Monday, September 30, 2013
The Get Out of Trunk Free Latch
Obama's budget calls for big changes to 401(k)s, IRAs | BenefitsPro
September 27, 2013
Set aside for a moment the fight in Washington, D.C., over stopgap spending legislation. In his budget blueprint for 2014, President Obama has proposed a number of tax and other reforms that would mean big changes in how retirement is financed.
What Congress does over the next couple of days could either avoid or trigger a government shutdown. Either way, at some point after the crisis is resolved, the House and Senate are likely take up the following proposals, all of which would have lasting effects on anyone saving for retirement.
Contributions would be made to an IRA on a payroll-deduction basis. If an employer already offers a plan, it wouldn’t have to comply with this regulation, but if its current plan excludes certain segments of its employees from participating in the plan, the employer would have to begin to offer the automatic IRA to those excluded employees, according to an assessment by KPMG.
Obama included this provision in the 2014 budget because he wanted to turn the tide on a rising retirement crisis in the United States. According to a Treasury report, the number of U.S. workers participating in an employer-sponsored retirement plan has remained stagnant for decades at no more than about half the total workforce.
Read More: Obama's budget calls for big changes to 401(k)s, IRAs | BenefitsPro
Set aside for a moment the fight in Washington, D.C., over stopgap spending legislation. In his budget blueprint for 2014, President Obama has proposed a number of tax and other reforms that would mean big changes in how retirement is financed.
What Congress does over the next couple of days could either avoid or trigger a government shutdown. Either way, at some point after the crisis is resolved, the House and Senate are likely take up the following proposals, all of which would have lasting effects on anyone saving for retirement.
Automatic enrollment in IRAs
The president’s 2014 budget would require employers in business for at least two years that have more than 10 employees to offer an automatic IRA option to employees.Contributions would be made to an IRA on a payroll-deduction basis. If an employer already offers a plan, it wouldn’t have to comply with this regulation, but if its current plan excludes certain segments of its employees from participating in the plan, the employer would have to begin to offer the automatic IRA to those excluded employees, according to an assessment by KPMG.
Obama included this provision in the 2014 budget because he wanted to turn the tide on a rising retirement crisis in the United States. According to a Treasury report, the number of U.S. workers participating in an employer-sponsored retirement plan has remained stagnant for decades at no more than about half the total workforce.
Read More: Obama's budget calls for big changes to 401(k)s, IRAs | BenefitsPro
Thursday, September 26, 2013
HCAN: Anti-Obamacare states cannot sabotage Navigators | LifeHealthPro
September 26, 2013
The efforts of governors and state legislators to block consumers who want to use PPACA Navigators to help them sign up for health care could have “profound effects,” a consumer advocacy group contends in a report released today.
“This is Navigator suppression, and it perpetuates the systematic denial of affordable health care to huge numbers of the most vulnerable individuals in our society, especially those in minority and lower-income populations,” said Ethan Rome, executive director for Health Care for America Now (HCAN).
The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), however, said they could understand the decision of states to act.
"While the thousands of Navigators hired will help consumers enroll through a state or federally-facilitated marketplace, consumers will require assistance that goes far beyond registering for a plan," said NAIFA President-Elect John Nichols said.
According to Nichols, agents and brokers do much more than sell insurance. They explain critical differences in plan options and coverage, which may involve substantial research and fact-finding about the client’s needs. They advocate on behalf of their clients, helping people when they have trouble getting procedures approved or claims processed.
"They also review coverage on a periodic basis, suggesting changes when appropriate and counseling on ways to reduce costs," Nichols said. "When purchasing a plan from a marketplace, the companies that sell health insurance should immediately assign consumers an agent. The healthcare system is complex, and coverage does not begin and end with enrollment. Consumers benefit from the expertise that brokers and agents provide in servicing the plan throughout the year. They need to be involved, or customer service surely will be a casualty of healthcare reform.”
HCAN officials said Jay Angoff, a partner at Mehri & Skalet in Washington, is considering filing lawsuits that would stop the recalcitrant states from interfering with the Navigators and acting to stop the states from delaying the work of the Navigators.
Angoff is the former insurance commissioner of Missouri, and the first head of the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (OCIIO). OCIIO is the office responsible for implementing the insurance reform provisions. He did not return phone call seeking comment.
Those participating in today's conference call said it is unlikely HHS would file its own lawsuits to stop the interference because it is so busy implementing the many pieces of the law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., ranking minority member of the House Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Healthcare and Entitlements of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, discounted the utility of filing lawsuits. Speier said on the conference call that courts would likely not find the suits “ripe for litigation” because the provisions of the law involved have not yet taken effect.
Speier said the feedback she is getting from her district is that when the exchanges are launched Oct. 1, enrollment will probably be slow “as we start out and then gain as times on.”
Speier predicted that the exchanges “will probably see a takeup rate that is quite high.” She said that in her polling of young people, she "was surprised at how important this is to the 20-somehtings; I was surprised at how readily this will be embraced.”
Sabrina Corlette, a health policy expert at Georgetown University, called the state laws "unprecedented." She said they were unnecessary given Medicare's positive history with counselors similar to the Navigators. "It's not to say there aren't legitimate concerns about fraud, or con artists taking advantage of Obamacare," she said. "It's just that these state laws are really barking up the wrong tree … There is no credible evidence whatsoever that Navigators will be a source of fraud."
Corlette said the criminal background check some of the state laws are requiring, as well as additional training are imposing an additional hurdle to the Navigators’ starting their work.
“They are already required to undergo training, training that is quite extensive and includes the providing of a lot of educational material. This involves piling on information they already have.
“All it does is make it more difficult for people to have access to important information on health care options,” she said.
As to background checks, Corlette said the organizations to which the Navigators are associated “had to be vetted through an extensive process.” And, she said, “some of the checks are being required incredibly late in the game, and will not be complied with in time to allow these people to start doing their job on time.”
Read More...HCAN: Anti-Obamacare states cannot sabotage Navigators | LifeHealthPro
The efforts of governors and state legislators to block consumers who want to use PPACA Navigators to help them sign up for health care could have “profound effects,” a consumer advocacy group contends in a report released today.
“This is Navigator suppression, and it perpetuates the systematic denial of affordable health care to huge numbers of the most vulnerable individuals in our society, especially those in minority and lower-income populations,” said Ethan Rome, executive director for Health Care for America Now (HCAN).
The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), however, said they could understand the decision of states to act.
"While the thousands of Navigators hired will help consumers enroll through a state or federally-facilitated marketplace, consumers will require assistance that goes far beyond registering for a plan," said NAIFA President-Elect John Nichols said.
According to Nichols, agents and brokers do much more than sell insurance. They explain critical differences in plan options and coverage, which may involve substantial research and fact-finding about the client’s needs. They advocate on behalf of their clients, helping people when they have trouble getting procedures approved or claims processed.
"They also review coverage on a periodic basis, suggesting changes when appropriate and counseling on ways to reduce costs," Nichols said. "When purchasing a plan from a marketplace, the companies that sell health insurance should immediately assign consumers an agent. The healthcare system is complex, and coverage does not begin and end with enrollment. Consumers benefit from the expertise that brokers and agents provide in servicing the plan throughout the year. They need to be involved, or customer service surely will be a casualty of healthcare reform.”
HCAN officials said Jay Angoff, a partner at Mehri & Skalet in Washington, is considering filing lawsuits that would stop the recalcitrant states from interfering with the Navigators and acting to stop the states from delaying the work of the Navigators.
Angoff is the former insurance commissioner of Missouri, and the first head of the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (OCIIO). OCIIO is the office responsible for implementing the insurance reform provisions. He did not return phone call seeking comment.
Those participating in today's conference call said it is unlikely HHS would file its own lawsuits to stop the interference because it is so busy implementing the many pieces of the law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., ranking minority member of the House Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Healthcare and Entitlements of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, discounted the utility of filing lawsuits. Speier said on the conference call that courts would likely not find the suits “ripe for litigation” because the provisions of the law involved have not yet taken effect.
Speier said the feedback she is getting from her district is that when the exchanges are launched Oct. 1, enrollment will probably be slow “as we start out and then gain as times on.”
Speier predicted that the exchanges “will probably see a takeup rate that is quite high.” She said that in her polling of young people, she "was surprised at how important this is to the 20-somehtings; I was surprised at how readily this will be embraced.”
Sabrina Corlette, a health policy expert at Georgetown University, called the state laws "unprecedented." She said they were unnecessary given Medicare's positive history with counselors similar to the Navigators. "It's not to say there aren't legitimate concerns about fraud, or con artists taking advantage of Obamacare," she said. "It's just that these state laws are really barking up the wrong tree … There is no credible evidence whatsoever that Navigators will be a source of fraud."
Corlette said the criminal background check some of the state laws are requiring, as well as additional training are imposing an additional hurdle to the Navigators’ starting their work.
“They are already required to undergo training, training that is quite extensive and includes the providing of a lot of educational material. This involves piling on information they already have.
“All it does is make it more difficult for people to have access to important information on health care options,” she said.
As to background checks, Corlette said the organizations to which the Navigators are associated “had to be vetted through an extensive process.” And, she said, “some of the checks are being required incredibly late in the game, and will not be complied with in time to allow these people to start doing their job on time.”
Read More...HCAN: Anti-Obamacare states cannot sabotage Navigators | LifeHealthPro
List of grants DHHS gave for navigators in Florida
Here is the list of where grants went for Navigators
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on August 15 the entities that were awarded Navigator grants. The following entities were awarded grants in Florida:
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on August 15 the entities that were awarded Navigator grants. The following entities were awarded grants in Florida:
- University of South Florida, College of Public Health
- Epilepsy Foundation of Florida
- Advanced Patient Advocacy, LLC
- Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc.
- Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners
- National Hispanic Council on Aging
- Mental Health America
Friday, September 20, 2013
House Oversight blasts exchange helper incentives | LifeHealthPro
September 19, 2013
A House committee is accusing managers of the new public exchange program of encouraging enrollers to use biased information to hype the program. Holes in enroller compensation rules "raise the risk of massive fraudulent spending on Medicaid and exchange subsidies for individuals who do not meet the eligibility requirements," committee staffers say.
The staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee make their case in a report on the risk of fraud at the public exchange outreach campaign.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-chairman of the committee, had his staff look at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) efforts to set up the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) exchange navigator and "in-person assister" programs.
PPACA requires each state's exchange to offer consumers "navigators," or independent ombudsmen, to help the consumers understand how to use the exchanges. The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), the arm of HHS running the exchange program, also has created a similar but separate "in-person assister" program.
House Oversight staffers say CCIIO set up the assister program to get around a PPACA provision that requires states to pay for their navigators with their own money. In the District of Columbia, for the example, the exchange expects to spend $100,000 in local money on navigators and $35 million in federal money on assisters.
The committee staffers say CCIIO is creating an opening for con artists to pretend to be exchange enrollers by failing to create an enroller database or giving the enrollers official badges.
Even the official enrollers may go to work with less than 20 hours of training, and no independent entity has had any oversight over the content of the training or the information the enrollers will be giving out, the staffers say.
CCIIO will be letting navigator and assister programs at state-based exchanges pay employees based on enrollment volume, without imposing any requirement that the enrollers tell consumers about the volume-based pay, the staffers say.
Gary Cohen, the CCIIO director, told the staffers in an interview that exchange enrollers will give consumers information about the small value of the PPACA individual coverage mandate violation mandate penalty, and exceptions to the individual coverage ownership requirements, only if consumers ask for that information.
The compensation rules, and the lack of emphasis on giving consumers clear information about mandate exceptions, mean that enrollers may fail to give consumers the information they need to know how to reconcile PPACA requirements with their own needs, the committee staffers say.
Also in the report, the staffers note that the press already has covered one major exchange-related data security incident.
In Minnesota, the staffers say, an exchange employee accidentally released a confidential document that included the Social Security numbers of 2,400 insurance brokers.
See also:
House Oversight blasts exchange helper incentives | LifeHealthPro
A House committee is accusing managers of the new public exchange program of encouraging enrollers to use biased information to hype the program. Holes in enroller compensation rules "raise the risk of massive fraudulent spending on Medicaid and exchange subsidies for individuals who do not meet the eligibility requirements," committee staffers say.
The staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee make their case in a report on the risk of fraud at the public exchange outreach campaign.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-chairman of the committee, had his staff look at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) efforts to set up the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) exchange navigator and "in-person assister" programs.
PPACA requires each state's exchange to offer consumers "navigators," or independent ombudsmen, to help the consumers understand how to use the exchanges. The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), the arm of HHS running the exchange program, also has created a similar but separate "in-person assister" program.
House Oversight staffers say CCIIO set up the assister program to get around a PPACA provision that requires states to pay for their navigators with their own money. In the District of Columbia, for the example, the exchange expects to spend $100,000 in local money on navigators and $35 million in federal money on assisters.
The committee staffers say CCIIO is creating an opening for con artists to pretend to be exchange enrollers by failing to create an enroller database or giving the enrollers official badges.
Even the official enrollers may go to work with less than 20 hours of training, and no independent entity has had any oversight over the content of the training or the information the enrollers will be giving out, the staffers say.
CCIIO will be letting navigator and assister programs at state-based exchanges pay employees based on enrollment volume, without imposing any requirement that the enrollers tell consumers about the volume-based pay, the staffers say.
Gary Cohen, the CCIIO director, told the staffers in an interview that exchange enrollers will give consumers information about the small value of the PPACA individual coverage mandate violation mandate penalty, and exceptions to the individual coverage ownership requirements, only if consumers ask for that information.
The compensation rules, and the lack of emphasis on giving consumers clear information about mandate exceptions, mean that enrollers may fail to give consumers the information they need to know how to reconcile PPACA requirements with their own needs, the committee staffers say.
Also in the report, the staffers note that the press already has covered one major exchange-related data security incident.
In Minnesota, the staffers say, an exchange employee accidentally released a confidential document that included the Social Security numbers of 2,400 insurance brokers.
See also:
House Oversight blasts exchange helper incentives | LifeHealthPro
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Louisiana official blasts HHS PPACA delays | LifeHealthPro
September 18, 2013
Problems with getting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to answer questions about federal health law details have jacked up implementation costs, a state official testified today.
The official, Kathy Kliebert, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, spoke at a hearing on state implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that was organized by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform health care subcommittee.
Getting a response from HHS on important questions can take three to four months, Kliebert said.
"We cannot afford to wait months for these answers," Kliebert said.
Kliebert cited efforts to get HHS officials to help state Medicaid programs adopt a new income eligibility testing standard -- a "Modified Adjusted Gross Income" standard -- as an example of a result of the delays.
Most states have to revamp their Medicaid eligibility systems to shift to the MAGI standard.
Federal officials promised in March that HHS would develop a "MAGI in a box" solution that would be free to the states.
Instead, Kliebert said, HHS officials said in June, during a conference call, that the states would have to develop their own MAGI implementation systems instead.
That shift is forcing Louisiana to spend about $750,000 on 5,437 in additional contractor work, Kliebert said.
Kliebert also questioned how well HHS has trained the call center workers supporting exchanges in states like Louisiana that are letting HHS run their public exchange programs.
A call center worker told one Louisiana man that many states are expanding Medicaid eligibility, and that the man should call the Louisiana Medicaid program to see if it was one of those states, even though Louisiana is one of the states that has definitely rejected Medicaid expansion, Kliebert said.
Louisiana official blasts HHS PPACA delays | LifeHealthPro
Problems with getting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to answer questions about federal health law details have jacked up implementation costs, a state official testified today.
The official, Kathy Kliebert, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, spoke at a hearing on state implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that was organized by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform health care subcommittee.
Getting a response from HHS on important questions can take three to four months, Kliebert said.
"We cannot afford to wait months for these answers," Kliebert said.
Kliebert cited efforts to get HHS officials to help state Medicaid programs adopt a new income eligibility testing standard -- a "Modified Adjusted Gross Income" standard -- as an example of a result of the delays.
Most states have to revamp their Medicaid eligibility systems to shift to the MAGI standard.
Federal officials promised in March that HHS would develop a "MAGI in a box" solution that would be free to the states.
Instead, Kliebert said, HHS officials said in June, during a conference call, that the states would have to develop their own MAGI implementation systems instead.
That shift is forcing Louisiana to spend about $750,000 on 5,437 in additional contractor work, Kliebert said.
Kliebert also questioned how well HHS has trained the call center workers supporting exchanges in states like Louisiana that are letting HHS run their public exchange programs.
A call center worker told one Louisiana man that many states are expanding Medicaid eligibility, and that the man should call the Louisiana Medicaid program to see if it was one of those states, even though Louisiana is one of the states that has definitely rejected Medicaid expansion, Kliebert said.
Louisiana official blasts HHS PPACA delays | LifeHealthPro
Friday, September 13, 2013
Former SSA chief doubts exchange hub readiness | LifeHealthPro
September 12, 2013
The former head of the Social Security Administration is scoffing at the idea that new exchange data hub will be ready on time.The former SSA commissioner, Michael Astrue, said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services held up work on the hub while trying to get other agencies to chip in on the bill."CMS struggled to meet its deadline," Astrue testified Wednesday at a data hub hearing organized by the House Homeland Security cybersecurity subcommittee.
The agency’s “failures and delays” were common knowledge within the Obama administration, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was never candid with states when they wrestled with building their own exchanges or letting the feds run things, Astrue said. The hub is supposed to help the public exchanges get information they can use to verify health benefits program eligibility applications from federal and state agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service and SSA.
Astrue noted that, in an August report, Daniel Levinson, the HHS inspector general, said required security findings were set to take place the day before implementation.Levinson devoted just five pages to analyzing the hub performance and only relied on interviews and documents, Astrue said.
Read more....
Former SSA chief doubts exchange hub readiness | LifeHealthPro
The former head of the Social Security Administration is scoffing at the idea that new exchange data hub will be ready on time.The former SSA commissioner, Michael Astrue, said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services held up work on the hub while trying to get other agencies to chip in on the bill."CMS struggled to meet its deadline," Astrue testified Wednesday at a data hub hearing organized by the House Homeland Security cybersecurity subcommittee.
The agency’s “failures and delays” were common knowledge within the Obama administration, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was never candid with states when they wrestled with building their own exchanges or letting the feds run things, Astrue said. The hub is supposed to help the public exchanges get information they can use to verify health benefits program eligibility applications from federal and state agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service and SSA.
Astrue noted that, in an August report, Daniel Levinson, the HHS inspector general, said required security findings were set to take place the day before implementation.Levinson devoted just five pages to analyzing the hub performance and only relied on interviews and documents, Astrue said.
Read more....
Former SSA chief doubts exchange hub readiness | LifeHealthPro
$100-a-day penalties: ACA non-compliance can be expensive - Articles - Employee Benefit News
September 13, 2013
While a lot of employers are focused on the penalties associated with not offering appropriate coverage (the $2,000 penalty) or not offering affordable coverage (the $3,000 penalty), what can get overlooked is the myriad of daily penalties that come with non-compliance. Take the Oct. 1 exchange notice requirement as an example. While the regulations do not identify a specific penalty for failing to comply with the notice requirement, the Affordable Care Act has a $100-a-day general non-compliance penalty. Read More...
$100-a-day penalties: ACA non-compliance can be expensive - Articles - Employee Benefit News
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Florida bans navigators from county health offices | LifeHealthPro
September 12, 2013
MIAMI (AP) — The Florida Department of Health has issued a memo telling county health departments to keep Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) navigators out of their offices.
Local health departments can accept public exchange brochures and other exchange outreach material, but they can distribute the materials only if consumers ask for information.
Agency officials said they sent the memo earlier this week to provide clarity for local departments about the exchange navigators because the navigators aren't acting on behalf of the state.
PPACA calls for the new public exchange system to open Oct. 1.
Florida bans navigators from county health offices | LifeHealthPro
MIAMI (AP) — The Florida Department of Health has issued a memo telling county health departments to keep Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) navigators out of their offices.
Local health departments can accept public exchange brochures and other exchange outreach material, but they can distribute the materials only if consumers ask for information.
Agency officials said they sent the memo earlier this week to provide clarity for local departments about the exchange navigators because the navigators aren't acting on behalf of the state.
PPACA calls for the new public exchange system to open Oct. 1.
Florida bans navigators from county health offices | LifeHealthPro
PPACA may pack bigger punch than RomneyCare | LifeHealthPro
September 4, 2013
A University of Colorado economist says new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requirements could hit employers about 12 times as hard as its Massachusetts predecessor. Some PPACA defenders have pointed to the relatively modest effects of the RomneyCare employer and individual mandates as evidence that it would only be a bump in the national economy.
But the economist, Casey Mulligan, concludes in a working paper circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research that RomneyCare imposed the equivalent of an increase of just $20 per month, or 0.4 percent of median earnings potential, on the typical Massachusetts labor income tax rate.The RomneyCare increase amounts to a big implicit tax on a small fraction of the Massachusetts population plus a small employer penalty, Mulligan writes.
PPACA could lead to the equivalent of a 4.9 percent increase in the typical labor income tax rate at the national level, Mulligan estimates. Read More...PPACA may pack bigger punch than RomneyCare | LifeHealthPro
New Roles for “Employers of Choice” | BenefitsPro
By Sponsor: Ameritas, Michael Scheetz, Vice President - Group Marketing, Ameritas Group Division
Admit it. Some days it would be nice if someone else made your difficult decisions, or if a problem would disappear simply by ignoring it. But unfortunately, decisions and problems are not resolved by wishful thinking. This describes the situation for many Americans regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 52 percent of respondents did not know the ACA was a law. Of this group, 12 percent thought Congress eliminated it, 7 percent believed the U.S. Supreme Court got rid of it, and 23 percent did not know whether or not the law existed.
Other recent surveys report that at least 65 percent of employee respondents want to choose their health insurance company, but three out of four expect their employers to help them understand their choices. Read more...New Roles for “Employers of Choice” | BenefitsPro
Admit it. Some days it would be nice if someone else made your difficult decisions, or if a problem would disappear simply by ignoring it. But unfortunately, decisions and problems are not resolved by wishful thinking. This describes the situation for many Americans regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 52 percent of respondents did not know the ACA was a law. Of this group, 12 percent thought Congress eliminated it, 7 percent believed the U.S. Supreme Court got rid of it, and 23 percent did not know whether or not the law existed.
Other recent surveys report that at least 65 percent of employee respondents want to choose their health insurance company, but three out of four expect their employers to help them understand their choices. Read more...New Roles for “Employers of Choice” | BenefitsPro
Workers Nudged to Health Exchanges Seen Costing U.S. Taxpayers
by: Alex Wayne September 12, 2013
About $6.7 billion in taxpayer money may be at risk if companies raise premiums by as little as $100 a month. That may spur as many as 2.25 million people to drop company coverage and enroll in plans under the Affordable Care Act, Stanford University researchers say.
International Business Machines Corp. and Time Warner Inc. say that they’ll give retirees a stipend to move to coverage in private health exchanges. Rising health care costs and the availability of new government coverage options may spur companies to similarly shift active workers out of employer-sponsored insurance.
The cost of the ACA “is much more sensitive than people previously appreciated” to employers’ decisions to drop coverage, says Jay Bhattacharya, an economist and Stanford associate professor of medicine. He published a study in the journal Health Affairs this week that shows about 37 million workers would get a better deal in the taxpayer-subsided exchanges next year than through their companies as employers raise or redistribute health costs.
Health Insurance Exchange
About $6.7 billion in taxpayer money may be at risk if companies raise premiums by as little as $100 a month. That may spur as many as 2.25 million people to drop company coverage and enroll in plans under the Affordable Care Act, Stanford University researchers say.
International Business Machines Corp. and Time Warner Inc. say that they’ll give retirees a stipend to move to coverage in private health exchanges. Rising health care costs and the availability of new government coverage options may spur companies to similarly shift active workers out of employer-sponsored insurance.
The cost of the ACA “is much more sensitive than people previously appreciated” to employers’ decisions to drop coverage, says Jay Bhattacharya, an economist and Stanford associate professor of medicine. He published a study in the journal Health Affairs this week that shows about 37 million workers would get a better deal in the taxpayer-subsided exchanges next year than through their companies as employers raise or redistribute health costs.
Health Insurance Exchange
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Al-Assad Calls Out Obama: ‘You’re Weak!’
Uh-Oh, he went there.
In an interview with a French publication, Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad called out President Obama, calling him weak in the face of pressure within his country.“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
____________
Syrian President Bashar Assad called President Barack Obama “weak” in a new interview with a French publication on Monday, saying he is facing pressure from within the country.
Uh-Oh, he went there. In an interview with a French publication, Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad called out President Obama, calling him weak in the face of pressure within his country.
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
____________
Syrian President Bashar Assad called President Barack Obama “weak” in a new interview with a French publication on Monday, saying he is facing pressure from within the country.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
____________
Syrian President Bashar Assad called President Barack Obama “weak” in a new interview with a French publication on Monday, saying he is facing pressure from within the country.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
In an interview with a French publication, Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad called out President Obama, calling him weak in the face of pressure within his country.
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
In an interview with a French publication, Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad called out President Obama, calling him weak in the face of pressure within his country.
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
In an interview with a French publication, Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad called out President Obama, calling him weak in the face of pressure within his country.
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
In an interview with a French publication, Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad called out President Obama, calling him weak in the face of pressure within his country.
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
Al-Assad Calls Out Obama: ‘You’re Weak!’
“If Obama was strong, he would have said publicly: ‘We have no evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian state.’ He would have said publicly: ‘The only way to proceed is through UN investigations. We therefore refer everything to the Security Council.’ But Obama is weak because he is facing pressure from within the United States,”
As Obama delays, Al-Assad gets in his pot shot…but does he have a point? Is Obama weak? Let us know.
- See more at: http://americanmilitarynews.com/2013/09/al-assad-calls-out-obama-youre-weak/#sthash.yMx9k5YT.5nd4JoAh.dpuf
3 things business must do to save American jobs
The Great Recession has masked the fact that employers and employees are headed for a “jobs cliff” at breakneck speed. In these excerpts from his new book, “Future Jobs,” workforce development expert Edward Gordon describes the danger of the coming talent train wreck and how to prevent it.
3 things business must do to save American jobs
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