Dedicated Insurance Professionals you know and trust...like Family
Issue No. 32

April 2,  2013

 

Greetings!

  

Two weeks ago Saturday marked the third anniversary of the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which includes sweeping reforms of our health care system. Although health care consumers will see some of the landmark law's biggest changes beginning in 2014, many of the law's reforms have already begun.

 

The Affordable Care Act, continues to reshape America's health care system while "the broad consensus is that we need to move away from an outdated fee-for-service system that rewards volume and toward a system where doctors and hospitals are rewarded for improving quality, value and health outcomes," says Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, or AHIP, an industry trade group.

 

While this year's major reforms lay the groundwork for a more efficient and sustainable health care system, from the patient perspective, a lot of this is behind the scenes. 

 

As TACT continues its efforts to deliver timely and accurate information, our goal remains for our members to have a full understanding of the law and its direct affect.

 

We invite you to find us on Facebook to see and share opinions. And, as always, if you or your employees have any questions, feel free to contact our office. With TACT, YOU are our business. 

 

 

  

 

 

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Third Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act Marked
  
 

 The month of March marked the third anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act becoming law.

Consumers have gained access to many new benefits under the law since it was passed in 2010. They include free preventive services, new rights to appeal insurers' decisions, drug discounts for seniors on Medicare, and tax credits for small businesses.

 

Yet the biggest changes are set to take place less than a year from now. On Jan. 1, 2014, all Americans will be guaranteed access to health insurance coverage.

Here are some of the biggest developments to watch in 2013.

Health Insurance Marketplaces

One of the biggest changes will come in the form of new health insurance marketplaces, also called exchanges. Starting in October, individuals without access to health insurance through a job will shop for, compare, and enroll in health plans through these new online insurance super malls. Small businesses can use them, too. People will also find out if they qualify for tax breaks to help them pay for their insurance coverage.

 

While both federal and state governments are working furiously to get the markets up and running in time for October's open enrollment, the public remains largely in the dark about what's to come. According to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 6 in 10 U.S. residents say they don't have enough information to understand how they'll be affected by the law.

 

That's why starting in late summer and early fall, you can expect to be bombarded with messages about the health insurance marketplaces from a wide range of sources, including the media, federal and state governments, state departments of insurance, the state-based health insurance marketplaces, tax preparers, health care providers, private groups, and social service agencies.

There will be three primary messages you're likely to hear, says Lynn Quincy, senior health policy analyst for Consumers Union, the policy arm of Consumer Reports:

  1. The marketplaces are opening their doors for open enrollment in October for insurance benefits that will take effect Jan. 1, 2014.
  2. This is a different ball game. "The rules are changing. Now you cannot be turned down [by insurers]," Quincy says. Previously, insurance companies could deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
  3. "There will be help to lower your insurance costs if you qualify for coverage," Quincy says. Families of four making as much as $94,000 annually will receive tax credits from the federal government to help lower their insurance costs.

Employer Communication

If you're one of the nearly 140 million Americans who gets your health benefits through your job, the law's biggest changes won't have much impact on you. Most employers who offered insurance before the law was passed will continue doing so. And keeping the insurance through your employer rather than buying it on your own is still likely to be your best option.

 

"The majority of people can ignore this as background noise. For those with employer-sponsored insurance it won't matter," says Sabrina Corlette, research professor and project director at the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University.

 

Still, expect to hear from your company about all the upcoming changes.

 

Employers are required by federal law to send workers a notice telling them about the new insurance marketplaces before Oct. 1, 2013. Even earlier than that, companies will be eager to help employees understand the differences between the health insurance coverage they provide and what will be available through the marketplaces.

"There's likely to be confusion, particularly for those with coverage through their employer today," says Mike Thompson, health care consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

 

One of the biggest concerns is that during this fall's advertising blitz many people will wrongly assume they can lower their costs by dropping their employer's benefits to buy a health plan on the marketplace, where tax credits will be available. But you won't be eligible for tax credits unless your company's health insurance plan costs more than 9.5% of your annual income.

 

"That's clearly one place where people could make a potentially bad decision," says Sandy Ageloff, senior consultant with Towers Watson. "It's critical for individuals, particularly for those with employer coverage, to really pay attention to the messaging coming from employers, and to take the time to understand the law."

Expanding Medicaid: Help Paying for Insurance

Will your state be expanding its Medicaid program to cover more people? This is a development to watch between now and the summer.

 

Last summer, the Supreme Court ruled that states can choose not to expand their Medicaid programs to cover more low-income people.

 

As a result, 25 states have declined or not yet decided whether to accept federal funds that would allow them to cover people earning up to 138% of the poverty level, or about $15,400 a year for an individual. That could place a large number of people in need of Medicaid coverage out in the cold.

 

In Texas, for example, it's estimated that 1.5 million uninsured people would lose on out coverage if Gov. Rick Perry doesn't decide to expand Medicaid for Texans.

 

Because the federal government pays for 100% of states' expansion for the first three years starting in 2014 and gradually lowering that to 90%, it's widely believed that the deal is too good for governors to pass up. Many are facing intense pressure from hospitals and other businesses within their states that have much to gain from the expansion.

 

"All that I've heard publicly from Health and Human Services is that we assume eventually all states will expand," Corlette says.

 

 

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Healthcare

in the News

  Medicaid Rejection to Cost Employers
  

  

Medicaid Expansion
Texas Governor Rick Perry has opted
out of Medicaid expansion.

 

When the Supreme Court last year upheld the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, they ruled that states could decide whether or not to adopt President Obama's expanded Medicaid program. So far, 22 states have either opposed it, spoken out against it or remain undecided.

 

All that's at stake for U.S. employers? Something around $1 billion dollars, according to a new study conducted by Jackson Hewitt.

 

The controversial provision allows more people to qualify for Medicaid, but also penalizes any insurance-providing company with more than 50 full-time workers whose own workers can't afford insurance. If workers are able to qualify for Medicaid, however, companies can avoid fines of up to $3,000 per individual. So by rejecting the provision, states are making it harder for companies to avoid the penalty.

 

The study named Texas and Florida employers as those most at risk. Employers in Texas, where Governor Rick Perry rejected the Medicaid expansion and has even called for the law's repeal, are at risk for as much as $448 million in fines.

 

Florida employers may be forced to pay up a collective $219 million, after Florida Governor Rick Scott's decision to expand Medicaid to more than 1 million people was rejected by the state legislature.

 

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in 2012 that as many as 6 million people could miss out on Medicaid because the Supreme Court made the expansion optional.

 

Source: Huffington Post Business - March 26, 2013

 

 

Further Reading:

 

Nearly three years after President Barack Obama enacted landmark health care reforms, the American public remains uninformed and divided about the law, according to survey findings released . Click here to read more.

 
Agriculture News
NOAA - Mixed Bag of Weather Predicted for Spring
  

 

March in like a...out like a...

 

From drought to flooding to all that's in between, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a little of everything this spring.  

The organization issued its three-month U.S. Spring Outlook on March 21.

 

The drought-stricken areas of Texas, the Southwest and the Great Plains are expected to continue. Meanwhile, the eastern Corn Belt can anticipate minor to moderate flood risks, with severe flooding possible in the Red River Valley. Overall river flooding is likely to be worse than it was last year.

 

Meantime, above-normal temperatures later this spring are expected for most of the continental U.S. Also, 51% of the country is still suffering from moderate to exceptional drought. New drought development is expected in the Southwest, including Texas while drought relief is expected for the Midwest, the northern and central Great Plains.

 

Weather can turn on a dime, so it's important to stay tuned to the daily weather forecast keeping in mind that a good strategy is to hope for the best while preparing for the worst.

 

NOAA looks at multiple weather factors, including snowpack, drought, soil moisture, streamflow, precipitation, Pacific Ocean temperatures and consensuses and among climate forecast models.

 

Source: www.agweb.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Healthful Hint
 Something to Sneeze At  

Spring Season Equals Allergy Season

Spring is the time of year that we normally think of when it comes to seasonal allergies. As the trees start to bloom and the pollen gets airborne, allergy sufferers begin their annual ritual of sniffling and sneezing. Each year, 35 million Americans fall prey to seasonal allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as hay fever. Although there is no magical cure for spring allergies, there are a number of ways to combat them, from medication to household habits.

 

What causes spring allergies?

The biggest spring allergy trigger is pollen -- tiny grains released into the air by trees, grasses, and weeds for the purpose of fertilizing other plants. When pollen grains get into the nose of someone who's allergic, they send the immune system into overdrive.

 

The immune system, mistakenly seeing the pollen as    foreign invaders, releases antibodies -- substances that normally identify and attack bacteria, viruses, and other illness-causing organisms. The antibodies attack the allergens, which leads to the release of chemicals called histamines into the blood. Histamines trigger the runny nose, itchy eyes, and other symptoms of allergies.

 

Pollen can travel for miles, spreading a path of misery for allergy sufferers along the way. The higher the pollen count, the greater the misery. The pollen count measures the amount of allergens in the air in grains per cubic meter. You can find out the daily pollen count in your area by watching your local weather forecast or by visiting the NAB: Pollen & Mold Counts page on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's web site.

 

 

Pollen and Allergy Relief

Need some allergy relief? If you have allergies, you know that you can run, but you can't hide from seasonal pollen. With the first deep breath of spring, more than 50 million Americans begin their nearly year-round symptoms of sneezing, wheezing, coughing, snorting, and itching. And millions of allergy sufferers seek allergy relief in prescription medications that cost $6 billion dollars per year worldwide. Let's be honest. If the miserable symptoms of pollen allergies don't push you over...

Read the Pollen and Allergy Relief article > >

 

Click below to read more about living with and managing allergies.

  

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/allergies-living-managing

 

   

 

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In This Issue
Third Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act Marked
Healthcare in the News
Agriculture News
Healthful Hint
Refer Us!
Facebook Feature 
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Sequester Continuing to Impact
 

Three weeks after sequestration officially became the law of the land, debate over the issue has slowed to a trickle: The Obama administration has conceded that the across-the-board budget cuts are likely here for awhile, and Republicans are split over whether or not that's a good thing or a bad thing. But even as the long-term economic impacts of sequestration remain murky, its day-to-day impacts are becoming increasingly evident.
 

   

The Sequester:

Absolutely everything you could possibly need to know, in one FAQ

 

 

 
 TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
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Next Issue: April 16, 2013
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