Physicians and employee health experts are increasingly recommending that employers include diabetes screening, prevention and management in their company-sponsored wellness programs. Diabetes — known as the "silent killer" — afflicts more than 29 million Americans,...
Medical Identity Theft
More Providers Charge for Telemedicine, Phone Visits and Doctor E-Mails
More hospitals and insurers have started charging patients for virtual care services as they have grown in usage and providers are spending more time meeting patients in telehealth appointments and responding to their e-mails. Many hospital systems have started...
Identify Your Workers’ Needs, Consider Costs before Open Enrollment
It's almost time for group health insurance open enrollment and your top priority should be to drive participation by helping your employees make informed decisions about their options. You'll want to help your staff understand all of their options so they can choose...
More Insurers Scale Back on Prior Authorizations
Some of the nation's largest insurers have announced plans to roll back their prior authorization requirements for medical services, and some are doing this in their Medicare Advantage plans as well. The moves come as states and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...
EEOC Posts New Guidance on Visual Disabilities under the ADA
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new guidance for employers to provide reasonable accommodations for visually impaired workers who request it. About 18.4% of all American adults have at least some difficulty with their vision, even when wearing...
The Risk Report – September 2023
Download Volume 5, Issue 9 of The Risk Report In this Edition: Health Plan Affordability Level Cut Significantly for 2024 Group Health Plan Cost Inflation to Pick Up Steam More Insurers Scale Back on Prior Authorizations 50% Increase in Overtime Pay Threshold on Tap...
Group Health Plan Affordability Level Cut Significantly for 2024
The IRS has significantly reduced the group plan affordability threshold — which is used to determine if an employer's lowest-premium health plan meets the Affordable Care Act rules — for 2024. The threshold for next year has been set at 8.39% of an employee's...
Report: Group Health Plan Cost Inflation to Pick Up Steam
A new report by Aon warns employers to expect average group health insurance costs to increase 8.5% in 2024, as inflation starts hitting the cost of delivering care as well as pharmaceuticals. The report predicts that employers will pay an average of $15,088 in 2024,...
The Beacon – August 28, 2023
MZQ Beacon Alert -August 28, 2023 In this Edition: "Just when we thought affordability percentages couldn’t possibly go lower than the 2023 rate of 9.12%, theInternal Revenue Service released Revenue Procedure 2023-29 declaring the Affordable Care Act (ACA)benchmark...
Budgeting and Prepping for Open Enrollment
If you are running a business, you need to get an early start on preparations for your small group health plan open enrollment, particularly now as so much confusion abounds about the state of health insurance in the country. With recent new regulations, options have...