Obamacare & your Taxes – Reminders on What’s New this Year
This year marks the second year that your health insurance choices could have an impact on your taxes. Here are some things to keep in mind when preparing to file your 2015 taxes: You will receive Tax form 1095-B or 1095-C from your employer, an insurance company (if you have an individual plan), or from… Read More
Recent CMS Guidance Impacts Humana’s Payment Process
The following information is from Humana. If you have any questions, please contact AMAC Broker Services at 1-888-776-6565 or via email at info@inspiring-elgamal.67-205-186-182.plesk.page Or contact Humana at agentsupport@humana.com. Amendments to contracts containing information about The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recently issued updated guidance regarding when an agent should be paid full or… Read More
CBO Report –Millions Expected to lose Employer-Sponsored Health Plans by 2026
A new report released by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Commission on Taxation projects that millions less people under the age of 65 will be covered by employer-sponsored health plans by 2026 than they are today. The report also projects that more people will become insured through Medicaid. As of 2016, the CBO… Read More
Healthcare.gov to add Network-Breadth Ratings
Starting in 2017, consumers will be able to obtain information on network breadth ratings when comparing health care plans. This rating will show the number of doctors, hospitals, and specialists, within each network to help consumers can make informed decisions when choosing the best health plan for their needs. The third annual health care open-enrollment… Read More
CMS to Allow States to Monitor Adequacy of Health Plan Network
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid took a step back from their proposed strict federal level regulation of the adequacy of health plan networks and instead will allow states the time to adopt a proposal from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The NAIC proposal addresses the issue over narrowing network plans that are particularly of concern… Read More
Why U.S. Drug Costs Are Out of Control
In his New York Times article “New Dosages of Old Drugs are used to Raise Their Prices,” Barry Meier addresses the controversial trend in the drug industry in which newly manufactured dosages of common drugs are being introduced into the marketplace to circumvent cost controls. The ulterior motive? Egregious markups, whose resulting profits end up… Read More
ISideWith.com: Take their Quiz
If you are interested in seeing how your favorite candidates match up with your ideas on the issues, visit www.ISideWith.com. This interactive site asks you questions on the popular issues such as health care, taxes, gun control, abortion, the national debt, economy, and the environment. When you take the ISideWith quiz, instead of answering a… Read More
Why Hospitals and the AMA are Against the Anthem-Cigna & Aetna-Humana Mergers
The pending mergers of Anthem and Cigna as well as Aetna and Humana, are something hospitals across the country hope they can prevent as they continue to apply pressure to the Justice Department to put a stop to the deals. Hospitals said the mergers would give undo strength to Blue Cross Blue Shield, an independent… Read More
Trump’s Heath Plan
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has released his version of a health care plan that would, if he were elected, replace Obamacare. Made up of seven points, his first steps would be to completely repeal the Affordable Care Act. He also plans to eliminate the individual mandate for health insurance coverage despite previous comments that… Read More
Medicare Advantage Plan Rate Increase Proposed for 2017
Insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans may see a slight increase in rates for 2017. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, federal regulators proposed an increase of approximately 1.35% over last year’s rates. Insurers such as Humana and UnitedHealth are two of the nation’s largest insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans. The plans make… Read More