A federal spending bill enacted at the end of 2019 included several provisions affecting benefit plans. The bill repealed three major taxes and fees under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—the Cadillac tax, the medical devices excise tax and the health insurance providers fee.
The law also extended the PCORI fees for an additional 10 years. These fees will continue to apply for the 2020-2029 fiscal years. (more…)
There was a recent article in a North Carolina newspaper about a local surgeon, Dr. Gajendra Singh, who wanted to offer transparently priced, low-cost services to assist patients that are candidates for general or laparoscopic surgeries.
What was fascinating about the article wasn’t that the surgeon was still practicing independently (which seems very rare these days), or that he posts the cost of an x-ray on his front door (which is also rare, and admirable). The intriguing part was that he wanted to purchase an MRI machine and the State of North Carolina wouldn’t permit it. (more…)
How well is your PPO network performing?
If we’re talking breadth of access and depth of discounts ― it probably looks pretty good! As far as helping you secure lower costs than their competitors ― it’s probably not making a big difference. (more…)