Health News
Margaret Levi, a lawyer with the Lexington firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, has authored a new publication, The Impact of Health Care Reform on Kentucky Employers. The 68-page booklet, published by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, is a readable summary of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, writes Greg Kocher of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The law that started taking effect in March 2010 has had more more interpretations and critics than it has pages -- that's 2,555, if you don't count the legal citation references that require reading included within it. "There's a lot of criticism of it from people who haven't read it, and I think you have to know it before you can criticize it," said Levi, a Danville native and resident, said of the law. "I'm not taking a political position one way or another. I am neutral and I tried very hard to remain neutral."
The most common misconception about the law "is that all health care is going to be free and people can get all the care they want," Levi told Kocher. 'So there are some unrealistic expectations on behalf of consumers."
Levi also noted some confusion about how different-sized businesses qualify for different exemptions under different provisions of the law. She said that some employers are weighing the "pay or play" mandate that takes effect in 2014. Under that provision, writes Kocher, "employers with 50 or more employees must provide 'minimum essential' health plan coverage to their eligible employees or pay a penalty if an eligible employee obtains coverage through a state-sponsored health insurance exchange and qualifies for benefits subsidized by the government. An employer who offers no health coverage will be subject to a penalty equal to $2,000 a year per employee after the first 30 employees. "I think some employers are doing the math as to whether they pay the penalty or provide insurance for their employees," Levis said. "I saw a report that said 88 percent of employers are still going to provide the coverage."
Jim Ford, vice president of business education for the Kentucky Chamber, told Kocher that the booklet "basically says here are the rules, here's what it means, here's what implementation means. We're leaving politics at the door. Here's what you need to know." (Read more) For information on buying the booklet, go here.
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Health News
Lexington lawyer writes booklet helping Kentucky businesses to break down health-care reform law
The law that started taking effect in March 2010 has had more more interpretations and critics than it has pages -- that's 2,555, if you don't count the legal citation references that require reading included within it. "There's a lot of criticism of it from people who haven't read it, and I think you have to know it before you can criticize it," said Levi, a Danville native and resident, said of the law. "I'm not taking a political position one way or another. I am neutral and I tried very hard to remain neutral."
The most common misconception about the law "is that all health care is going to be free and people can get all the care they want," Levi told Kocher. 'So there are some unrealistic expectations on behalf of consumers."
Levi also noted some confusion about how different-sized businesses qualify for different exemptions under different provisions of the law. She said that some employers are weighing the "pay or play" mandate that takes effect in 2014. Under that provision, writes Kocher, "employers with 50 or more employees must provide 'minimum essential' health plan coverage to their eligible employees or pay a penalty if an eligible employee obtains coverage through a state-sponsored health insurance exchange and qualifies for benefits subsidized by the government. An employer who offers no health coverage will be subject to a penalty equal to $2,000 a year per employee after the first 30 employees. "I think some employers are doing the math as to whether they pay the penalty or provide insurance for their employees," Levis said. "I saw a report that said 88 percent of employers are still going to provide the coverage."
Jim Ford, vice president of business education for the Kentucky Chamber, told Kocher that the booklet "basically says here are the rules, here's what it means, here's what implementation means. We're leaving politics at the door. Here's what you need to know." (Read more) For information on buying the booklet, go here.
- How To Succeed In Health Insurance For Your Small Business Without Really Trying -- Well, Maybe Without Trying Too Hard
UPDATE, Feb. 11: The Obama administration has again delayed and relaxed the requirements for employers to provide health insurance. Employers with 50 to 99 employees won't be required to cover them until 2016, and those with 100 or more will only...
- Confused Or Concerned About The Impact Of Health Reform On Kentucky Businesses? There's A Seminar For That.
To address possible confusion or concern of business people and the public about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," health-care reform experts will address its impact on small and large companies across Kentucky at half-day...
- Health Reform's Exchange Won't Attract Many New Insurers To Ky. Because It's A Small, Sickly State, Former Medicaid Boss Says
Kentucky is unlikely to attract many new insurance companies when it starts its Health Benefits Exchange a year from now, a former state Medicaid commissioner told Dawn Marie Yankeelov for a story in The Lane Report. ?Kentucky is not a big attractor,?...
- Parents' Insurance Can Now Cover Children Up To Age 26
Following the lead of the federal health-care law, Kentucky employers can now extend health coverage to their employees' adult children. The employees will not be subject to state taxes if they opt for the coverage, Business Insurance's Jerry...
- Illinois Entrepreneurs And Small Business Need Shop Employee Choice
Illinois is one of 18 states recently granted a delay by the Department of Health and Human Services for the employee choice feature of the small business health options program marketplace, or SHOP. But what exactly is employee choice, and why is this...