David M. Gilston Insurance Agency, Inc.

The Kaiser Family Foundation released a report estimating the impact the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) medical loss ratio (MLR) provisions will have on health insurance consumers this year in the form of premium rebate checks that are supposed to be mailed to health insurance consumers this August. Although $1.3 billion, the total amount of the projected rebates seems large, when you read the fine print, it becomes apparent that these rebates aren’t quite the bonus some have been predicting. Furthermore, the coverage disruptions, loss of agent services, and higher overall premiums caused by both the MLR requirements specifically and PPACA generally, negate any consumer benefit the rebates may provide.

As discussed in our previous blog article, earlier this year, Mary Landrieu (D-LA) had submitted legislation (S. 2068) to try to help protect health insurance agent and broker jobs by attempting to exclude independent health insurance producer compensation from the medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). On April 17th, Landrieu, along with cosponsors Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) re-filed the bill, now titled S. 2288.

Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has submitted legislation (S 2068) to try to help protect health insurance agent and broker jobs by attempting to exclude independent health insurance producer compensation from the medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The bill’s co-sponsors are Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and [...]

Employers need to be aware of a significant provision of the new health reform law that will add an additional bookkeeping burden to their business. This provision is not as well known as the W-2 reporting requirements or the 1099 reporting requirements but is a side effect of the new Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) that carriers are required to meet beginning in 2011. In fact, most employers have no idea that this provision even exists; yet it will impact all employers who provide health benefits for their employees.