’ve broken it down by issue and hope you find it helpful!

Employers, human resource departments, and business consultants of all sizes are trying to wrap their heads around the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and what it means for their bottom line. One of the key questions employers with more than 50 employees should begin asking themselves is, “should I pay or play?”

The health care reform law is the most far-reaching health legislation since the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.  Here's an FAQ about some of the law's provisions that are already up and running as well as major features of what's to come. 

Health "insurance" reform legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was signed into law March 23, 2010 and provides the most sweeping changes we have seen to health insurance in the United States.  Now that the entire ACA has passed constitutional muster by the Supreme Court, small business owners need to familiarize themselves with ACA provisions that directly impact their bottom-line.

NO. Nothing in the new legislation removes the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance.