Provider choice is significantly more limited for individualsl covered through the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces, Modern Healthcare reports: "A report released Wednesday by consulting research firm Avalere Health found that plans offered through… more »

Last week, the Obama administration released new rules in hopes of putting to rest a hot-button issue under health care reform -- the requirement that employers must provide free contraceptive coverage to female employees. Under this latest proposal,… more »

July 31 is not only the anniversary of the creation of the federal Department of Health, Education and Welfare, it is also the date that the Department’s successor – Health and Human Services – set as the Affordable Care Act's PCORI Fee filing date. No… more »

Whenever the Supreme Court rules on a high-profile care, it invariably generates a flood of responses from politicians and pundits alike. And while yesterday's decision to allow health insurance subsidies nationwide essentially maintained the status… more »

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld, by a 6-3 vote, the nationwide tax subsidies available under the Affordable Care Act. The decision means that the subsidies to help low- and moderate-income people buy private health insurance will remain available in… more »

Several weeks ago, we posted an article about a new Affordable Care Act regulation that would apply an "embedded" maximum out-of-pocket limit on individuals enrolled in family coverage. The rule, which applied to non-grandfathered fully-insured and… more »

On May 26, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury released a clarification as to whether or not self-funded health care plans are subject to a new Affordable Care Act regulation regarding family out-of-pocket costs. The short… more »

Two new preventive health services have been added to the no-cost coverage list, Kaiser News reports. Enforcement of the recommendations will take effect in 2016. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended Hepatitis B screening for… more »

If you're wondering why the Republican-led houses of Congress haven't yet made a full-court press to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Rachael Bade and Jennifer Haberkorn explain the reasons behind the delay: "Repealing the law 'root and branch' is… more »

A Business Insurance editorial calls on Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act's "Cadillac" tax, which will penalize group health care plans premiums that exceed $10,200 for single coverage and $27,500 for family coverage: "One justification for… more »

Apparently, Obamacare has not given employers sufficient confidence to release their employees into the wilds of the public insurance marketplace. According to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 98.2% of benefit… more »

Obamacare problems, continued... Straight on the heels of last week's report that multiple states are having difficulty financing their insurance marketplaces, Monday saw the release of a poll showing a spike in emergency room visits since the… more »

"Nearly half of the 17 insurance marketplaces set up by the states and the District under President Obama’s health law are struggling financially," reports the Washington Post today. Uncooperative technology and expensive customer-call centers… more »

It may not be riveting reading, but the DOL's latest report to Congress regarding the state of self-funded plans in still important. As you may recall, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires the Department of Labor to report general information on… more »

There's a well-known adage that goes, "To make money, you have to spend money. And based on the level of taxing under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration apparently has similar adage: "To save Americans money, you have to spend Americans'… more »

On March 27, 2015, the United States Department of Labor’s rules amending the Family and Medical Leave Act’s regulatory definition of spouse became effective. Now, an eligible employee in a legal same-sex marriage will be able to take FMLA leave to care… more »

Good news for Ohio public employers: Effective March 23, 2015, Ohio revised its dependent age requirement for self-funded public group plans. In effect, the change removes the extension of coverage required by these plan sponsors from “up to age 28” to… more »

Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday when President Obama and members of Congress were squabbling about the best way to ensure that all Americans had access to comprehensive and affordable health care coverage. And now here we are, five… more »

Remember the “PCORI fee," the annual charge all self-funded group health plans must pay to cover the cost of research to improve the delivery of medical care? According to the Government Accountability Office, your tax dollars have so far been properly… more »

At MedBen, we are dedicated to giving our clients the information they need to make smart benefits management decision, in part through a variety of education session through MedBen University (MBU). In addition to presentations on such topics as… more »