The Affordable Care Act continues to significantly affect employers across the nation. In fact, many employers plan to make some organizational changes—from offering wellness-based care to hiring fewer total employees—as a result of health care reform. As provisions continue to take effect, how are employers reacting to and coping with the changes? For more than three-quarters of respondents to the 2013 Health Care Reform Survey (approximately 3300 people), health care reform has increased, or is expected to increase, their organization’s health benefit costs. Check our the complete survey for more on the following: Demographics Broker-provided Services Health Plans Pay or... Continue reading

It’s a confusing time in the healthcare world. The politicians say they are working to drive down medical costs, but then new “consumer friendly” products and services emerge laden with fees and other hidden expenses. Take Massachusetts’ latest piece of healthcare legislation, Chapter 224. As you have likely heard, Chapter 224 is Massachusetts’ answer to rising healthcare costs. At its core the new law seeks to ensure that healthcare costs rise slower than the state’s gross state product in part by encouraging employers to change the way they offer health insurance and employees to alter the way they access it.... Continue reading

Yesterday, our local newspapers touted how small-business health co-ops will “slash” rates. Really? The reality is the product offered to the co-op is where the savings will be generated and this product will be available to small businesses whether they are in a co-op or not. I’m pretty sure if I had bought my wife daisies yesterday instead of the beautiful arrangement of roses, it would have cost me a lot less too. To fill you in, Section 34 of Chapter 288 of the Acts of 2010 allows the Massachusetts Division of Insurance to provide for up to six small... Continue reading

When my wife and I asked our young son if he would prefer a short trip to Disney World for his birthday in lieu of another in a seemingly endless string of afternoon bowling, laser tag or arcade parties, he chose Disney World. While the cost was certainly higher upfront, we could justify the expense since it would provide a much needed break for Mom and Dad and we could use the money we would normally dump into a likely unmemorable hour and a half at an arcade thus reducing the cost of our mini vacation and provide a much... Continue reading

Now that Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA has joined Neighborhood Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and Tufts Health Plan in crafting a compromise with the MA Division of Insurance we can now look forward to the next battle looming over the rising cost of health care, network disruption. The Insurance carriers have been forced to take millions of dollars in losses in the post MA health care reform “merged market” as a result of the governor’s arbitrary capping of small group and individual premiums. As sure as day turns to night, the carriers are now busy trying to ease... Continue reading