Benefits Forward

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and HHS have published its final rule governing Medical Loss Ratio requirements. Document Excerpt This final rule amends the regulations implementing medical loss ratio (MLR) standards for health insurance issuers under the Public Health Service Act in order to establish notice requirements for issuers in the group and individual [...]

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce provides a White Paper on possible approaches to bolster the private retirement system. Document Excerpt The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Employee Benefits Committee has developed this white paper to offer a path on initiatives and reforms that build on existing institutions and approaches to bolster the voluntary employment-based retirement benefits [...]

The GAO was asked to review the approaches taken by other countries with respect to defined contribution plans and has issued this report. Document Excerpt In overseeing DC plans and service providers, regulatory agencies in the countries GAO reviewed use risk-based approaches to target practices deemed most likely to harm participants and to develop preventative [...]

HHS has released a proposed rule to adopt a standard for a national unique health plan identifier (HPID). Document Excerpt It proposes the adoption of the standard for a national unique health plan identifier (HPID) and requirements or provisions for the implementation of the HPID. This rule also proposes the adoption of a data element [...]

 HHS proposes to adopt an “other entity identifier” under HIPAA. Document Excerpt A proposed rule announced today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would establish a unique health plan identifier (HPID) under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) standards for electronic health care transactions.  Further, the rule would adopt [...]

The Departments of Health and Human Services releases a list of counties for which covered group health plans must issue relevant notices in a “culturally and linguistically appropriate” manner for 2012. Document Excerpt The list below includes all counties which meet or exceed the 10 percent threshold for the 2006-2010 ACS data and is applicable [...]

Transcript of oral arguments on day three of the Supreme Court’s hearing on the Affordable Care Act. Link http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/11-400.pdf

Audio of oral arguments before the Supreme Court on day three dealing with issues of severability of the individual mandate from the remainder of the Affordable Care Act. Link http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_audio_detail.aspx?argument=11-400

Transacripts of the oral arguments before the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the individual mandate enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act. Link http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/11-398-Tuesday.pdf

The following is an audio of today’s Supreme Court oral arguments on the constitutionality of the individual mandate enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act. Link  http://apne.ws/Hft6z3