WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House speaker Paul Ryan said his colleagues might use the tax overhaul currently under consideration to repeal the Affordable Care Act provision that mandates individuals buy health insurance.
Reported by Reuters 8 hours ago.
Ryan says Obamacare mandate repeal on table in tax debate: Fox News Sunday
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Trump funding cut limits Nebraska health insurance sign ups
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The annual campaign to sign Nebraska residents up for health insurance through the federal marketplace could hit more snags than usual this year under new Trump administration policies, and advocates say rural areas will be hardest hit. Open enrollment through the Affordable Care Act exchanges opened last week, but outreach groups […]
Reported by Seattle Times 8 hours ago.
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Ryan says health insurance mandate part of GOP tax talks
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Republicans are discussing whether their tax plan should include a repeal of the Obama health law's requirement that people have insurance coverage or…
Reported by Japan Today 14 minutes ago.
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Ryan says health insurance mandate part of GOP tax talks
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan says Republicans are discussing whether their tax plan should include a repeal of the Obama health law's requirement that people have insurance coverage. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that repealing that requirement — known as the individual mandate — would save $416 billion over a decade. The mandate provides a powerful incentive for people to get coverage before health problems arise. But the money represents a tempting revenue source for GOP tax-writers whose tax plan would add an estimated $1.5 trillion over 10 years to the national debt. Ryan tells "Fox News Sunday" that "a lot of members are suggesting" that the tax plan repeal the individual mandate.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 1 day ago.
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Apollo Munich Health Insurance wins 'General Insurance Company of the Year'
New Delhi , Nov. 6 (ANI-NewsVoir): Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company, a joint venture between integrated healthcare provider, Apollo Hospitals Group, and the Munich Re Group was conferred with the 21st Asia Insurance Industry Awards in the "General Insurance Company of the Year" category.
Reported by newKerala.com 16 hours ago.
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6 frequently asked questions from your employees during open enrollment
Open enrollment is a busy time for HR teams serving as the frontline to help employees understand their options and make important benefit decisions for themselves and their families. HR professionals and executives can prepare for open enrollment with answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. Here are answers to the top six questions employees may ask this open enrollment. Health insurance premiums typically go up because the cost to deliver care increases. Higher utilization…
Reported by bizjournals 15 hours ago.
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What employers should know about the latest health care reform actions
President Trump’s recent executive order on health care was aimed at increasing competition and lowering consumer costs in the health insurance markets. Specifically, the order directs three federal agencies to consider proposing new rules that would allow the sale of low-cost, short-term insurance; expand the use of health reimbursement accounts; and lift some of the restrictions on association health plans. It’s unclear, as of this writing, how or when these proposed actions will change health…
Reported by bizjournals 15 hours ago.
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2017 Version of ez1095 2017 ACA Software Has Been Released With Paper Printing Capability
ez1095 2017 version software is now available for Affordable Care Act Forms 1095 C, 1094 C, 1095 B & 1094 for print and mail. Test drive the 30 day no cost or obligation trial at http://www.halfpricesoft.com.
LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) November 06, 2017
The IRS has just approved the ez1095 2017 Affordable Care Act (ACA) software application. The health care law requires all employers that have 50 or more full-time employees or equivalents to file an annual return in 2017 reporting health insurance offered to employees. Halfpricesoft.com has released 2017 version for customers to now purchase the paper printing version for Forms 1095 C, 1094 C, 1095 B & 1094B for print and mail.
“The new 2017 version of ez1095 software for printing ACA forms 1095 C, 1094 C, 1095 B & 1094B has just been released by Halfpricesoft.com,” said Dr. Ge, the founder of Halfpricesoft.com.
ez1095 software is compatible Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP and other Windows systems. Potential customers can download and try this software at no obligation by visiting http://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/form-1095-software-free-download.asp
The main features include but are not limited to:· Print ACA Form 1095-C, 1094-C, 1095-B and 1094-B on white paper for recipients and IRS with inkjet or laser printer.
· Support unlimited companies.
· Support unlimited number of recipients.
· Print unlimited number of 1095 and 1094 forms.
· Fast data import feature.
· Print Form 1095 C: Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Insurance.
· Print Form 1094 C: Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns.
· Print Form 1095-B: Health Coverage.
· Print Form 1094-B: Transmittal of Health Coverage Information Return.
Priced at just $195 per installation, this ACA form filing software saves employers time and money. To learn more about ez1095 ACA software, customers can visit http://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/aca-1095-software.asp
About halfpricesoft.com
Founded in 2003, Halfpricesoft.com has established itself as a leader in meeting the software needs of small businesses around the world with its payroll software, employee attendance tracking software, check printing software, W2 software, 1099 software and barcode generating software. It continues to grow with its philosophy that small business owners need affordable, user friendly, super simple, and totally risk-free software. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.
LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) November 06, 2017
The IRS has just approved the ez1095 2017 Affordable Care Act (ACA) software application. The health care law requires all employers that have 50 or more full-time employees or equivalents to file an annual return in 2017 reporting health insurance offered to employees. Halfpricesoft.com has released 2017 version for customers to now purchase the paper printing version for Forms 1095 C, 1094 C, 1095 B & 1094B for print and mail.
“The new 2017 version of ez1095 software for printing ACA forms 1095 C, 1094 C, 1095 B & 1094B has just been released by Halfpricesoft.com,” said Dr. Ge, the founder of Halfpricesoft.com.
ez1095 software is compatible Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP and other Windows systems. Potential customers can download and try this software at no obligation by visiting http://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/form-1095-software-free-download.asp
The main features include but are not limited to:· Print ACA Form 1095-C, 1094-C, 1095-B and 1094-B on white paper for recipients and IRS with inkjet or laser printer.
· Support unlimited companies.
· Support unlimited number of recipients.
· Print unlimited number of 1095 and 1094 forms.
· Fast data import feature.
· Print Form 1095 C: Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Insurance.
· Print Form 1094 C: Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns.
· Print Form 1095-B: Health Coverage.
· Print Form 1094-B: Transmittal of Health Coverage Information Return.
Priced at just $195 per installation, this ACA form filing software saves employers time and money. To learn more about ez1095 ACA software, customers can visit http://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/aca-1095-software.asp
About halfpricesoft.com
Founded in 2003, Halfpricesoft.com has established itself as a leader in meeting the software needs of small businesses around the world with its payroll software, employee attendance tracking software, check printing software, W2 software, 1099 software and barcode generating software. It continues to grow with its philosophy that small business owners need affordable, user friendly, super simple, and totally risk-free software. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.
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Ex-UnitedHealth exec Gail Boudreaux named Anthem CEO
Gail Boudreaux, the former head of UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s health insurance business and long considered one of the most powerful women in the industry, has been named the next president and CEO of Anthem Inc. The Wall Street Journal reported on the plans by Indianapolis-based Anthem to hire Boudreaux late Friday, and this morning the company confirmed it. She'll succeed current CEO Joseph Swedish on Nov. 20; Swedish will stay on as executive chairman until May, then continue in an advisory role…
Reported by bizjournals 10 hours ago.
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Anthem picks former UnitedHealth executive to become CEO
Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer Anthem has picked a former top executive from its biggest competitor to replace Joseph Swedish as its next CEO. Anthem says Gail K. Boudreaux will start Nov. 20. Swedish will serve as executive chairman until May and then as senior advisor for a couple more years. A statement Monday from Indianapolis-based Anthem gave no reason for the departure of Swedish, who has led the insurer for more than four years. Boudreaux, 57, served as a CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group Inc., until November 2014. Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth and Anthem Inc. are the nation's two largest health insurers based on enrollment.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 10 hours ago.
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Health Insurance Innovations: Fundamentals Shine
Reported by SeekingAlpha 9 hours ago.
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Trump Drafting Executive Order To Kill Obamacare's Individual Mandate, Report
After having previously cut so-called "cost reduction subsidies" (see: Trump To Scrap Crucial Obamacare Insurer Subsidy) and the marketing budget for Obamacare, *Trump is now reportedly ready to also repeal the legislation's controversial "individual mandate"* which taxes people who choose to forego health insurance.According to the Washington Examiner an executive order has already been drafted to scrap the mandate but has not yet been executed only due to ongoing GOP debates over whether or not to include the repeal in the pending tax bill.
*The Trump administration has prepared an executive order that would unravel Obamacare's individual mandate, but has put it on hold to see whether it might be included in the Republican tax bill instead, a GOP senator told the Washington Examiner.*
According to the senator, an executive order is sitting with the Office of Management and Budget waiting for approval. President Trump decided to delay the executive order after Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pushed for the inclusion of the individual mandate repeal in the tax bill, and has been supportive of its inclusion in statements he has made on Twitter.
Of course, including the individual mandate repeal in the tax legislation is intended create billions in budget savings and offset lower tax receipts but it *could come with the unfortunate side effect of alienating potential mainstream GOP votes in the Senate who refused to support the Obamacare repeal efforts earlier this year.*
Including repeal of the individual mandate in the tax bill instead of through executive order would create billions in budget savings that Republicans need to pay for tax cuts. According to a Congressional Budget Office report published in December 2016, repeal of the individual mandate would save $416 billion over a decade, since it would mean fewer subsidy payments to people who sign up. A new CBO report is expected Monday.
The repeal is not currently in the tax bill, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but House Speaker Paul Ryan said this weekend that it was on the negotiation table among House Republicans.
*"We have an active conversation with our members on a whole host of ideas on things to add to this bill and that's one of the things being discussed,"* he said.
The senator who spoke to the Washington Examiner, who asked to remain anonymous, *thinks colleagues could embrace repeal in the tax bill, because the revenue generated "pays for so many tax cuts."*
According to the Washington Examiner, Trump cannot repeal the individual mandate through executive order, but he can broaden "hardship exemptions," which under Obamacare are left to the discretion of the administration. The exemptions allow customers to have ways to get out of paying the fine for not having coverage, which is $695 per adult or 2.5 percent of income, whichever is higher.
The Obama administration created hardship exemptions for a range of situations, including if someone filed for bankruptcy, experienced a flood, death of a family member, domestic violence or a shut-off notice from a utility company.
Of course, it's only a matter of time until Nancy Pelosi and/or Chuck Schumer take a stage somewhere to tell us precisely how many people will die as a result of Republicans even talking about an "individual mandate" repeal. Reported by Zero Hedge 7 hours ago.
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CeltiCare Health Plan to lay off dozens after withdrawing from Mass. market
CeltiCare Health Plan will close its Waltham office and lay off 37 employees, after the plan decided to stop offering health insurance on the state’s website.
Reported by bizjournals 6 hours ago.
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White House Prepares Executive Order to Weaken Obamacare
President Donald Trump's White House staff have prepared an executive order that would weaken the requirement that all Americans have health insurance, The Washington Examiner reports.
Reported by Newsmax 2 hours ago.
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Employer-sponsored health insurance isn't seeing big premium hikes
Employees' health insurance is getting a little pricier each year — but it's nothing compared to what individuals without employer-sponsored plans are seeing. Mercer, a New York consulting firm, highlighted the contrast between small group and individual health plan pricing in its 2017 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans. While individual market premiums across the national have spiked by double and triple-digit percentages each year since the passage of the Affordable Care Act,…
Reported by bizjournals 3 hours ago.
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Why This DACA Recipient Refuses To Be Called A 'Dreamer'
Watch VideoMaria Torres describes herself as "the poster child for immigration reform," but don't call her a "Dreamer." She says the word unfairly excludes more than 10 million other undocumented immigrants, including her parents and her brother."Who do you see when you say 'Dreamer'? And I want you to think even harder. Who are you leaving out? And do those people deserve to be left out?" asked Torres. "I think that people who use the 'Dreamer narrative' still to this day believe that there is people who deserve justice and people who don't."
She added: "It continues to perpetuate this idea that there's people who just magically are super-achievers and who deserve more than other people who are not."
Torres is one of nearly 800,000 DACA recipients. She was brought from Mexico to the U.S. by her parents 15 years ago. Being undocumented, she managed to attend a local college by winning a scholarship. When President Barack Obama introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012, she was just about to graduate. A few months later, she applied for and received her DACA work permit.
*SEE MORE: This Immigrant Is Fighting Chicago Police Over Alleged Gang List Error*
"It wasn't until I got my Social Security number where it finally hit me. And when I received it and I opened the envelope and saw it, I was so angry," Torres said. "So angry I just threw it to the table. And I told my mom, 'Because of this f---ing thing, we've been struggling so much.' And I left the room."
"My father is one of the most hardworking men you'll ever meet. And my mom is very hardworking and very compassionate. She's always trying to help and support other people. And so how is it that it was becoming easier for me to get this job with health insurance? And I could go to the doctor and I could go to the gynecologist without any problem. Every little thing in your life is tied to your immigration status, in one way or another. It's always there. And I was seeing firsthand the contradictions."
Those contradictions and differences between "Dreamers" and non-"Dreamers" became even less bearable to Maria when her younger brother learned he wouldn't qualify for DACA because of his police record.
"What hope does he have? When he's trying to look for a job, but he's undocumented," asked Torres. "He doesn't have money to buy a car to go look for a job. When he knows that he's not going to ever be able to get DACA. Ever. Because he doesn't exist anymore. And I know it is personal choice, and I know that it's family responsibility, but I also know that it's a system that doesn't work with us."
Torres has been a high-profile organizer for more than 10 years. With a few other young undocumented activists, she launched the #ProtectionForAll movement a few months ago to bring the voice of the most marginalized immigrants to the mainstream.
"Ultimately, I made a very conscious decision to position myself as far to the left as I can and with a radical idea of protecting for all and really say yes to fighting for the most vulnerable," Torres said. "I understand that it may not be politically feasible, and I don't particularly care because I'm not running for office."
She added: "At one point, people didn't think that the Dream Act or DACA was possible. DACA happened because there was radical undocumented folks, many of them who are queer, who are black, who are in the LGBT community, who said, 'No, we are going to demand this, and we are going to call President Obama deporter in chief.' And we got DACA, so … we are challenging what is being said, and even if people don't agree, it is always going to be in the back of their minds."
*SEE MORE: Undocumented Artist Channels Her Activism Through Music*
Since President Donald Trump formally rescinded DACA earlier this year, the future of DACA recipients is in limbo. Torres' DACA status expires in April 2019. But she's not scared or worried by the prospect of losing her job.
"I am planning on doing the best I can to pay off my debt so that if I lose my job, I'm going to continue organizing and survive off of ramen noodles," Torres said. Reported by Newsy 3 hours ago.
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Working past 65? Watch out for this Medicare pitfall that could cost you thousands of dollars
We can say two things for sure about the American workforce and its health insurance. First, more Americans are working past the traditional retirement age of 65. Second, more are taking advantage of employer insurance plans that include tax-exempt Health Savings Accounts.
Add these two facts together,... Reported by L.A. Times 2 hours ago.
Add these two facts together,... Reported by L.A. Times 2 hours ago.
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Centene affiliate to lay off dozens after withdrawing from Massachusetts market
CeltiCare Health Plan will close its Waltham, Massachusetts, office and lay off 37 employees, after the plan decided to stop offering health insurance on the state’s website.
Reported by bizjournals 1 day ago.
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Vermont’s Fairbanks Scales workers settle week-long strike
ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — Unionized workers at the Fairbanks Scales plant in the Vermont town of St. Johnsbury are back on the job after a weeklong strike. On Tuesday, workers from the United Electrical 234 ratified a three-year contract which includes wage increases and improvements in health insurance coverage. Union representative Chad McGinnis says […]
Reported by Seattle Times 1 day ago.
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Repealing Obamacare's Individual Mandate Would Save $338 Billion
With Republicans scrambling to find every possible dollar to pay for Trump's "massive" tax reform package, on Wednesday morning a new analysis by the CBO calculated *that repealing ObamaCare's individual mandate - an idea that had been floated previously by Trump - would save $338 billion over 10 years. *CBO previously estimated repeal would save $416b over 10 years due to reduced use of Obamacare subsidies, demonstrating once again how "fluid" government forecasts are.**
The report was released as the Senate prepares to unveil its own version of the Tax reform bill amid growing GOP dissent, and comes as some Republicans are pushing for repealing the mandate within tax reform, as a way to help pay for tax cuts. Still, as The Hill reports, that idea has met resistance from some Republican leaders who do not want to mix up health care and taxes. Previously the CBO had come under fire on Tuesday from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who slammed the agency after Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told The Hill that he had been informed that the CBO was changing its analysis of the mandate to find significantly less savings.
Just as notable was the CBO's announcement that it was changing the way it analyzes the mandate, which Republicans suspect would show less government savings and fewer people becoming uninsured as a results.
"The agencies are in the process of revising their methods to estimate the repeal of the individual mandate," he said. "However, because that work is not complete and significant changes to the individual mandate are now being considered as part of the budget reconciliation process, the agencies are publishing this update without incorporating major changes to their analytical methods."
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who has been one of the most vocal advocates of including repeal of the individual mandate in the tax bill, has touted the savings that would come as a result. His team said it is confident that the scoring will include similar numbers to previous reports. *"We’re confident the CBO estimate will still show a substantial — north of $300 billion — savings for tax reform," *Caroline Tabler, spokeswoman for Cotton, told the Washington Examiner in an email.
CBO has been criticized for years for its analyses on the effects of the individual mandate. Republicans have charged that the mandate isn't as effective as CBO concludes and have said they want to see it repealed. Some Obamacare supporters also have said it should be stronger by becoming more expensive or should be more heavily enforced.
While the CBO calculation is a boost to Republicans who want to repeal the mandate in tax reform, because it means there are still significant savings to be had from repealing the mandate, mandate repeal still faces long odds. Repealing the mandate - a broadly unpopular decision in many states - could also destabilize health insurance markets by removing an incentive for healthy people to enroll.
Earlier in the day, the CBO said that according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" would increase deficits over the next decade by $1.4 trillion, which is good enough to slip under the $1.5 trillion limit required for reconciliation. The CBO did however add that the additional debt service would boost the 10-year increase in deficits to $1.7 trillion. Reported by Zero Hedge 1 day ago.
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