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Webcasts, Conferences
Wellbeing: An Integral Component of Workplace Culture with Dr. Laura Hamill
September 24, 2018 in OH
Worldwide Employee Benefits Network [WEB] - Northeast Ohio Chapter
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A Formula for Choosing the Right PBM for Your Benefits
"Employers are more sophisticated about choosing the right PBM than they were just five years ago, which means expectations of what PBMs provide have changed. Previously, employers were mainly concerned with the drug prices PBMs offered. Transparent pricing, low markups and high rebates help manage costs. PBMs are now charged with helping employers manage utilization. Yes, prices, discounts and rebates all still matter, but a good price on a drug is irrelevant if the medication should not have been prescribed in the first place." Corporate Synergies
Now is a great time to join Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB)
Worldwide Employee Benefits Network helps me connect with thought leaders in the Benefits Industry. Join WEB today at www.webnetwork.org .
ACOs Taking Risk in 'Next Generation' Payment Model Generate Savings for Patients and Taxpayers
"[CMS] released an evaluation report
for the first performance year of the Innovation Center's Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model ... Results demonstrated the positive outcomes in terms of quality and costs when providers are responsible for managing to a budget. For the 2016 performance year, the Next Generation ACO Model generated net savings to Medicare of approximately $62 million while maintaining quality of care for beneficiaries."
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]
With Next-Generation ACO Report Fresh Off the Presses, Verma Doubles Down on 2-Sided Risk Models
"[CMS Administrator Seema Verma] argued two-sided risk models lead to better outcomes and lower costs, but 82% of ACOs still haven't made the transition. CMS wants to force those remaining ACOs to switch with a new rule that would limit upside-only models to just two years." FierceHealthcare
IRS Announces 2018 Monthly National Average Premium
"The monthly national average premium for qualified health plans that have a bronze level of coverage and are offered through Exchanges in 2018 is $283 per individual. The monthly national average premium for qualified health plans that have a bronze level of coverage and are offered through Exchanges in 2018 is $1,415 for a shared responsibility family with five or more members. The guidance is effective for tax years ending after Dec. 31, 2017." Wolters Kluwer Law & Business
State(d) Objections to the Association Health Plan Rule
"While the specific legal arguments may or may not win the day with the court, the filing underscores an important point in the AHP debate: the viability of AHPs will depend, in significant part, on state laws." HUB International
What Employers Need to Know About ACA 'Pay or Play' Mandates
Sept. 18 webinar will clear up any confusion about the ACA 'Pay or Play' mandates and help employers to avoid penalties. Discount for BenefitsLink readers .
Telemedicine Investors Focus on Progress, Barriers, and ROI
"[I]nformation technology is becoming a central strategy for organization leadership ... CEOs understand the importance of this investment and are making technology a priority.... [I]nteroperability remains one of the biggest barriers.... Does the provider or the payer 'own' the patient relationship? ... Plans may drive telemedicine adoption more than any other player especially as payer-provider convergence trends continue." Foley & Lardner LLP
How Telemedicine Is Changing Healthcare
"[1] Direct-to-consumer market has matured, but questions remain about value. [2] AI and other innovations are emerging in self-service arena. [3] Provider collaboration offers opportunities for growth. [4] Building telemedicine capabilities into new spaces would enhance convenience." HealthLeaders Media
More States Join the Paid Family and Medical Leave Movement
"The Washington State program will be funded by both employers and employees with payroll deductions beginning on January 1, 2019. Payment of benefits begins on January 1, 2020 ... The Massachusetts program will be funded by employers and employees with payroll deductions beginning on July 1, 2019. Payment of benefits will begin on January 1, 2021. All private Massachusetts employers must comply." Frenkel Benefits
Benefits in General
Employee Benefit Arrangements Potentially Affected by IRS Guidance on Revised UBIT Calculations
"[ Notice 2018-67
] properly provides that any amount included in UBTI under section 512(a)(7) will not be subject to the new 'separate unrelated trade or business' rule.... The Notice seeks comments on any special considerations that should be taken into account in applying the 'separate unrelated trade or business' rule in this context, specifically including the treatment of investment income.... [T]he Notice also announced that the IRS intends to provide that the broader section 513(b) definition of 'unrelated trade or business' (which for UBIT purposes attributes a trade or business conducted by a partnership to its tax-exempt general or limited partner), rather than the general section 513(a) definition, will apply to IRAs as well as to
qualified plans."
Eversheds Sutherland
Press Releases
Commerce Street Peak Advisors is Certified for Fiduciary Excellence Centre for Fiduciary Excellence [CEFEX]
TRA Introduces Matt Solomon, New Regional Sales Consultant The Retirement Advantage [TRA]
Most Popular Items in the Previous Issue
Text of CMS Publication: Health Insurance Oversight System -- Rates and Benefits Information System User Manual (PDF) Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight [CCIIO], Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]
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BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter, ISSN no. 1536-9595. Copyright 2018 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. All materials contained in this newsletter are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., or in the case of third party materials, the owner of those materials. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notices from copies of the content.
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