The American Medical Association (AMA), with about 250,000 members, is America’s largest physician organization.
While committed to the goal of affordable health insurance for all, the association had said in a general statement of principles that health services should be “provided through private markets, as they are currently.” It is now reacting, for the first time, [...]
As the U.S. government and health care industry leaders join forces to rein in health care spending, UnitedHealth Group today issued a ground-breaking report outlining achievable goals for making significant reductions in health care costs over the next decade. The federal government could save approximately $540 billion in health care costs over the next 10 [...]
Below are answers to some of our clients’ most frequently asked questions regarding the new COBRA changes:
If an employer denies an employee’s request for the premium reduction because the employee was not involuntary terminated, can that employee still appeal?
Yes. Any individual who is denied treatment as an assistance eligible individual and thus denied eligibility [...]
If an employee resigns are they eligible for the subsidy?
No. Only employees who are involuntarily terminated are eligible for the subsidy. If an employee resigns they are not eligible, unless the resignation was at the employer’s direction. For example, an incentive to resign with knowledge of an imminent layoff could be considered an involuntary [...]
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secrectary
___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release April 9, 2009
President Obama Announces the Creation of a Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record
Taking Care of America’s Greatest Strategic Asset and Improving the Health Care System for America’s Veterans
WASHINGTON – Today, the President, along with Secretary Gates and Secretary Shinseki, announced that the Department of Defense [...]
Only about on in 10 workers who lose their job opt to keep their employer-sponsored health insurance through the safety-net probram COBRA. This is most liely because the premiums are too expensive, according to an analysis released recently by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that supports independent research on health care issues.
Experts worry that [...]
Despite myriad initiatives to encourage people to use price and quality information to choose health care providers, most Americans still rely on word-of-mouth and physician recommendations, according to a national study released by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) and funded by the California HealthCare Foundation.
While sponsors of health care price and quality [...]
Where, oh where, did AIG’s bailout billions go? That question may reverberate even louder through the halls of government in the week ahead now that a partial list of beneficiaries has been published.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that about $50 billion of more than $173 billion that the U.S. government has poured into [...]
Congress has approved and the President has signed new economic recovery legislation, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The IRS is implementing tax-related provisions of this new program as quickly as possible.
Here are some key highlights:
COBRA: Health Insurance Continuation Subsidy. The IRS has extensive guidance for employers, including an updated Form 941, as well [...]
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, certain individuals who are eligible for COBRA continuation health coverage, or similar coverage under State law, may receive a subsidy for 65 percent of the premium. These individuals are required to pay only 35 percent of the premium. The employer may recover the subsidy provided to [...]
