June 14, 2023
AgencyCMS Releases New Consumer-Friendly Resources for the No Surprises Act
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made available new consumer-friendly web pages for people with easy-to-read information regarding the consumer protections in the No Surprises Act. The No Surprises Act protects people covered under group and individual health plans from receiving surprise medical bills when they receive most emergency services, non-emergency […]
May 16, 2023
AgencyMedicaid work requirements may result in 1.7M in coverage losses
At the tail end of April, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a debt ceiling bill that includes a stipulation for states to implement work requirements for certain Medicaid enrollees. A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation determined that if the work requirement was fully implemented in 2024 and the rate of Medicaid eligibility loss was […]
May 16, 2023
AgencyMedicare continues to warn enrollees about the influx of scams
The agency warns people about the booby traps of Medicare Advantage plans, too What do fraudsters love more than anything else? One single source they can tap into and outwit millions and millions of people. There are big tech companies, mobile phone companies, banks, and credit card companies, but who else has millions? Medicare’s […]
May 16, 2023
Agency5 ways to increase employee understanding and adoption of benefits
The need for more impactful benefit communication and education is substantial and readily acknowledged by employees. Here are five ways employees and their benefits advisors can increase employee understanding and adoption of benefits. By David MacLean | May 10, 2023 at 07:27 AM most cases, employees have one to two weeks to make important decisions […]
May 16, 2023
AgencyMore companies try to lure workers with benefits
Over a year of rapid wage growth has U.S. companies turning to enhanced benefits to attract and retain workers. Mentions of employee benefits in job postings on ZipRecruiter soared to the highest rates on record, according to an analysis by the jobs site. A greater share of positions offered benefits like health insurance, paid time off and […]
April 24, 2023
AgencyMedicare special needs plans
What You Need to Know SNPs are specialized Medicare Advantage plans. They serve people with designated financial, health or living situations. About 4.6 million of the 30 million Medicare Advantage enrollees have SNP coverage. When it comes to individual health, there is no one-size-fits-all. Many Medicare beneficiaries are managing multiple issues or have other circumstances […]
April 24, 2023
AgencyMedicaid Coverage in Washington
CMS Approves of State of Washington Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration April 14: CMS approved an amendment to the State of Washington’s Medicaid section 1115(a) demonstration, titled “Medicaid Transformation Project.” Approval of this demonstration amendment includes several improvements, like historic continuous eligibility for Medicaid children from the point they become eligible until they reach age six, […]
April 24, 2023
AgencyMedicaid Coverage in Oregon
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency: CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure Covers Medicare Basics in Part Two of Guest Blog April 13: Social Security Matters published the second of a two-part guest blog by CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure covering the basics of Medicare […]
April 11, 2023
AgencyMedicaid health plans try to protect members and profits during unwinding
The federal COVID-19 pandemic protections that have largely prohibited states from dropping anyone from Medicaid since 2020 helped millions of low-income Americans retain health insurance coverage—even if they no longer qualified—and brought the U.S. uninsured rate to a record low. It also led to a windfall for the health plans that states pay to oversee […]
March 15, 2023
AgencyCovid End Of Emergency
Public Health Emergency The Federal Government recently announced that the COVID Public Health Emergency and the COVID National Emergency will end on May 11, 2023. The end of the COVID Public Health Emergency (PHE) means that all required Health Plan mandates related to COVID will also end; the one exception is that all plans will […]