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Issue: # 65February 8, 2011

Greetings! 
 


Breaking news, a Federal Judge in Florida, Roger Vinson, has ruled that President's Obama's health care reforms are unconstitutional, because the government can not force individuals to buy health insurance.   This is different than a previous ruling, which also agreed the individual mandate was illegal, but did not express an opinion on the law itself.
 
The individual mandate is a key component of the President's and the Massachusetts reform, which requires individuals to have health insurance or pay a penalty.  Without it both plans can not work since both plans are based on "universal" (everyone having health insurance) coverage.   
 
In the past, we have questioned how effective the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would be in collecting the penalty.   In yesterday's Boston Globe, "The agency that oversees Massachusetts' health insurance regulations last year granted exemptions and waived the penalty for nearly two-thirds of the people who said they could not afford the insurance as required by law."
spring traiing
Spring training starts February 14th
If you have any questions email Bill  Vanessa.  We hope you find these newsletters helpful, please forward to anyone who may find this of interest, by using the forward link at the bottom of this e-mail.   Thank you for your referrals.

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Bill Randell CLU,CHFC,        Vanessa Costa CLU,CHFC,
 
Fair share contribution (FSC) HIRD Filing - Reminder 
February 15th deadline reminder
 
By now, you have all received notice from the Department of Workforce Development/Division of Unemployment, to file the Employer Fair Share Contribution/HIRD Report.   In order to complete, go to their website and have your Division of Unemployment Account number.   Here is a link to some frequently asked questions on the state's website.

In addition, all residents of Massachusetts must show proof of insurance on the annual State Tax return.  Proof of Insurance comes from the 1099-HC form that your health provider mails to employees. The carriers must have the form postmarked no later than January 31, 2011.  So, please remind employees the forms are on the way and should be given to their accountant or tax preparer.

2nd Quarter Rates, 2011 

Renewals and New Quotes on HOLD

No approved rates yet 

If you renew between April - June, the Mass. Division of Insurance has not yet approved the submitted "base" rates from all carriers for the small group (less than 50 employees) marketplace.  Lets hope this resolves quickly.  We do not need a situation similar to last year with "Temporary" rates and the mass confusion after.
 
For our groups renewing during this period, please note that we will keep you posted, and as of right now, we can not find out what your renewal rates are. Also, we can not get a competitive quote from another carrier.   Things will remain on hold for now.