Showing posts with label health insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health insurance. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Employers of All Sizes Must Notify Employees of Health Coverage Options

The Affordable Care Act ("ACA") amends the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") to require employers of all sizes to notify their employees of the option to purchase healthcare coverage through the public insurance marketplaces.  Employers must provide this notification by October 1, 2013.

The FLSA prescribes standards for the basic minimum wage and overtime pay for both public and private employment, requires that the notice:
  • Explain how the employee may be eligible for a premium tax credit or a cost-sharing reduction if the employer’s plan does not meet certain requirements;
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  • Inform employees that if they purchase a qualified health plan through the exchange, then they may lose any employer contribution toward the cost of employer-provided coverage, and that all or a portion of the employer contribution to employer-provided coverage may be excludable for federal income tax purposes;
  • Include contact information for customer service resources within the exchange, and an explanation of appeal rights;
  • Meet certain accessibility and readability requirements; and
  • Be in writing.
The Department of Labor has provided two model notices on its website - one for employers who already offer an employee health plan (model notice #1), and one for employers who do not (model notice #2).

The norice requirement applies to all employers who are subject to FLSA.  In general, this law applies to employers that employ one or more employees who are engaged in, or produce goods for, interstate commerce.  For most firms, a test of not less than $500,000 in annual dollar volune of business applies.

The FLSA also specifically covers the following entities, regardless of dollar volume of business:
  • Hospitals;
  • Institutions primarily engaged in the care of the sick, aged, mentally ill, or disabled who reside on the premises;
  • Schools for children who are mentally or physically disabled or gifted;
  • Preschools, elementary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education; and
  • Federal, state and local government agencies.
For an explanation of the reach of the FLSA, please click HERE.


Thursday, July 25, 2013

Make Good Choices: Free Decision Aid for Choosing a Health Plan

Choosing the best health insurance plan can be a daunting task.  Do you need access to out-of-network providers? Do you prefer a large selection of providers within your network, or are you mostly concerned with overall cost? Should you sign up for an HMO? Or would a PPO better suit your healthcare needs?

These are just a few of the questions that healthcare start-up eChoiceAdvisor can help individuals to answer in order to select the health insurance plan that is right for them.
eChoiceAdvisor, like "a mint.com for health care," helps consumers simplify health insurance decisions based on large-scale consumer surveys. We constantly survey our members and industry experts to ask about their health insurance experiences and money saving tips. We make it fun and easy for you to share your opinions, find relevant information and advice, advocate for more affordable and secure health care for everyone in this country.  [http://echoiceadvisor.com/contact.html]
Founder and CEO Maggie Wu (BA in Economics, UC Berkeley; MBA, Chicago Booth School of Business) is an experienced market research professional who has conducted numerous focus groups and large scale consumer and business surveys.  Her company not only helps simplify health insurance decisions for individual healthcare consumers, but it also provides money-saving tips and an Insurance Jargon Dictionary to help define the multitude of insurance terms that can often confuse the average consumer.

If you're switching jobs, interested in switching insurance providers, or simply curious if your current plan is right for you, visit eChoiceAdvisor and start making good choices about your health plan!