“Each of the proposals outlined above would help hard-working Americans pay for their health-related care. Each would benefit hard-working lower-income Americans and other marginalized people nearly exclusively . . . All would reduce the financial barriers to care – particularly high-value care. All would empower people by giving them more control over their treatment decisions.” […]
“But these temporary rules do not solve the grace-period problem. They’re prospective election changes only. . . The plan year is over, so a participant can’t make a prospective change. The only viable solution is to end the grace period by November 30.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance March 18, 2021 […]
“But retaining the right to continuation of coverage and paying premiums are two different things. If that person ends up in the hospital in February, she’ll have to pay her premiums retroactively to last March to receive coverage.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance December 17, 2020 Mark Twain said it best: […]
“If the Democrats do win control of the Senate, they will have won seats in states that aren’t breeding grounds for government activism . . . Democrats who win elections in those states won’t be as eager to increase federal control over medical care as are Democrats from states like California, New York, New Jersey, […]
“COBRA continuation doesn’t apply to employees who work for a company with fewer than 20 employees (although some states have passed similar continuation programs to cover workers at small companies). And because COBRA provides continuation of the group plan, if the group plan is terminated (for example, the company goes out of business), there is […]
“[M]ost employees face financial responsibility far greater than the statutory minimum annual deductible of $1,400 for an HSA-qualified plan, but another part of the plan design (perhaps copays for office visits and prescription drugs) disqualifies them from opening and funding a Health Savings Account. This bill, if passed, would extend the benefits of this financial […]
“Large employers (51 or more employees) who want to transition employees from group to nongroup coverage are discouraged to find that the nongroup plan designs are far less attractive than what they can purchase as a large group.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance April 2, 2020 Last summer, the Trump Administration […]
“For a family with $5,000 of out-of-pocket expenses and a 25% to 34% marginal tax rate, the savings of between $1,250 and $1,700 may equal a mortgage payment of four or more car payments. That’s welcome money in these difficult times.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance March 23, 2020 The COVID-19 […]
“Employers with a particular high-cost claims category among its employee population – perhaps behavioral health, substance abuse, lower-back ailments or repetitive-motion injuries – could work with their insurer to remove cost barriers for treatment without disqualifying employees from making or receiving Health Savings Account contributions.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance March […]
“It defies logic to argue that employee salary deferrals – compensation that employees choose to take in the form of tax-advantaged funds to reimburse their personal financial responsibility for care – fall within any logical definition of premium.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance January 23, 2020 The budget deal to which […]
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