Reminder about fee due date, HRAs

July 31 is fast approaching, and with it, the due date of the first payment for the Comparative Effectiveness Research fee to fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. This fee is part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or health care reform law) and funds research on the effectiveness, risks and benefits of medical treatments through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

As a reminder, health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) are considered a self-funded arrangement, so customers who fund HRAs for their workers need to calculate and pay the fee for the HRA portion of the arrangement. We will pay the fee for the insured business. The IRS does not allow us to pay the fee for self-funded clients or arrangements. Our standard membership report to customers has the information needed to do the calculation for the fee. Customers should talk to their tax or legal advisers if they have specific questions about calculating and paying this fee. Read More

Doctors are skeptical and confused about Obamacare, survey finds

The doctor is . . . skeptical about the Affordable Care Act. And clueless, too.

A new survey shows that an overwhelming percentage of physicians don't believe that their states' new health insurance exchanges will meet the Oct. 1 deadline for those key Obamacare marketplaces to begin enrolling the uninsured.

Just 11 percent of doctors believe those exchanges will be open for business that day. Read More