Healthcare Happy Hour: Recent Episodes
info@nahu.org (NAHU)
The NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour podcast is released weekly on Friday afternoons by the National Association of Health Underwriters, and includes a recap of the week’s top issues in healthcare and health insurance politics and policy.
For self-funded employers, navigating the world of health insurance can be complex and often overwhelming. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by special guest Mark Lawrence, president of HM Insurance Group, to discuss the challenges that self-insured employers face, specifically regarding large, unpredictable claims and how stop-loss coverage can help them.
Law now requires that agent, broker and consultant compensation be disclosed for arrangements entered into, renewed or extended on or after December 27, 2021. But the nature of compensation in our industry, both direct and indirect, can be complex, making compliance with broker-compensation disclosure difficult. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Brand Manager Kelsey Rosauer and Product Manager Kayleen Homewood from NAHU partner and agency-management company AgencyBloc join us to discuss broker-compensation disclosure and how their tools and services can assist you.
Earlier this week, CMS released a proposed rule aimed at minimizing gaps in coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and the Medicare-eligible population. The proposed regulation would implement a few policy changes that were a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, most notably new special enrollment periods that would be triggered in certain situations. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and John Greene are here to discuss the proposed rule.
For several plan years now, NAHU has had the opportunity to submit comments and suggested edits to CMS regarding the next plan year edition of the “Medicare & You” handbook. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, president of The Brokerage Inc. and chair of the Medicare Advisory Group Mike Smith and NAHU’s John Greene join us to discuss the handbook and our suggestions.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been officially confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States – but she has not been sworn in quite yet. Judge Jackson was confirmed by the Senate last Thursday, April 7, cementing her place in history as the first Black woman to be a member of the nation’s highest court. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner discusses Jackson’s appointment, when Jackson will be sworn in, and what it could mean for healthcare moving forward.
Earlier this week, the Biden Administration announced the release of a proposed rule to fix the “family glitch,” an inconsistency in current ACA regulations. Fixing the family glitch has been a legislative priority of NAHU for several years now. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner explains the family glitch and what this proposed rule would do to fix it.
NAHU’s legislative advocacy work takes many forms, one of which is the process of submitting written testimony to Congress. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss two pieces of testimony we submitted this week as well as the overall importance of submitting testimony for the record.
While NAHU staff handle certain crucial duties, NAHU is ultimately a member-driven organization. That means that what we do relies on NAHU members such as you volunteering in various capacities and helping make our association what it is. Did you know that NAHU has a wide array of volunteer committees covering a large swath of areas, from legislative matters to professional development to membership and our Leading Producers Round Table? On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Chief Experience Officer Farren Baer, Vice President of Leadership Services Brooke Willson, Senior Vice President of Public Relations Kelly Loussedes and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner join the podcast to discuss the committees and how you can participate in one.
Following Capitol Conference, we are taking a break from policy and politics to talk about the importance of finding the right products and vendors for your agency. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by our friends Kelsey Rosauer and Steve Ogden from NAHU partner and agency management company AgencyBloc to discuss AgencyBloc’s vendor vetting services and more.
This week’s episode was recorded at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill during the last day of NAHU’s annual Capitol Conference, where hundreds of agents, brokers and health insurance professionals showed up both in-person and virtually to make their voices heard. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy Buckner is joined by Legislative Council Vice Chair Misty Baker, who also served as this year’s Cap Con chairperson, to discuss the event.
This past Friday, NAHU senior vice president of government affairs Marcy M. Buckner reviewed everything you need to know about our 32nd annual Capitol Conference before you go. Today, as promised, we are discussing our tailored legislative talking points – the list of legislative priorities and why we support or oppose them - that you will utilize in meetings with your lawmakers. Returning to discuss the talking is points is Marcy Buckner, joined this time by our vice presidents of congressional affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann.
Calling all Capitol Conference attendees and those curious about this year’s event: In just a little over one week, NAHU members from across the country will attend NAHU’s premier legislative event, both in-person and virtually. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner is here to preview this year’s conference. We break down the agenda and the can’t-miss speakers, provide a preview of the breakout sessions, and share tips for making the most of your visit. You won’t want to miss this episode for essential info ahead of your trip to the nation’s capital, especially amidst pandemic uncertainties.
Stay tuned for the second part of our Capitol Conference discussion where we will discuss NAHU’s legislative talking points for the event. That episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour will be released on Tuesday, February 22.
We are just a little over two weeks away from NAHU’s 32nd annual Capitol Conference, where health insurance professionals from across the country will be able to meet with their legislators, in-person and virtually, to advocate on behalf of our industry. Recently, NAHU’s government affairs staff learned of a new potential threat to the employer exclusion, a tax benefit that serves a crucial role in employer-sponsored health insurance. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s vice presidents of congressional affairs, John Greene and Chris Hartmann, discuss employer exclusion, along with a general overview of legislative developments ahead of our Capitol Conference.
January 31 was the last day for the California Assembly to pass bills introduced in 2021, including AB 1400 – a bill that would have established a single-payer healthcare system for all California residents… had it passed. Thankfully that bill did not pass, due in large part to the efforts of our guests this week. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by the legislative chair of our California statewide chapter, Dawn McFarland, along with legislative advocate and chapter lobbyist Faith Borges, to discuss the bill and how the initiative was successfully defeated
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced this week that he will be retiring, setting the stage for President Biden to make the first Supreme Court nomination of his term. What does Breyer’s retirement mean for the Supreme Court moving forward? In addition to that piece of news, NAHU submitted comments to CMS this week regarding the proposed Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters for the 2023 plan year. Here to discuss all of this – as always – is NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner.
NAHU’s 32nd annual Capitol Conference is going to be held in-person once again, from February 27 to March 2 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill here in the nation’s capital. This unique and inspiring meeting has the potential to be a game-changer this year. We’re sure you have plenty of questions before you register, so on this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner is here to discuss all things Capitol Conference.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein sits down for a discussion with Managing Director of Business Consulting at The Alera Group Perry Braun. This is the fourth annual conversation between the two. They discuss health insurance industry trends of the last year as well as potential trends to watch in 2022, including challenges that employers, employees, and families are facing as the pandemic continues to impact the industry at large.
Happy New Year! We hope you had a fun and safe holiday season and we’re happy to be back in your feed wherever you listen to podcasts. As you all know, the Consolidated Appropriations Act’s broker compensation disclosure requirements apply to contracts entered or renewed on December 27, 2021. Late last week, the Department of Labor finally issued guidance, in which they announced a new temporary good-faith enforcement policy in addition to answering several questions that you all have posed over the last several months. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner is here to tell you everything you need to know about this recent guidance.
Surprise billing is the focus on this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, as NAHU submitted comments to the Biden administration last week with our commentary on the latest surprise-billing interim final rule. This much-anticipated IFR, considered “Part 2” of the administration’s surprise-billing-ban regulations, was published in October. In addition to discussing some of NAHU’s comments on this IFR, we discuss some recent legal challenges to the regulation and the impact they may have moving forward.
While the Senate continues deliberation on the Build Back Better Act and lawmakers await decisions from the parliamentarian on what can be included in the reconciliation package, we are taking a break from that conversation to discuss public polling and Medicare for All with very special guests from the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, I’m joined by Lauren Crawford Shaver and Phillip Morris from the Partnership to discuss some recent polling numbers and to see what most Americans really want to see in health insurance reform moving forward.
Welcome back to the podcast everyone! We hope you had a safe and fun Thanksgiving with your friends and family. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are catching you up on several things that transpired over the break, including a new IRS notice that impacts ACA reporting requirements, the status of OSHA and CMS vaccine mandates, and an update on the Build Back Better Act reconciliation package.
The Healthcare Happy Hour and Washington Update will be taking a break next week as we get together with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. In light of the holiday, on this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann review everything that we at NAHU have been thankful for so far this year, between certain COVID-19 relief, a historic Capitol Conference, surprise-billing rules and everything in between.
The House of Representatives passed the INVEST in America Act last Friday, the $1 trillion bipartisan legislative package that is comprised of “pure” infrastructure provisions. Since the Senate already passed the package in August the bill is ready to be signed into law by President Biden, which is expected to occur next week. This bill is separate from the Build Back Better Act, Democrats’ reconciliation package that continues to undergo changes. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene are here to discuss the passage of the INVEST Act and provide updates on the Build Back Better bill. Additionally, Marcy Buckner is also here to discuss a very important webinar that NAHU hosted earlier this week.
Back in September, HHS released a set of proposed rules dealing with broker compensation disclosure in the individual and short-term limited duration markets, as well as surprise billing requirements for air ambulance providers. As we do with all relevant proposed regulations, NAHU submitted comments to the Administration with our questions and concerns. In addition, CMS and OSHA issued interim final rules regarding national COVID-19 vaccine requirements. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner discusses what we included in our comments and what is included in the new vaccine mandate guidance.
The White House released a new framework for Democrats’ reconciliation package this week that cuts back many of the health insurance provisions initially included in early House versions of the bill. What is still included? What has been cut? How does this framework relate to what will be included in the final version of the Build Back Better Act? On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s vice presidents of congressional affairs Chris Hartmann and John Greene discuss all the new information on what may, or may not, be included in the reconciliation bill. In addition, they discuss recent congressional hearings that NAHU was able to submit written testimony for.
Last month, federal agencies published a proposed rule regarding requirements created by the No Surprises Act, a section of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. That proposed rule deals with broker-compensation transparency requirements for individual and short-term limited duration plans as well as information regarding surprise billing of air ambulances. This proposed rule did not deal with compensation disclosure in the group market, so what is happening there? On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner discusses how NAHU is handling the group-market disclosure requirements ahead of potential regulations and what sort of questions we were able to pose in a meeting with the Department of Labor this week.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by Michelle Barki, Senior Legal Counsel at Medcom Benefit Solutions, and member of NAHU’s Compliance Corner committee. As some listeners may know, Medcom is an NAHU affinity partner. We discuss what sorts of benefit solutions Medcom offers their clients, how folks can leverage NAHU’s partnership with Medcom for some tremendous resources, in addition to a conversation around a few compliance areas relevant to you.
Last week federal agencies published an interim final rule regarding requirements related to surprise billing. This much-anticipated IFR, considered “Part 2” of the administration’s surprise billing ban regulations, deals with the process to settle out-of-network payment disputes that will arise between providers and payers in addition to outlining requirements for healthcare cost estimates for uninsured, or self-paying, individuals. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner is here to discuss the IFR, how exactly this dispute resolution process works, and how this is a victory for NAHU.
NAHU allies in the House introduced H.R. 5318 last week, better known as the Commonsense Reporting Act. This bill deals with ACA employer reporting requirements under section 6055 and 6056. In addition, things are heating up on Capitol Hill as Democrats continue infighting regarding what to include in their reconciliation package. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy Bucker are here to discuss the status of reconciliation talks, in addition to the specifics of the employer reporting bill.
Late last week HHS and the Treasury Department released a final rule on the 2022 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters, or NBPP, updating several areas and finalizing standards for issuers, marketplaces and navigators for the 2022 plan year. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner discusses what changes this final rule makes. Additionally, we will also discuss a comment letter that NAHU just submitted on electronic-filing requirements for certain IRS documents that employers need to submit.
This week HHS published a proposed rule regarding requirements created by the Consolidated Appropriations Act. This much-anticipated proposed rule deals with broker compensation transparency requirements for individual and short-term limited duration plans as well as information regarding surprise billing of air ambulances. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s senior vice president of government affairs Marcy M. Buckner is here to discuss the proposed rule, what it means for you, and where we go from here.
As August recess comes to an end, Congress will be back to work on the two major legislative packages that NAHU has discussed for the past few months – the $1 trillion bipartisan INVEST in America Act, and Democrats’ $3.5 trillion dollar reconciliation package. On the July 30 edition of the podcast, we discussed the status of these packages prior to August recess. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s vice presidents of congressional affairs, Chris Hartmann and John Greene, return to discuss what the timeline looks like for passage of these bills and what may be encompassed in the reconciliation package – including potentially lowering the Medicare eligibility age.
Federal agencies recently released an interim final rule, “Part One” of the highly anticipated regulation regarding the ban on surprise billing included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This week, NAHU submitted comments to the administration with our thoughts and concerns about the rule. If you want to hear a detailed analysis of what’s included in this interim final rule, you can listen to the July 16 edition of the podcast. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are focusing specifically on our response to the interim final rule, with Marcy M. Buckner joining us once again to review those comments.
Late last week, the Department of Labor released new guidance regarding the implementation of the Transparency in Coverage final rule and sections of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, or CAA. The guidance, a series of FAQs, provides an updated timeline for when these policies will go in to place, just as NAHU requested. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner reviews these FAQs and what they mean for you and your clients.
The coronavirus pandemic has obviously altered many aspects of our society, but one in particular has been the way in which consumers think about healthcare and receive healthcare services. With millions of healthcare consumers looking for a way to see their physician without needing to leave their home, telemedicine has become a crucial conversation. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, emergency medicine physician and chief medical officer at Summus Global, Dr. Mary Mulcare, joins us to discuss the importance of telehealth moving forward
Did you know that NAHU has a brand-new Medicare and Medicare Advantage certification course? If you are looking for a new way to complete your annual Medicare Advantage training, NAHU should be your first stop. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s senior vice president of education Farren Baer is here to discuss the course and the value it can bring.
August recess has already begun for the House and is poised to begin this weekend for the Senate. Now is the time to get on the calendars of your representative and senators to talk with them about NAHU’s legislative priorities. What are those priorities? On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner is here to discuss them.
With August recess rapidly approaching, the Senate voted to move forward Wednesday on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal with over $550 billion in new spending. Meanwhile, Democrats internally debate provisions of their own package, expected to top $3 trillion, which they plan to pass via the reconciliation process. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s vice presidents of congressional affairs, Chris Hartmann and John Greene, discuss the details of these bills and what they’re hearing on Capitol Hill
Last week we discussed the balance-billing ban included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act that passed at the end of 2020. This week, we’re discussing another provision that was included in the CAA – a request for information regarding reporting on pharmacy benefits and prescription-drug costs. Marcy M. Buckner explains the RFI and our response to it, as well as some upcoming comment letters that NAHU will be submitting.
Federal agencies recently released “Part 1” of the highly anticipated regulation regarding the ban on surprise billing included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The 2,000-plus-page CAA encompassed many provisions, including a ban on surprise billing referred to as the No Surprises Act. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner reviews what is included in this first round of regulatory language regarding the No Surprises Act.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by Brian Luciani, partner at Blueprint Benefit Advisors and vice chair of the Board of Directors at United Benefit Advisors. We discuss UBA, Brian's experience during the pandemic at UBA and his personal business, their Annual Health Plan Survey, and more.
NAHU allies in Congress introduced bills that would address the three-day stay requirement for Medicare beneficiaries who are considered to be under observation status while being hospitalized. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Vice President of Congressional Affairs and resident Medicare policy expert John Greene discusses these new bills and how they seek to resolve this issue.
The Supreme Court finally issued a long-awaited decision in California v. Texas case, the case that could have struck down the entirety of the ACA. Ultimately the Court ruled 7 to 2 to effectively uphold the ACA as law of the land. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner discusses the ruling and its implications moving forward.
On last week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we discussed NAHU’s letter to federal agencies regarding concerns about the implementation of the surprise billing provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This week, Marcy M. Buckner is back to talk about another comment letter we submitted last week – this one concerning the hot-button issue of broker compensation disclosure. We review the law that passed at the end of 2020 that made these disclosure requirements, what NAHU is doing to ensure it is implemented fairly, and more.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour we are revisiting an issue that we have not discussed in detail in some time – balance billing, also known as surprise billing. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, passed at the end of 2020, included a ban on surprise billing, with much of the implementation left up to regulatory bodies. NAHU submitted a letter this week to the relevant federal agencies with comments and concerns about the implementation of this law, and Marcy M. Buckner is here to review.
Last month, NAHU began publishing the State Update, a member-exclusive newsletter highlighting all the relevant political and regulatory health insurance news at the state level. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by Husni Abdelaziz, NAHU’s director of government affairs. Husni monitors legislative and regulatory issues in 30 states, and works closely with NAHU’s Northeast, Midwest and Southwest chapters and their lobbyists. We discuss why NAHU is publishing the State Update and all of the pertinent legislative issues we are seeing at the state level throughout the country.
The Treasury Department and IRS released long-anticipated guidance regarding the full subsidization of COBRA premiums that was included in the American Rescue Plan Act. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, our friends from Compliance Corner -- COO & Compliance Officer of Kirby Employee Benefits Carol Taylor and CEO of MZQ Consulting Jennifer Berman – join us to provide an overview of this new notice and what you and your clients need to know.
In January, President Biden established a new special enrollment period via executive order from February 15 to April 15, since extended to August 15. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are highlighting the milestone of 1 million consumers covered on the ACA exchange since the beginning of the SEP.
In addition, we preview the next episode of the President’s Perspective podcast, hosted by NAHU President Dane Rianhard and Membership Council Chair David C. Smith. The forthcoming episode will feature Jerald Tillman, founder of the National African-American Insurance Association. Dane, David and Jerald have a fantastic conversation about how Mr. Tillman got his start in the industry, why he feels associations are vital to the industry, why he established an association for black insurance professionals, and the work that they have done. Make sure to listen to the full episode on Tuesday May, 18.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein sits down with Perry Braun, executive director of the Benefit Advisors Network. The two discuss President Biden’s first 100 days in office, the impact of the pandemic on our industry, current and future industry trends, NAHU’s advocacy efforts and more.
Benefit Advisors Network is comprised of agencies in the employee benefits space that work collaboratively to bring solutions to the complex issues employers are faced with today. BAN has clients in 45 states, the territory of Guam and recently expanded into Canada. Perry Braun leads BAN and has worked in the insurance and healthcare space for 35 years.
The pandemic has made it more evident than ever how important it is to focus on mental and behavioral health. Along with other legislative working groups, NAHU’s Mental Health Task Force, which was first created last year, explores legislative and regulatory developments as they relate to mental health parity in the market. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Dede Kennedy and Tracey Pal Izzi from the task force join us to discuss the task force, the work they’ve done thus far, and the results of an important all-member survey.
Democrats were able to pass the American Rescue Plan Act last month using their razor-thin majority in the Senate by utilizing budget reconciliation. Now, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that Democrats could use the reconciliation process again if they so choose. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss what could be passed as a result of this ruling.
Last week, the Department of Labor released guidance regarding the COBRA subsidy provisions of the American Rescue Plan, offering much-needed answers to some frequently asked questions agents, brokers, employers and consumers have had over the last month. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner reviews this guidance, what it answers and what it doesn’t answer.
To learn more about this COBRA guidance, register for our Compliance Corner webinar on April 29 at 1:00 pm where we will go into greater detail. Please submit your questions about ARP and COBRA to legislative@nahu.org, and we will address it during the webinar.
Congress is out of session this week, but while they are on recess the Healthcare Happy Hour is focused on innovation. On this week’s episode, we are joined by special guest Dr. Daniel Kraft, a Stanford- and Harvard-trained physician and scientist, and the host of CVS Health’s new podcast Healthy Conversations. Dr. Kraft discusses the many innovations in technology that will hopefully bring down healthcare costs and increase positive outcomes for patients, the potential for the FDA to expedite drug approval following the success of Operation Warp Speed, and much more.
CVS Health's Healthy Conversations podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
“Transparency” is the word on this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, as we are joined by special guest Cynthia Fisher, founder and chairman of Patient Rights Advocate, a nonprofit organization focused on transparency in healthcare. In addition to Cynthia, we are also joined by NAHU Legislative Council Vice Chair and staunch transparency advocate Mark Gaunya. The two have a conversation about recent hospital price transparency rules, how transparency can lower healthcare costs and more.
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law a few weeks ago, and with it came an abundance of compliance concerns. Last week, NAHU hosted a Compliance Corner webinar presented by Vice President and Director of Employee Benefit Compliance for First Insurance Group Barb Gerken. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Barb joins us again along with Compliance Corner Committee members Carol Taylor and Deanna Sizemore to discuss things in greater detail.
This episode is focused primarily on the portions of the legislation that impact the ACA marketplace and COBRA subsidies. If you’re looking for a broader overview of the law, please listen to the March 12 edition of the Healthcare Happy Hour.
This is the second part of a conversation between Marcy M. Buckner, Mark Gaunya and Dan Parker about NAHU’s first-ever virtual Capitol Conference. In Part 1 we discussed what attendees heard from the keynote speakers, members of Congress, Jeff Grant from CMS/CCIIO, and Avik Roy from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. This week, we are talking about what attendees heard from NAHU’s coalition partners and the fabulous breakout sessions attendees were able to engage with.
If you weren’t able to watch all of the breakout sessions during Capitol Conference, they are available to watch on demand until May 23.
We know you anticipated part two of our Capitol Conference recap, but we decided to push that to next Friday, March 19, because earlier this week Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, another immense piece of legislation aimed at providing COVID-19 relief to businesses and consumers. On this week’ episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss the relevant details.
Welcome back to the Healthcare Happy Hour after our short Capitol Conference hiatus. And what a Cap Con it was! We were able to bring to you legislators from both sides of the aisle, innovative thinkers in health economics, a big name from CMS, coalition partners and, of course, our keynotes - Dr. Deepak Chopra and Shasta Nelson. Today Marcy M. Buckner and Dan Parker are joined by Legislative Council vice Chair Mark Gaunya, who also served as this year’s Cap Con chairperson, to recap the event.
In the first part of our Capitol Conference recap, we discuss what attendees heard from the keynote speakers, members of Congress, Jeff Grant from CMS/CCIIO, and Avik Roy from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. In part 2, we will talk about what attendees heard from NAHU’s coalition partners and the fabulous breakout sessions attendees were able to engage with.
We are just three days away from our 31st annual Capitol Conference so if you haven’t registered yet – registration closes tomorrow, so what are you waiting for? Go to NAHU.org now! And while you register, listen to Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann talk about one of the most pertinent issues our industry is facing – the potential for a public option or single-payer healthcare system.
We are rapidly approaching our 31st annual – and first-ever virtual - Capitol Conference. We are reviewing NAHU’s legislative priorities in detail leading up to the conference so that you are prepared for meetings with your members of Congress. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann talk about what NAHU is asking for in the areas of Medicare, employer reporting, prescription drug prices and more.
We are less than three weeks away from our 31st Annual – and first-ever virtual - Capitol Conference! As promised, we are reviewing NAHU’s legislative priorities in detail leading up to our conference so that you are prepared for your meetings with your member of Congress. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner discusses what NAHU is asking for from legislators in the area of coronavirus relief.
On last week’s edition of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we briefly discussed our general talking points that Capitol Conference attendees will use in their meetings with their members of Congress – those are available in the Advocacy section of the NAHU website. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss what it’s like lobbying virtually and how to convey our legislative priorities to different audiences. In the coming weeks, we will take a deeper dive into specific talking points that are important for you to know before meeting with your members Congress.
Earlier this week, NAHU released the general talking points that Capitol Conference attendees will use in their meetings with their members of Congress. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner gives a brief overview of these talking points and what you can expect if you attend the first-ever virtual Capitol Conference. Leading up to Capitol Conference, the Healthcare Happy Hour will feature episodes on each topic with more in-depth information to prepare you for your Congressional meetings.
As we discussed on last week’s podcast, Democrats now have a narrow majority in the Senate, meaning President-Elect Joe Biden will have a much easier time forming his cabinet. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss Biden’s nominations for key positions so far, including secretary of Health and Human Services, attorney general, secretary of Labor and secretary of Treasury.
Jon Ossoff and The Reverend Dr. Raphael Warnock emerged victorious in Tuesday’s Georgia runoffs, meaning the Senate is now split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with the vice president able to break any ties. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann explain what this means for Congressional politics moving forward.
Congress has voted to pass a 1.4 trillion dollar omnibus spending bill, which includes provisions on COVID-19 relief, a ban on surprise billing, the ability for employees to roll over funds from Flexible Spending Accounts, and disclosure of broker compensation. We covered surprise billing at great lengths on last week’s podcast, so on this week’s special edition of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy, John and Chris are back to discuss… everything else!
Congressional leaders seem to finally be closing in on a $900 billion omnibus spending deal to prevent a government shutdown tonight. This spending deal is expected to include a wide variety of provisions, including additional funding to the PPP and a ban on surprise billing. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss what we believe could be in this package.
While we wait to see what Congress will be doing in regards to a potential end-of-year package, we are taking a break from proposed rules and politics. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Joe Lesher, CEO of Travel MedEvac Insurance, joins us to discuss the world of travel insurance and the benefits it can bring to brokers and clients alike.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner reviews some regulatory developments that occurred right before the holiday: two major rules regarding prescription drugs. In addition, CMS and OIG just released final rules in an attempt to modernize the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute.
After well over a year of discussion in the media, the Supreme Court finally heard oral arguments in California v Texas, the case that will decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner is joined by co-founder and CEO of MZQ Consulting Jennifer Berman to talk about the case, what we learned from listening to oral arguments, and the potential fate of the ACA.
After a long election week plagued by uncertainty, Joe Biden has reportedly secured 290 electoral votes compared to President Donald Trump’s 217. You only need 270 to win, and while there are still recounts and legal challenges underway, the former vice president has surpassed that number. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss the results of the election at both the presidential and congressional levels as well as what all of this means for agents and brokers.
In our most recent “Live from NAHU” webinar, NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein recapped the election results thus far and what they mean for the next Congress. Listen to Janet and special guest Alan Katz, co-founder and CEO of NextAgency, discuss what we know so far and how the results shape NAHU’s legislative strategy.
Amy Coney Barrett is officially an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Barrett was sworn in on Tuesday October 27 by Justice Clarence Thomas, cementing her place in history as a member of the nation’s highest court. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy discusses what this could mean for both healthcare and the Supreme Court moving forward.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour we are joined by Mark Lawrence from HM Insurance Group to discuss what underwriting has been like during the pandemic and the impact of the pandemic on his business. Mark Lawrence was senior vice president of underwriting at the time of this recording – he has since been named president of HM Insurance Group.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour we are taking a break from the crazy politics in Washington to focus on potential data-driven solutions to lower healthcare costs. Susan Dentzer, Senior Policy Fellow for the Robert J. Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University and host of Optum’s new health policy podcast Until It’s Fixed joins us to discuss what’s working and what isn’t working in our healthcare system and how we can lower costs through untangling administrative complexity.
Have you ever wanted to get an inside scoop on our government relations efforts? On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by special guests Legislative Council Chair Scott Wham and Jonathon Jones, partner at Peck Madigan Jones – the firm that NAHU works with to ensure that the legislative priorities of the association are being appropriately represented. We discuss what lobbying and government relations looks like behind the scenes, how Jones got his start, what it has been like working during the pandemic, what could happen on Election Day, and more.
We have plenty of topics to cover on this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour. Last week President Trump signed two executive orders under the umbrella of his “America First Health Plan” focused on pre-existing conditions and surprise billing. This week, the president nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the nation’s highest court, and the first presidential debate aired on CBS. NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Chris Hartmann discuss all of this and more
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg died last week at the age of 87, leaving behind a rich legacy that inspired millions of Americans. Ginsberg, nicknamed RBG, was the second woman ever to serve as a justice on the nation's highest court. Ginsberg’s passing puts the Senate in the position of deciding whether to nominate and confirm another justice before Election Day, less than 40 days away. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner discusses RBG’s legacy, where the Senate might go from here, and the impact of Ginsburg’s passing on the ACA.
In a major success for NAHU and Medicare beneficiaries across the country, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed HR 2564, the Medicare Enrollment Protection Act, which would establish COBRA as creditable coverage for the purpose of Medicare. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss what exactly what is in the bill, the journey so far, and what it will take to pass the bill into law.
This week marks the official end of August recess for both the House and Senate as members of Congress returned to the nation’s capital. Democrats and Republicans left Washington at the beginning of August without a bipartisan agreement on the next legislative coronavirus response package. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss the potential for a fourth coronavirus response package, as well as the possibility of a government shutdown at the end of the month.
Note: This episode was recorded on September 9. Since then, the new Republican proposal was introduced in the Senate but failed to pass.
Last week the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, or CCIIO, held a first of its kind virtual roundtable ahead of this year’s open enrollment in the exchanges. The event was hosted by CCIIO’s longest serving director Randy Pate and the deputy director of the small business and agent/broker innovation division Dean Mohs. The event was attended by over 70 agents and brokers from across the country as well as our own Marcy M. Buckner. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy discusses the event in detail.
If you’ve been following political headlines the past couple of weeks, they’ve been dominated by the Democratic and Republican virtual National Conventions. Last week we reviewed the DNC, so make sure to go back and listen to that edition of the podcast if you haven’t already. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s John Greene and Marcy M. Buckner join us to talk about the Republican National Convention and the experience of tuning in to an all-virtual convention.
If you’re looking at the headlines in politics for the next two weeks, they will undoubtedly be dominated by the virtual Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The Democratic National Convention, where Joe Biden was formally named the party’s nominee for president, was held this week, but it looked… a bit different than it normally does. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann joins us to talk about the DNC, his experience tuning in to an all-virtual national convention, and details about Joe Biden's healthcare plan.
On next week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we’ll be joined by Vice President of Congressional Affairs John Greene about the Republican National Convention.
After Republicans and Democrats failed to come to an agreement on a fourth COVID-19 relief package, President Trump signed several executive actions designed to provide relief to millions of financially struggling Americans. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Compliance Corner member and CEO of MZQ Consulting Jennifer Berman joins us to discuss exactly what these actions do and how they could impact you and your clients.
On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are once again spotlighting NAHU’s new President’s Perspective podcast. Soon you’ll be able to subscribe to the President’s Perspective on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify – just like the Healthcare Happy Hour! On this edition of the President’s Perspective, NAHU President Dane Rianhard, Membership Council Chair David C. Smith, and special guest Chair of NAHU Legislative Council Scott Wham review Dane's first month as president, the importance of telling your story to your legislators, the realities of a younger workforce, and the best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia.
Last Friday, President Trump signed four executive orders aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, including seeking changes to PBMs and promoting importation of cheaper medications from abroad. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, founder of The Canadian Medstore and RxManage Bill Hepscher and COO of Global Rx Management Casey MacPherson join us to discuss the potential impacts of these executive orders.
The August Congressional recess is rapidly approaching as Republicans and Democrats aim to pass a fourth coronavirus aid package, but there is no shortage of obstacles standing in the way. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss what the different sides are vying to get included in this bill as well as a legislative update on other fronts, including surprise billing and COBRA as credible coverage.
NAHU President Dane Rianhard is looking for new and innovative ways to reach NAHU members like you. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are playing the inaugural episode of the President’s Perspective podcast, where Dane Rianhard and Membership Council Chair David C. Smith discuss why they’re testing out this medium, the goals of the new Board, and how important it is for members’ voices to be heard.
We hope all those who attended NAHU’s 90th Annual Convention, the first-ever Virtual Convention, enjoyed themselves! Did you get a chance to tune in to the Legislative Town Hall? You can still watch it at the main Convention website through the link you used to tune in live. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Legislative Council Chair Scott Wham and NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner review some of the questions we received during the Town Hall that we did not get to.
We hope all those who attended our first-ever virtual Annual Convention thoroughly enjoyed it. On this week’s special edition of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are spotlighting one of Annual Convention’s Ruby Sponsors, MassMutual. Jason Rathbone and Mike Hirshberg, Managing Directors of Benefits at MassMutual, join us to discuss some of the many benefits that MassMutual has to offer.
We hope all NAHU members listening this week are registered to attend NAHU’s 90th Annual Convention this Sunday, the first-ever Virtual Convention. We have some great materials in store for you, so be sure to tune in to the General Session on Sunday, which includes the Legislative Town Hall at 3:30 Eastern Time, as well as the Knowledge Channels throughout the day on Monday.
Did you know that NAHU has created a Mental Health Task Force? Along with other legislative working groups such as the Medicare Advisory Group and the Prescription Drugs Task Force, the Mental Health Task Force will explore legislative and regulatory developments as they relate to mental health parity in the market. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, DeDe Kennedy, the chair of this new task force, joins us to discuss the goals and purpose of this group.
If you are interested in joining the Mental Health Task Force please send a statement of interest to legislative@nahu.org.
While we await further regulatory guidance from the Administration as well as another bipartisan coronavirus package from Congress, this week’s Healthcare Happy Hour is spotlighting the NAHU Employer-Based Plan Working Group’s Think Tank, which first debuted at a breakout session during this year’s Capitol Conference. Gary Cupo, chair of the Employer Working Group’s Balance Billing Subcommittee and winner of the Think Tank contest at Cap Con, joins us to discuss the Think Tank and his winning pitch.
If you would like to offer any ideas, thoughts or suggestions to bring the Think Tank to the next level, please email legislative@nahu.org.
As Congress continues deliberation on what should be included in the next large bipartisan coronavirus response package, we’re looking at smaller bills, including one that deals with Flexible Spending Accounts, extension and changes to the Paycheck Protection Program, and a renewed fight from the White House to ban surprise billing. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss these developments.
The IRS and DOL have been releasing guidance throughout the coronavirus pandemic, including recent emergency regulation regarding the COBRA-election period during the dates of the COVID-19 national emergency. NAHU submitted a letter to the IRS requesting further clarification on this recent regulation along with several other provisions where we felt additional information was needed. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, COO & Compliance Officer at Kirby Employee Benefits and NAHU Compliance Corner member Carol Taylor joins NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner to discuss our letter in detail.
House Democrats passed the HEROES Act on May 15, and now negotiations begin on bipartisan legislation in the Senate. The Healthcare Happy Hour is taking this week off in light of the long Memorial Day weekend, but make sure you understand what was included in the $3 trillion package that passed the House last week. Listen to NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss this latest legislation and regulation.
Earlier this week, House Democrats unveiled their proposed next phase in the federal coronavirus response: the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, or HEROES Act. At the same time, the IRS released new guidance that addresses some of the Section-125, FSA and HSA requests that NAHU made in our list of suggestions to the Administration last month. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss this latest legislation and regulation.
Last week, NAHU had the opportunity to preview and comment on the upcoming edition of the Medicare and You Handbook. The handbook includes a summary of Medicare benefits, rights and protections, lists of available health and drug plans, and more. In addition, CMS announced this week that the Special Enrollment Period in the case of major disasters also applies to COVID-19. Mike Smith, chair of both the NAHU FMO Council and Medicare Advisory Group, joins John Greene on this week’s episode to discuss our comments on the Medicare and You handbook as well as the new SEP development.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling Monday demanding Congress keep its promise to pay insurers $12 billion in unpaid ACA funds. The 8-1 decision means that Congress must provide the funds it had promised through the risk-corridor program in order to insure consumers on the exchanges who hadn’t been previously insured or had been “uninsurable.” On this week’s episode NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner reviews the ruling and its implications.
Just yesterday, Congress passed a $484 billion bill to provide additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, among other things. The Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act includes $380 billion for small businesses, $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for COVID-19 testing. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann review the new law and what we may expect next.
On this week’s episode, we are taking a break from COVID-19 discussion to focus on a comment letter NAHU submitted to CMS in regard to the Contract Year 2021 and 2022 Medicare Advantage and Part D Proposed Rule. The proposed rule deals with a host of Medicare Advantage and Part D issues, including the addition of ESRD beneficiaries, changes to maximum out-of-pocket costs, transparency tools and more. NAHU's John Greene is joined by special guest Craig Ritter, owner of Ritter Insurance Marketing and member of our Medicare FMO Council, to discuss our comments in detail.
On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner reviews the list of recommendations to the Administration that NAHU submitted on Tuesday with the assistance of NAHU’s Compliance Corner Committee. In our suggestions to DOL, IRS, HHS and CMS, we emphasized the importance of clarifying definitions used in regulation and legislation, extensions on form filings and open enrollment periods, flexibility for premium payments by employers and employees, and more.
Late last week, Congress passed the CARES Act, a $2 trillion stimulus package aimed at resuscitating the economy. One major portion of the CARES Act made $350 billion in paycheck protection loans available to small businesses, establishing the paycheck protection program, or PPP. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner is joined by Compliance Corner Committee member Annette Bechtold, who serves as senior vice president of regulatory affairs and reform initiatives at OneDigital, to dive into how the PPP works and how you and your clients can utilize it.
Last week, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, phase two in the federal government’s response to COVID-19. After a week of intense negotiations, Democrats and Republicans finally reached a deal on the next phase, a $2 trillion stimulus package aimed at resuscitating the economy: the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, also referred to as the CARES Act. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s John Greene and Chris Hartmann discuss what’s in this bill and the politics behind putting it all together.
Over the last few weeks, COVID-19 has taken over our everyday lives and has undoubtedly caused, and will continue to cause, substantial problems for health insurance brokers and their clients. NAHU is following all federal developments related to COVID-19 closely, and we are keeping all of our members up-to-date on everything happening here in Washington and around the country. This week, Marcy M. Buckner is joined by Compliance Corner member and CEO of MZQ Consulting Jennifer Berman, to discuss the compliance issues arising from this situation and what agents and brokers need to know to assist their clients during this time.
NAHU submitted three comment letters to the Trump Administration last week in regard to several proposed rules: the 2021 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters, the Draft Letter to Issuers and the proposed rule that would allow importation of certain prescription drugs from Canada. In addition, HHS and CMS released finalized rules aimed at giving patients greater access to their health data. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner explains these proposals and our comments, as well as what the finalized ONC rule means for consumers and carriers.
NAHU hosted our 30th annual Capitol Conference here in Washington DC, where agents and brokers from every part of the country came together to make a difference in the health reform debate. We hope all those who attended had an incredible time, and we hope to see you again at the 31st Cap Con! On today’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU's Marcy M. Buckner and Legislative Council Vice Chair Scott Wham review the conference, from the engaging keynote speakers to our vital legislative priorities.
Leading up to Capitol Conference, we are reviewing each of our legislative priorities in detail. NAHU is the only trade organization representing professional agents and brokers who work with Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare products. In our final podcast before Cap Con, John Greene reviews the Medicare-specific issues we are advocating for, including observation status, COBRA as credible coverage, and allowing those over age 65 that are still working to contribute to their HSAs. We also go into detail about what Medicare-related speakers and breakout sessions await Capitol Conference attendees.
Calling all Capitol Conference attendees and those curious about NAHU’s premier legislative event! Next week NAHU members from across the country will descend on Capitol Hill to make our voices heard! On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Dan Parker preview what to expect at this year’s conference. They break down the agenda and the can’t-miss speakers, provide a preview of the breakout sessions, the primary policy priorities that we will be advocating for on the Hill, and tips for making the most of your visit. You won’t want to miss this for the essential info ahead of your trip to the nation’s capital. Never participated in Capitol Conference? We encourage you to check out the podcast to hear what you’re missing!
Leading up to Capitol Conference, we are reviewing each of our legislative priorities in detail. NAHU is leading a coalition effort to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress to end the practice of surprise medical billing and to implement a payment benchmark standard. On this week’s podcast, Katy Spangler from the Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing joins NAHU’s John Greene and Chris Hartmann to discuss the ongoing legislative efforts to address surprise billing and how NAHU and the Coalition are working to influence the process. They break down the nuances between arbitration and benchmarking, and what the outlook is for reaching a consensus among the several competing solutions to this problem.
NAHU and the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage are leading the charge to advance bipartisan legislation to allow prospective employer reporting, greatly easing the compliance burden of the ACA for employers complying with the law’s mandate. On this week’s podcast episode, Chris Pollack, executive director of the partnership, joins NAHU’s Chris Hartmann to discuss our recent advocacy work and what you need to know about employer reporting before coming to NAHU’s 30th annual Capitol Conference!
NAHU recently submitted our comments in response to the Transparency in Coverage proposed rule, which would allow consumers to shop and compare costs between specific providers before receiving care, including receiving accurate estimates of any out-of-pocket costs they must pay to meet their plan’s deductible, co-pay, or co-insurance requirements. On this week’s podcast, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner reviews our comment letter in detail, including what we supported and what Improvements we suggested.
This week, NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein joins us to discuss the looming threat of Medicare-for-All and similar proposals, such as the public option. Specifically, we review the differences between single-payer and public option, the dangers of a public option to the insurance market and consumers, as well as what agents and brokers can do to fight these ideas before it’s too late.
As you all probably know by now, Congress passed the fiscal year 2020 spending bill and companion tax extenders measure which included a permanent repeal of three ACA taxes: the medical device tax, Cadillac Tax, and the Health Insurance Tax (more commonly referred to as the HIT tax). The repeal of the HIT tax is an overwhelming victory for brokers and consumers alike. This week, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene sit down with Elena Tompkins from Stop The HIT, the coalition that fought for the full repeal of the HIT for several years, to discuss what led to this victory!
As you all probably know by now, Congress passed the fiscal year 2020 spending bill and companion tax extenders measure which included a permanent repeal of three ACA taxes: the medical device tax, Health Insurance Tax, and the 40% excise tax that became known as the “Cadillac Tax.” The repeal of the Cadillac Tax is a monumental victory for brokers and consumers alike. This week, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and Marcy M. Buckner sit down with Heather Meade from the Alliance to Fight the 40, the coalition that fought for the full repeal of the Cadillac Tax for several years, to discuss what led to this victory!
This week, former congresswoman and current president & CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance, Allyson Schwartz, joins NAHU’s John Greene to discuss a wide range of Medicare topics, including this year’s AEP, President Trump’s executive order on Medicare, the Cadillac and HIT taxes, and more. Congresswoman Schwartz represented Pennsylvania’s 13th district for ten years, and now leads Better Medicare Alliance as the foremost advocate for Medicare Part C, more commonly known as Medicare Advantage. (This episode was recorded on Monday, December 9, 2019.)
The House and Senate have both passed the fiscal year 2020 spending bill which includes a permanent repeal of three ACA taxes: the Cadillac/excise tax, medical device tax, and Health Insurance Tax (HIT). The legislation fully repeals the Cadillac tax, and repeals the HIT effective January 1, 2021 which means the HIT will still be in place for 2020. Passage of this legislation represents a major milestone in our advocacy efforts to finally end the Cadillac tax and HIT and we thank all of you who have taken action to support these repeals!
There is no shortage of legislative news this week as the window to pass legislation before the new year dwindles. This week, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene discuss what’s happening on the legislative front as we conclude the year, including: the contents of a comprehensive, bipartisan healthcare package several months in the making, which contains a section on surprise billing. In addition, this episode reviews House Democrats’ prescription drug reform bill, the status of the Cadillac and HIT taxes, as well as reflecting on this year’s AEP. (This episode was recorded on Thursday, December 12, 2019.)
The Colorado Division of Insurance has released its final report of Colorado’s public option, detailing a plan for the implementation of a state coverage option that would be administered by private insurance companies and sold on the state exchange and the off-exchange individual market starting in 2022. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU Legislative Council member Brad Niederman and CSAHU lobbyist Jenn Penn join NAHU’s Marcy Buckner to discuss the state public option proposal and its implications.
Earlier today, the Trump Administration released its final rule on hospital outpatient pricing transparency and announced a new proposed rule that calls for transparency mandates for insurers and group health plans. This week, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner joins the Healthcare Happy Hour to discuss how NAHU was able to influence the changes to the final hospital transparency rule through our comments, and identifies some of our initial concerns of the proposed insurer transparency rule and what NAHU members and clients should know as the rule undergoes the comment process.
House Democrats indicated this week that they plan on delaying a vote on their comprehensive prescription drug plan until at least December. Meanwhile, President Trump has tentatively offered support for the Senate Republican’s plan to implement Part D inflation caps, which have historically been opposed by Republicans for the potential to lead to government price controls on healthcare. This week, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, Chris Hartmann and John Greene join us to look at these dynamics as the administration and leadership in Congress work to bring a bipartisan, bicameral prescription drug package to the floor. The episode also reviews how NAHU and the Trump administration have been working on the ongoing implementation of the individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements, and how the latest waiver proposal in Georgia could push all individual coverage enrollments directly to insurers and brokers, bypassing any official marketplace.
The House of Representatives formally voted this week to authorize several committees to investigate if there are grounds for impeaching President Trump. While this process does not directly affect NAHU’s legislative priorities, it could significantly affect the legislative calendar for the remainder of the year. This week, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene join us to review this process and how it alters the outlook for repealing the Cadillac and premium taxes, prescription drug reform, surprise billing, and much more. They also look at several bipartisan prescription drug bills that have not generated nearly as much attention as the broader packages, and discuss a new report on how to finance single-payer and when to expect the appellate decision in Texas v. U.S. challenging the constitutionality of the ACA.
After passing out of each of the three committees of jurisdiction, including this week in the Ways and Means committee, the House Democrats prescription drug plan is nearing its final stages. A floor vote is expected by mid-November, and this week the Healthcare Happy Hour takes a deep dive at how the bill has changed in recent weeks and how it could affect your client’s coverage and costs. NAHU prescription drug task force chair Greg Stancil joins NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner to review these key provisions, along with its Senate counterpart, and how they could be combined into a single bipartisan, bicameral package later this year to dramatically reform the nation’s prescription drug market. Greg and Marcy specifically look at how these plans could affect employer-based coverage and self-insured plans, and what agents and brokers should be telling their clients as these bills move through the legislative process.
NAHU is continuing to work closely with CMS on working through the changes to the Medicare Plan Finder. Last week, they announced an initial set of updates to the new Medicare Plan Finder to be in effect ahead of this week’s start of the annual enrollment period, with more updates expected in the coming weeks. On this week’s episode, NAHU Medicare Advisory Group member Justin Lubenow joins NAHU’s John Greene to review these improvements, including updates to backend technical details to display 2020 plans, and features that allow users to sort plans by the total cost of estimated annual drug costs plus premiums, and numerous updates to drug information to include providing clear distinctions between preferred in-network versus in-network pharmacy.
Perry Braun from the Benefit Advisors Network joins the Healthcare Happy Hour podcast for a special discussion with NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein on healthcare industry trends and the future of employer-sponsored health coverage. Perry and Janet also review the ongoing proposals in Congress and by the Trump Administration to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, and how these proposals would affect consumers and employers. They also look at the increasing role that states are taking in healthcare reform, after largely deferring to the federal government in the wake of the ACA.
Medicare’s annual election period marketing season is now underway as NAHU continues to work closely with CMS officials to resolve the significant challenges of the revised Medicare Plan Finder. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and John Greene discuss the role that NAHU is playing in this process and how NAHU members can join us in working towards a solution. This episode also includes a regulatory roundup of President Trump’s latest healthcare executive order, new guidance on the individual coverage and excepted benefit HRAs, and our comments to the hospital transparency proposed rule.
The announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to instruct several committees to begin an impeachment inquiry into President Trump sent shockwaves through Washington. The process is expected to take months and consume a significant amount of energy and attention from lawmakers, who were otherwise focused on several healthcare cost measures, including prescription drug reform and surprise billing. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene discuss how the impeachment process could stall progress on these efforts and how other parts of NAHU’s legislative agenda could be impacted. John and Chris also discuss the future implications of the latest survey on employer-based coverage, and provide an update on the Medicare Plan Finder rollout.
The legislative calendar is narrowing as Summer draws to a close and Fall begins, meaning that Congress is running out of time to pass major legislation before the end of the year to campaign on in 2020. This includes two of their biggest priorities—prescription drug reform and surprise billing. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene join us to look at the major hurdles for advancing both of these issues in the coming months as lawmakers and their staff must prioritize the issues while also dealing with a major budget battle to avert another government shutdown. John and Chris also provide an update on the Medicare Plan Finder and recent actions taken by NAHU to ease that transition, as well as how NAHU can help members stay informed on the healthcare proposals of the 2020 election cycle.
Surprise billing and prescription drug reform are the hot topics as lawmakers returned this week from their August recess. Congress is currently considering legislation to address both of these issues with packages expected to be voted on this fall. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and Marcy M. Buckner join us to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing these issues and what NAHU is doing to influence this process with lawmakers. They preview the upcoming hearings on these issues and the expected legislation to be introduced in the coming weeks and how policymakers plan to work out their differences in order to get legislation enacted to be able to campaign on victories for the 2020 elections. Marcy and Chris also look at how NAHU’s coalition partnerships are such critical tools for advancing our message, on these and other issues.
CMS launched an updated Medicare Plan Finder last week that will allow users to shop and compare plans with a personalized experience. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Vice President of Congressional Affairs John Greene joins us to review these updates, including the key functions of this tool and how NAHU is working with CMS officials to improve it as we head into the upcoming annual election period. John also discusses how NAHU members can join us in this process by sending their feedback to MedicarePlanFinder@nahu.org on how the changes will impact them and their clients, and how to best prepare for the upcoming plan year. And we also get an update on several of our priority Medicare legislation.
NAHU and the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage are leading the charge to advance bipartisan legislation to allow prospective employer reporting, greatly easing the compliance burden of the ACA for employers complying with the law’s mandate. On this week’s podcast episode, Chris Pollack, executive director of the partnership, joins NAHU’s Chris Hartmann to discuss the outlook for passing the recently re-introduced legislation. They also discuss the impact that local NAHU chapters and employers can have on the legislative process, as well as the coalition’s other legislative priorities, including the permanent repeal of the Cadillac/excise Tax.
NAHU is leading a coalition effort to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress to end the practice of surprise medical billing and to implement a payment benchmark standard. On this week’s podcast, Katy Spangler from the Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing joins NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Chris Hartmann to discuss the ongoing legislative efforts to address surprise billing and how NAHU and the coalition are working to influence the process. They break down the nuances between arbitration and benchmarking, and what the outlook is for reaching a consensus among the several competing factions – both among stakeholders and policymakers.
Congress is now on its annual six-week August recess. This break from legislating allows lawmakers time to meet with constituents before returning after the Labor Day holiday for what is expected to be a busy September. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene review our federal priorities to help prepare for these recess meetings. They also discuss key points that NAHU members should make to their lawmakers and how you can uniquely help frame these issues from your personal perspectives to help bolster our arguments here in Washington, DC.
On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene discuss the recently introduced Employer Reporting Bill in the House and Senate, H.R. 4070 and S. 2366. In addition, they will provide an update on our other federal priorities as Congress heads out on their 6-week August recess.
The House just embarked on its six-week in-district work period, better known as the annual August Congressional Recess, with the Senate set to join them next week. This break from legislating allows lawmakers time to meet with constituents before returning after the Labor Day holiday for what is expected to be a busy September. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene review our federal priorities to help prepare for these recess meetings. They also discuss key points that NAHU members should make to their lawmakers and how you can uniquely help frame these issues from your personal perspectives to help bolster our arguments here in Washington, D.C.
NAHU secured a major legislative victory this week with the House’s passage of the Cadillac Tax repeal bill. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, Chris Hartmann and John Greene recap the significance of this vote, they key role that NAHU, our coalition partners, our members and their clients played in the passage of this legislation, and what to expect moving forward. We also review the status of the surprise billing legislation and its arbitration amendment, and ongoing NAHU-supported reforms to HSAs, both legislatively and through regulation.
The House took a big first step in advancing its Surprise Billing legislation, joining the Senate which passed its bill out of committee last month. But both bills still have a lot of work ahead of them before they can be considered, adopted and merged into a final consensus package. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, Chris Hartmann and John Greene recap the ongoing efforts and the work underway behind the scenes to quickly advance the NAHU-favored benchmarking method of addressing surprise bills. The episode also includes an extensive review of the oral arguments in the fifth circuit appeals case of Texas v. U.S., challenging the constitutionality of the ACA’s individual mandate and the law itself. And we look ahead to the upcoming vote to fully repeal the ACA’s Cadillac Tax, how it differs from the previous votes and what it means for the tax moving forward.
President Trump signed an executive order this week to increase healthcare price and quality transparency. The order will begin the regulatory process for federal agencies to help consumers better understand healthcare charges and their overall cost of care. Meanwhile, the Senate HELP Committee advanced their comprehensive lower healthcare costs bill with key provisions on surprise billing and broker compensation disclosure. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and John Greene break down the executive order and NAHU’s views on the initiative. They also provide a recap of the Senate hearing and how NAHU worked with lawmakers and their staff to ensure that the surprise billing and broker disclosure measures were written in the best interest of consumers and our members.
The Trump Administration released its final rule on the expansion of health reimbursement arrangements last week that established new individual-coverage HRAs and excepted-benefit HRAs. This week, NAHU’s Marcy Buckner and Chris Hartmann join us to review the nearly-500 page final regulation and key compliance considerations for employers and brokers to keep in mind, along with the remaining concerns NAHU has with the final regulation that we raised in formal comments submitted to the proposed rule. The episode also looks into the possibility of the rule facing legal hurdles that could undermine its full implementation, as well as a recap of the ongoing legal challenges to the association health plan and short-term plan final rules.
Congress continued its round of hearings on surprise billing and single-payer healthcare this week, adding to the outsized attention that these two issues have generated already in this legislative session. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene unpack this week’s hearings and the key takeaways as lawmakers seek to advance surprise billing legislation in the coming weeks and Democrats looks for common ground in a health reform strategy. The episode also includes a discussion of the newest coalition effort that was formed this week by NAHU and other key stakeholders to tackle the topic of surprise billing, as well as an update on the timeline for considering legislation to repeal the ACA’s Cadillac Tax and the Senate HELP Committee’s discussion draft that would require broker compensation disclosure.
Editorial Note: This week’s podcast was recorded prior to the release of the health reimbursement arrangement final rule. NAHU will provide an in-depth discussion of the final rule on next week’s podcast episode.
The Senate HELP Committee’s discussion draft legislation remains a top priority for NAHU as we formally submitted feedback to their proposal to require broker compensation disclosure and options for addressing surprise billing disputes. That legislation comes as lawmakers from both parties put forth competing ideas on how to fix balance billing, with Congress aiming to pass a consensus bill before their August Recess. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Chris Hartmann discuss these legislative efforts and the comments that we submitted to the committee for incorporation into the updated version that is expected to be released ahead of the Independence Day holiday. They also give an update on the status of several other issues that continue to move through Congress, including an update on Medicare-for-All and where state efforts stand to implement single-payer or similar programs.
The Senate HELP Committee released a discussion draft for their Lower Health Care Cost Act last week that included several provisions NAHU is closely following. These include proposals to require the disclosure of broker compensation, potential options for addressing surprise medical billing, reducing the cost of pharmaceuticals, and several other healthcare cost provisions. On this week’s episode, On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, Chris Hartmann and John Greene review this legislation, our concerns, and the next steps as these ideas are debated in Congress.
Surprise billing is continuing to receive a significant amount of attention from lawmakers, with last week’s house and senate versions, and this week with the introduction of a comprehensive healthcare reform discussion draft that includes provisions to tackle the topic. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann review how the conflicting recently introduced proposals may find consensus among Democrats and Republicans who are pushing to pass legislation by this summer. They also review NAHU’s meeting with HHS Secretary Alex Azar on prescription drugs, the latest hearing on single-payer healthcare, guidance on association health plans in the wake of a court ruling overturning the rule, and what to expect after the Memorial Day recess.
The long-anticipated surprise medical billing legislation was introduced this week by members of the Senate Bipartisan Working Group, proposing a federal baseball-style arbitration model for insurers and providers to settle disputes, while taking the patient entirely out of the negotiation. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s John Greene and Chris Hartmann review the latest iteration of this legislation and how NAHU has been involved in helping to craft the language over the past several months. They also review the re-introduction of NAHU-supported legislation to restore the 40-hour workweek, the senate companion legislation to treat COBRA as creditable coverage for Medicare, and the House’s vote to rescind another piece of Trump Administration guidance.
This week has been one of the busiest in recent memory for NAHU’s priorities, with a flurry of activity at both the legislative and regulatory levels. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and John Greene help to breakdown all of this activity and what to make of it in the weeks to come. This includes the introduction of several pieces of NAHU’s priority legislative issues, such as treating COBRA as creditable coverage for Medicare, the permanent repeal of the HIT tax and improvements to Medicare notices with input from agents, as well as key developments on drug pricing and surprise medical bills. And we help to make sense of President Trump’s surprise press conference addressing surprise medical billing.
Congress held a first-ever hearing on Medicare-for-All in the House rules committee this week. NAHU strongly opposes single-payer proposals at all levels and submitted comments to the record to underscore our concerns. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner debriefs the hearing and how the main issues of cost, choice, coverage, quality, and access to care were addressed by witnesses and members of Congress, and how we helped to shape those discussions at the hearing. Marcy also explains what to expect as the debate moves forward, with possibly more hearings in Congress and beyond. And we take a deep dive at state level efforts to implement single-payer programs, including Washington State as it mulls implementing a public option.
The 2020 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters and Letter to Issuers were finalized late last week and include several provisions establishing the roles and requirements of navigators and brokers. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner debriefs the new rules and what agents and brokers should know going into the next open enrollment and new plan year. The podcast also includes a discussion on the week’s activity on Capitol Hill and our efforts to shape the debate on Medicare for All ahead of the first-ever hearing in Congress on the proposal.
Congress is in the midst of its two-week Easter Recess, making it a perfect time for NAHU members to meet with lawmakers while they are back in district to discuss our federal priorities. While the recess heads into its second week, NAHU’s vice presidents of congressional affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann recap the past several weeks, including the ongoing legal challenges over the ACA and regulatory workarounds prompted by the Trump Administration. John and Chris review the status of the Texas v. U.S. case and the ruling that overturned the association health plan rules. They also discuss our recent comments on the administration’s drug rebate proposal, as well as legislation on Medicare, Medicare-for-All, and surprise billing.
This week’s episode opens with a brief recap of the top health policy issues from NAHU’s vice president of Congressional affairs John Greene, followed by our special edition episode on balance billing.
Earlier today, several NAHU members and staff participated in an agent and broker roundtable with CMS Deputy Administrator and CCIIO Director Randy Pate. On this week’s episode of the NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU Legislative Council member Gary Cox joins NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner to discuss the major takeaways from the roundtable and the Trump Administration’s latest efforts to improve the marketplace experience for agents and brokers.
On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene discuss the recently released Protecting Pre-existing Conditions and Making Healthcare More Affordable Act of 2019, as well as the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee’s markup on bills to address drug pricing and stabilize ACA markets.
On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Chris Hartmann discuss the happenings during this week’s Congressional recess, including the submission of a stakeholder letter urging Congress to take action on balance-billing and to pass legislation that will protect patients from surprise medical bills and rein in out-of-control healthcare costs. Marcy and Chris will also discuss NAHU’s Operation Shout that was released this week requesting members of Congress to sign on to a bill to fix Medicare’s two-midnight rule and what this means for consumers.
The past several weeks have been full of activity for NAHU’s priority legislative issues. During our annual Capitol Conference, the House Medicare-for-All bill was introduced, giving a prime opportunity for NAHU members to counter the message in person. We also saw the introduction of new legislation to delay the Health Insurance Tax and to fully repeal the Cadillac/excise Tax. And this week legislation was introduced to fix Medicare’s two-midnight rule for patients placed on observation status. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and John Greene recap these legislative issues that have sprung up over the past several weeks since the last regular edition of the Healthcare Happy Hour. They also look at recent Trump Administration announcements, including the proposed rule to expand the sale of health insurance across state lines and the president’s 2020 budget request, which included several of NAHU’s priorities we’ve been seeking through Congress.
NAHU held its 29th annual Capitol Conference this week with remarks by HHS Secretary Alex Azar, senior Trump Administration health policy officials, numerous members of Congress, and other key stakeholders. To recap the week's events, NAHU Legislative Council Vice Chair, and host of this year's conference, Jessica Watts joins NAHU's Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner. They share their thoughts on the remarks of Secretary Azar, as well as the sessions on how NAHU is working to oppose Medicare-for-All, the role of association health plans and the forthcoming final rule on health reimbursement arrangements. They also discuss the action items for members of Congress as part of our federal priorities, and the other ways NAHU members can interact with policymakers and fellow agents and brokers throughout the conference, as well as why those who haven't yet come to a "CapCon" should begin making plans for next year.
Calling all Capitol Conference attendees and those curious about NAHU’s premier legislative event! In just over a week, NAHU members from across the country will descend on Capitol Hill to make our voices heard on the importance of private health insurance coverage and how to improve the healthcare system. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Director of Policy Engagement Dan Samson preview what to expect at this year’s conference. They break down the agenda and the can’t-miss speakers, provide a preview of the breakout sessions, the primary policy priorities that we will be advocating for on the Hill, and tips for making the most of your visit. Whether this is your first or 29th Capitol Conference (we know who you are!), you won’t want to miss this for the essential intel ahead of your trip to the nation’s capital. And if you have never participated in Capitol Conference, we encourage you to check out the podcast to hear what you’re missing!
NAHU is committed to working with policymakers at both the federal and state levels to address the issue of surprise and balance medical bills. As part of these efforts, the NAHU legislative council’s special balance billing workgroup convened to identify potential solutions and propose them to policymakers. On this week’s episode, Gary Cupo from NAHU’s Balance Billing workgroup and attorney John Fanburg discuss the ongoing efforts to address balance and surprise medical billing issues. They look at the current practices and policies for consumers who face surprise bills, the process of arbitration, proposals that call for requiring all providers within a practice to be in-network, tying maximum out-of-network rates to a percentage of Medicare reimbursement, and forthcoming federal legislation and state efforts to regulate the practice.
With the government shutdown temporarily over, Congress turned the page to other issues, including pre-existing conditions, prescription drugs, and lowering healthcare costs. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, Chris Hartmann and John Greene unpack this week’s healthcare hearings and what they could mean for bipartisan cooperation on our legislative priorities. They also look at the latest headlines on single-payer and Medicare-for-All, as the 2020 presidential contest gets underway with some Democratic candidates suggesting eliminating private insurance for a government-run option. And they review the latest Medicare guidance on the 2020 proposed rates and plan changes, as well as our comments to the “America First” prescription drug proposed changes to Medicare plans.
Lawmakers will be returning to the drawing board the next three weeks to avoid another government shutdown, after a temporary deal was tentatively reached today. As lawmakers negotiate a path forward, NAHU has been actively working with Congress to advance our federal legislative priorities once lawmakers move onto considering other issues. This week, bipartisan legislation was introduced to fully repeal the Cadillac Tax, joining bipartisan legislation introduced to delay or fully repeal the health insurance premium tax. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene review these new legislative efforts and their chances for passage in the newly divided Congress while both of the taxes remain suspended this year. John and Chris also discuss the progress of forthcoming legislation addressing two of our issues in Medicare—treating COBRA as creditable coverage and the three-day hospital stay requirement. And as the debate continues over single-payer, we look at our efforts to combat proposals with the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future.
The ongoing partial government shutdown is officially the longest in American history. While the negotiations are not directly related to healthcare or NAHU’s policy priorities, they have significantly impacted NAHU’s legislative and regulatory efforts. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, and Chris Hartmann detail the impact that the shutdown is having on federal rulemaking, including the release of the HRA final rule, the annual payment parameters rule and The Trump Administration’s ability to draft the Cadillac Tax regulations as thousands of federal workers throughout the departments remain furloughed. They also discuss how the shutdown could impact this year’s employer reporting deadlines, our ability to communicate with agency officials on compliance concerns, and Congress’s shortened calendar to focus on our legislative priorities as each passing day is taken up by negotiations to reopen the federal government instead of bipartisan solutions to healthcare challenges.
The ongoing partial federal government shutdown will be entering its fourth week, making it the longest lapse in federal appropriations in American history. As the Trump Administration and Congress negotiate a possible resolution to reopen the government, attention has been drawn away from other legislative issues. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann unpack how the shutdown is impacting NAHU’s legislative agenda, and when to expect our legislative priorities to be re-introduced in the new session of Congress. They also review the latest round of comments that NAHU has submitted to the Trump Administration, including our detailed response to the proposed expansion of health reimbursement arrangements, and our concerns with the proposal that would require insurers to send two premium statements each month to marketplace enrollees.
Late last Friday, a federal district court judge ruled that the ACA’s individual mandate, with no accompanying tax penalty, is unconstitutional and without which, the law cannot function and therefore the full law is invalid. This ruling could have dramatic effects not only for the key provisions of the landmark healthcare law, such as the marketplaces, mandates and tax credits, but for countless other provisions, from elimination of lifetime limits, guaranteed-issue coverage and consumer protections to Medicaid expansion and Medicare Advantage reforms. On this week’s special edition episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Chris Hartmann break down this ruling, what it means for you and your clients, the expected next steps, a timeline for the appeals process and when to expect a final ruling. They also provide an update on the ongoing negotiations for an end-of-year budget agreement to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of the week and the potential for healthcare provisions to be included.
Congress is a week away from closing out its 115th Session as policymakers negotiate the details on the budget bill to avoid a partial government shutdown next Friday. While they work out these issues, House Republicans are engaged in a final effort to advance their Tax Reform 2.0 legislation, which includes delays of the health insurance tax and Cadillac Tax. On this week's episode of the NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann review the prospects of advancing these delays before the end of the year in the midst of the budget shutdown. They also discuss the key issues expected to make up next year’s healthcare agenda, being set by Senate Republicans and Congressional Democrats, who will control the House for the first time since the ACA was passed.
Former president George H.W. Bush was laid to rest this week, leaving an indelible mark on the nation’s domestic and international policy after decades of service spanning the military and government. On this week's episode of the NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann reflect on the life of the nation’s 41st president and the impact that he had on the nation's healthcare politics and policy. The podcast also looks at the Trump Administration’s efforts to improve choice and competition and the lame duck session of Congress and the potential for healthcare policies to be passed.
The Trump Administration released follow-up guidance on their state relief and empowerment waivers this week, providing four examples of how states can take advantage of the newly announced changes. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Chris Hartmann unpack these “concept waivers” and how your state could be affected by these waivers if approved. Marcy and Chris also discuss their meeting this week with key treasury department officials on the HRA regulations and other employer issues, as well as the latest happenings on Capitol Hill—both in the Lame Duck session as NAHU seeks to pass a further delay of the health insurance tax, and for next year as the parties establish their leadership roles.
NAHU and the Stop the HIT coalition have been working to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress to repeal the ACA’s health insurance premium tax, or for further delay. On this week’s podcast, Elena Tompkins from the Stop the HIT joins NAHU’s John Greene and Chris Hartmann to discuss the outlook for passing this legislation in the Lame Duck session and in the new Congress that will be seated in January. They discuss their ongoing efforts to inform legislators and the work that is underway to educate the nearly 100 new members of Congress on the importance of repealing this onerous tax, as well as how they are identifying new legislative champions as several of our key supports leave Congress. They also relate why it may be more difficult to advance a full repeal in the new Congress and why they are working diligently to advance legislation in the coming weeks before the current session is gavelled to a close.
One of the most-hyped Midterm elections in memory came to a close on Tuesday, and NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann analyze the results and what they could mean for healthcare and NAHU’s issues. Marcy, John and Chris look at the outsized role that healthcare played this year, far outpacing the perennial top issue of the economy in voters’ preferences for candidates, and how it could have major consequences for the legislative agenda over the next two years. They look at how single-payer candidates fared and the prospects for that issue going forward, the key issues in the Lame Duck session, how NAHU’s legislative priorities could fare in the new Congress as we seek new champions on our issues, and how you can join us in our efforts through HUPAC and meeting with your legislators to help spread the message on the value of agents and brokers and the private health insurance market.
It’s the calm before the storm as politicos and policy wonks in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country await the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections. More than 6,000 legislative seats and 36 governorships are at stake, but most of the attention has been focused on control of Congress and whether a “Blue Wave” of Democratic voters will materialize to flip control of the House or Senate. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s John Greene and Chris Hartmann take a deep dive at the key contests to watch on election night, both in terms of early indicators for how the night might go, and the races that could have the most impact on NAHU’s legislative agenda in the new Congress. Additionally, NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner helps to unpack the Trump Administration’s latest regulatory efforts—the proposed rule to expand Health Reimbursement Arrangements, and the guidance to provide greater state flexibility of the ACA’s State Relief and Empowerment Waivers.
Perry Braun from the Benefit Advisors Network joins the Healthcare Happy Hour podcast for a special discussion with NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein on 2019 healthcare industry predictions. Perry and Janet discuss the impact of the Association Health Plan final rule for employers and the individual marketplace in the coming year. They also discuss the changing role of the broker in the midst of mergers and acquisitions as well as what the ongoing consolidation in the healthcare industry could mean for the costs of healthcare for consumers. They also give their predictions for the next Congress and whether we can expect to see another wave of major reforms or incremental changes to the healthcare system.
Lauren Crawford Shaver from the Partnership for America's Health Care Future joins the Healthcare Happy Hour for a special discussion with NAHU's lobbyists Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene, and Chris Hartmann on the coalition's efforts to educate the public and policymakers on the detrimental impact of single-payer legislation. The conversation delves on what has led to the coalition's formation, how the ACA and Medicare Advantage have contributed to the debate, the nuances of single-payer, Medicare-for-All, and a public option, and the steps that the coalition is taking now and in the future to educate policymakers and the public about these plans, both heading into the 2018 midterms and as the 2020 presidential campaign gets underway.
HealthCare.com co-founder Jeff Smedsrud joins the Healthcare Happy Hour for a special discussion with NAHU Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner on the impact of the short-term plan final rule as plans begin to be sold this month under the new regulation. Their conversation focuses on the regulatory nuances of these plans, particularly as states have taken very different positions as to how they are permitted, if they are allowed at all. Jeff and Marcy delve into how these plans may impact marketplace plans and the potential changes to the individual market risk pool, which consumers may be eligible to enroll and who may benefit the most, and what agents and brokers should know before consulting with their clients about these plans.
With the final passage of the FAA reauthorization, Congress has taken a major step forward in addressing surprise and balance billing issues by providing more regulatory authority over air ambulances. At the same time, NAHU has been working closely with several senators on forthcoming balance billing legislation that is expected to be considered in the next Congress. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann join the Healthcare Happy Hour to review the ongoing steps at the federal and state levels to address this growing concern as patients are left with exorbitant medical bills for services billed out-of-network. The episode also looks into how NAHU is working to prepare the incoming group of lawmakers expected to join the 116th Congress in January and how you can join us in our efforts to advocate on behalf of your clients and protect our industry.
Over the past week both the White House and the House Energy and Commerce Committee hosted roundtable events to discuss the current state of the health insurance market and what can be done to lower costs, increase choice and availability of plans, and introduce transparency in to the healthcare market. NAHU’s CEO Janet Trautwein was invited to both of these exclusive meetings. On this week’s episode Janet sits down with NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Marcy M. Buckner, to discuss the content of these meetings and what actions we can expect from the Administration and Congress as a result of the conversations that took place with the leading policymakers at these meetings. Janet and Marcy will review the Administration’s intentions for implementing transparency, not just in cost, but in other areas of healthcare and health insurance as well as what could possibly be included in the long awaited proposed rule on Health Reimbursement Accounts that is expected to be released soon from the Department of Labor, Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services. They will also focus on the possible foreshadowing these meetings may have had on the plans Republicans are putting in place for actions following the mid-term elections and what we may see introduced in the 116th Congress.
The Senate voted nearly unanimously this week to advance their Opioids response legislation, which will now need to be merged with the House-passed version. NAHU has closely followed this as the House-version would increasingly shift costs for several more months of coverage for end stage renal disease onto employers before Medicare becomes the primary payer. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Chris Hartmann and John Greene explain how employer plans could be impacted as Congress seeks to send the legislative package to President Trump in the coming weeks. John and Chris also review the current status of the House’s employer-related ACA reforms after the House recessed early last week, delaying indefinitely a vote on H.R. 3798 that would have restored the 40-hour workweek and further delayed the Cadillac/excise Tax. They also look at the growing interest in advancing surprise medical billing legislation at the federal level, and the Trump Administration’s efforts to bring transparency to prescription drug prices on the 15th anniversary of Medicare Part D.
Earlier today, several NAHU members and staff participated in an agent and broker roundtable with CMS Deputy Administrator and CCIIO Director Randy Pate. On this week’s episode of the NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour, former NAHU Legislative Council chairman David Mordo joins NAHU’s vice president of government affairs Marcy M. Buckner to discuss the major takeaways from the roundtable and the Trump Administration latest efforts to improve the marketplace experience for agents and brokers.
The calm of the August recess receded as Washington, D.C. came back to a roar this week. The Senate began the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, while cases over the ACA’s constitutionality and cost-sharing reduction payments shared in the healthcare headlines. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Chris Hartmann join the Healthcare Happy Hour to unpack the week’s legal and political news, look ahead to a big week for NAHU’s issues in Congress, and delve into the politics of single-payer and Medicare for All on the heels of yet another primary election upset and growing support for legislation according to recent polling. The episode also previews the forthcoming “employer week” in Congress and the outlook for passage of many of NAHU’s priority legislative issues.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) passed away last Saturday, leaving behind a storied legacy including three decades as a federal policymaker. On this week's episode of the NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s vice president of government affairs Marcy M. Buckner and vice presidents of congressional affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann reflect on the life of Senator John McCain and the impact that he had on the nation's healthcare politics and policy. They break down some of his most consequential positions and actions, both as a candidate for office in his runs for the presidency, as well as in his 35-year career in Congress. They also reflect on how he has shaped the debate on employer-sponsored health insurance and the ACA, and how Arizona’s new senators may shape healthcare policy in the coming years.
The Trump Administration released their association health plan (AHP) and short-term plan (STP) final rules this summer in the promise of providing lower cost healthcare options. But many states have provided a lukewarm response, at best, while others have suggested outright banning these policies. On this week’s episode, NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner provides an update on where states are landing on the new federal rules and the resources that are available exclusively to NAHU members to keep track of them. Marcy also provides an update on the Trump Administration’s statements that implied an expanded role for navigators to enroll consumers in AHPs and STPs and how NAHU worked with the administration on clarifying their role. The podcast also looks at what’s at stake over the coming oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of the ACA’s individual mandate and consumer protections, as well as a look at what’s on tap for Congress when it returns from its August Recess after the Labor Day holiday.
NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein joins the Healthcare Happy Hour to interview Suzanne Delbanco from the Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR). Their conversation focuses on CPR’s mission of catalyzing employers, public purchasers and others to implement strategies that produce higher-value health care and improve the functioning of the health care marketplace. Suzanne and Janet discuss the changing healthcare marketplace, the need for employers to shift towards value-based strategies, and what every employer (and their broker) should be doing to shift toward higher-value thinking.
NAHU is leading a coalition effort to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress to repeal the Cadillac/excise tax and preserve the employer exclusion of health insurance. On this week’s podcast episode, Heather Meade from the Alliance to Fight the 40 joins NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann to discuss the outlook for passing this legislation, after the House version reached a major milestone with over 300 bipartisan cosponsors. They also discuss the importance of preserving employer-sponsored coverage, how NAHU and the coalition work together to educate Congress on the benefits of the employer-based system, and how NAHU members can get involved during the August recess to help drive our message and get the Cadillac Tax repealed before the end of the year.
The Trump Administration released their final rule today on short-term limited duration insurance (STLDI), often referred to as short-term plans (STPs), in an effort to provide additional coverage options for individuals outside of the marketplaces. This week’s special edition NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour features a discussion with NAHU Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner to review the 121-page rule and what it will mean for your clients and prospective clients who may be considering STPs. Marcy details the technical requirements of these plans, what consumers should know who enroll in these plans this year while the mandate penalties remain in full effect, how state regulators might take action to modify the plan’s requirements or maximum duration, the impact these plans may have on the individual marketplace and employer-sponsored insurance coverage, and how NAHU helped to influence the rule-making process.
NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner and Chris Hartmann join this week’s podcast to discuss the recently released final rule from CMS resuming the risk-adjustment program. CMS’s prior decision to halt the risk-adjustment program earlier this month (citing a federal judge’s decision in a New Mexico lawsuit) caught everyone off guard, so we discuss the impact that this final rule and resuming the program will have on stabilizing the individual and small-group markets. The podcast also discusses NAHU’s 2018 August recess talking points, as well as specific topics to keep in mind when you are meeting with your legislator’s in-district this summer.
NAHU’s Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann join this week’s podcast to review our response to the Trump Administration’s funding opportunity announcement providing that navigators inform consumers about non-marketplace options, including association health plans and short-term plans. We discuss the statutory limitations placed on navigators in discussing non-marketplace plans, and our overall consumer protection concerns with navigators providing adequate education on these complex policies. The podcast also includes a discussion of our latest call to action on the health insurance tax and why we are continuing to push for another delay while we seek a full repeal, the prospects for value-based care, and a look ahead to what’s on tap with the short-term plan final rule and an interim final rule on risk adjustment, both in their last stages before being released.
This week’s NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour podcast features an extended edition with Marcy M. Buckner, John Greene and Chris Hartmann as they examine several key developments by Congress and the Trump Administration on healthcare policy. On Capitol Hill, the House Ways and Means committee advanced a series of NAHU-supported HSA related bills that would modify the spousal rules, allow consumers to use funds on onsite clinics, and for seniors on Medicare to contribute to HSAs, in addition to passing legislation that would delay the ACA’s employer mandate and further delay the Cadillac/excise tax. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration announced it would be freezing funds for the ACA’s risk adjustment program, likely leading to further instability in the individual markets, and would further cut navigator funding while expanding the scope of their role to inform consumers on the availability of association health plans and short-term plans. President Trump also announced the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, where if confirmed by the Senate, he may play a critical role in deciding the fate of the ACA.
This week’s NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour podcast takes an inside look at Tuesday’s primary election results, which saw generational changes in Democratic politics with the unexpected ouster of a key Congressional leader by a socialist Democrat campaigning on single-payer. NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann join this week’s episode to discuss the implications of this election and what it could mean for the prospects of single-payer moving through Congress as a new generation of Democrats takes office. They also review a gubernatorial primary that saw a single-payer supporting Democrat advance, the Utah Senate primary and a heated Republicans primary in New York that was previewed in last week’s HUPAC Roundup. The podcast also includes an update on last week’s association health plan final rule and when to expect the forthcoming short-term plan rule.
The Labor Department released the Association Health Plan (AHP) final rule yesterday in an effort to provide more affordable coverage options for small-business owners, their employees and families. This week’s special edition NAHU Healthcare Happy Hour features a special discussion with NAHU CEO Janet Trautwein to review the 198-page rule and what it will mean for your clients and prospective clients who may be considering AHPs. Janet walks through the rule, describing how these plans will work, what employers need to qualify under the rule, the rule’s staggered implementation and how it will work for those consumers who are enrolled in AHPs under the old rules, state regulation of these plans as they cross state-lines, and how NAHU helped to influence the rule-making process.
The announcement late last week by the Justice Department that they would no longer defend the ACA’s individual mandate or consumer protection provisions sent shock-waves throughout the healthcare industry and may have major implications for the law’s future. While Democratic-led states have stepped up to defend the law in the Trump Administration’s absence, the future of the ACA is once again uncertain. A ruling by the courts to strike down the mandate, on the basis that with the penalties zeroed-out that it no longer functions as a tax, could threaten the very foundation that the law is built upon. NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs John Greene join the podcast this week to break down the details of this announcement and what the legalese means for you and your clients.
Lawmakers came back from their Memorial Day recess with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell emphatically cancelling the customary month-long August recess so that legislators can focus on their growing workload ahead of the November elections. On the House side, HHS Secretary Alex Azar testified on the Trump Administration’s priorities heading into the ACA’s sixth open enrollment period and another hearing was held on legislative efforts to promote consumer directed healthcare, including NAHU’s push to pass the Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act. NAHU’s Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann and John Greene join the podcast this week to help make sense of it all, in addition to breaking down the results of this week’s “Super Tuesday” where eight states held primary elections, including California’s much anticipated top-two primary.
NAHU is leading a coalition effort to advance bipartisan legislation through Congress that would provide for prospective employer reporting, greatly easing the compliance burden of the ACA for employers complying with the law’s mandate. On this week’s podcast episode, Executive Director of the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage Chris Pollack joins NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann to discuss the outlook for passing this legislation, either before the November elections or in the lame duck session. They also discuss the impact that local chapters and employers can have on the legislative process, as well as the coalition’s other legislative priorities, including the Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act, which NAHU strongly supports, and efforts to reduce the costs of prescription drugs.
Congress has renewed interest in healthcare legislation with the passage of the “Right to Try” bill and has tentatively set the schedule to consider the dozens of opioid response bills intended to address the epidemic. In addition, this week conservative activists released their principles ahead of what they hope will be yet another attempt by Congress to repeal and replace the ACA before the November elections. NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann join the Healthcare Happy Hour podcast this week to share their insights on the potential for another repeal/replace attempt and for other healthcare legislation to be advanced through the remainder of the year, as well as their prognosis on the November elections.
Last Friday, President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar released their blueprint for an “America First” prescription drug plan aimed at curbing high prices through increased competition, better negotiation, lower list prices, and lower out-of-pocket costs. NAHU’s vice president of government affairs Marcy M. Buckner and vice president of congressional affairs Chris Hartmann join the Healthcare Happy Hour for this week’s episode to break down what this proposal will mean for pharmaceutical prices, and ultimately the cost of healthcare and health insurance.
NAHU’s vice president of government affairs Marcy M. Buckner and vice president of congressional affairs Chris Hartmann join the Healthcare Happy Hour to preview what’s on tap for the coming weeks, including when to expect the final association health plan (AHP) final regulation. Marcy and Chris also discuss the Trump Administration’s “America First” prescription drug plan, the recent developments in bipartisan market stability, changes underway for Medicare Advantage, and the proposed rescissions in federal spending currently being considered by Congress and what they could mean for federal healthcare funds.
NAHU’s lobbyists, John Greene and Chris Hartmann, join this week’s podcast to review the IRS notices that were released last week on the maximum HSA contribution and the small business tax credit. They discuss Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s latest push for value-based healthcare, an effort NAHU strongly supports, and what agents and brokers should tell their clients about it. John and Chris also give their prognosis on the revived attempt at passing a repeal and replace of the ACA, both before the midterm elections and in the “Lame Duck” session of Congress. Finally, the podcast addresses two NAHU legislative items: the Medicare broker bill and the proposed HSA reforms.
This week’s episode of NAHU’s Healthcare Happy Hour podcast includes a discussion with NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann. The major healthcare headlines this week dealt with mental health parity and the opioid epidemic, and the podcast reviews major actions taken this week and how they relate to NAHU’s policy priorities. The podcast also discusses the current status of other NAHU priorities, such as treating COBRA as creditable coverage for Medicare and restoring the 40-hour workweek. Additionally, Marcy, John and Chris review NAHU’s short-term plan comments that were submitted this week and what to expect as the Trump Administration writes the final rule.
This week’s podcast includes a discussion with NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann on NAHU’s latest regulatory and legislative efforts on reforming the ACA’s medical loss ratio as well as a prognosis of the latest single-payer legislation introduced that would create a public option for individuals and employers to opt into. Marcy and Chris also discuss the impact of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s retirement announcement and what it means for issues like the employer exclusion of health insurance, as well as what could happen with a potential Speaker McCarthy or Pelosi. Marcy and Chris also provide a preview of NAHU’s forthcoming comments on the short-term plan proposed regulation that will be submitted next week.
This week’s podcast recaps recent developments in legislation and regulations, or as we call them, “legs and regs.” NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann sit down with Director of Policy Engagement Dan Samson to review the latest efforts on market stability, the Congressional calendar ahead, an overview of the 2019 market rule and “grandmothering” bulletin, a recap of the status on regulations on association health plans, short-term plans, and HRAs, and the recent Medicare Advantage guidance.
Calling all Capitol Conference attendees and those curious about NAHU’s premier legislative event! This week’s podcast provides all of the essential details of what to expect at this year’s conference. NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Director of Policy Engagement Dan Samson break down the agenda, the can’t-miss speakers, a preview of the breakout sessions, the primary policy priorities that we will be advocating for on the Hill, and tips for making the most of your visit.
A week after Groundhog Day, Congress passed its latest continuing resolution (CR) in the overnight hours. We can only surmise that the legislators saw their shadows in the early morning twilight, because they declared “six more weeks of budget negotiations.” The latest CR lasts until March 23 and provides hope for a final chance at passing much needed market stability legislation.
On this week’s installment of the Washington Update Podcast, NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann examine the progress that has been made since President Trump’s last joint session address to Congress, when he called for radically reforming the ACA.
NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann walk us through the legislation enacted this week to delay several ACA taxes.
NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice President of Congressional Affairs John Greene sat down this week ahead of the budget talks to discuss the overall process and what NAHU has been doing to include our legislative priorities.
The Trump Administration kicked off the New Year by releasing new guidance on the expansion of association health plans. NAHU’s Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann join the podcast this week to help digest this guidance and what it could mean for your clients if adopted as proposed.
Taxes is the word of the week, after the White House and congressional Republican leaders announced a tentative agreement on the sweeping tax-reform package, as well as the introduction of five new pieces of legislation to delay several ACA taxes, including the Cadillac tax and health insurance tax.
NAHU Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann join the podcast this week to discuss the latest developments in the tax reform bill moving through Congress. Shortly after the Senate passed their version in the early hours this past Saturday, House and Senate members began the conference process to work out the details, including how to handle the elimination of the ACA’s individual mandate penalties and the medical expense deduction.
Congress is seeking to wrap up the year with a flurry of major legislation, including tax reform, extending the delays for the Cadillac/excise and health insurance taxes, reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and potentially market stabilization.
The past several years NAHU has launched an aggressive push for the preservation of employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) and has called on members to reach out to your legislators to urge them not to make changes to the tax treatment of ESI. Our efforts have paid off so far after House Republicans released their tax reform proposal that does not make any changes to the employer exclusion of health insurance, ensuring that your clients will continue to be able to receive the same high quality health insurance.
The market stability proposal offered by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) suffered another setback this week with a counter proposal offered by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX). Both would temporarily fund the ACA’s cost-sharing reduction (CSR) program, but with very different tradeoffs. The Alexander-Murray plan seeks Republicans support by offering additional state flexibility, while the Hatch-Brady plan would temporarily eliminate the ACA’ mandate penalties. The CSRs also got attention this week with the legal ruling that denied the request by Democratic attorneys general to force the Trump administration to resume the CSR payments.
On this week’s podcast, NAHU’s Vice President of Congressional Affairs and Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner break down the major components of the bill that was introduced this week, including the provisions that NAHU has been specifically calling for, and what its chances are to be passed before the end of the year to have a meaningful impact for your clients.
NAHU Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner and Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann and John Greene walk us through President Trump’s executive order addressing association health plans, short-term policies, and HRAs. This 25-minute installment helps to answer many of the questions you may have...
Last week was a whirlwind for healthcare policy, with the abrupt resignation of HHS Secretary Tom Price, the demise of the Graham-Cassidy plan and the missed deadline for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. This week’s intensity was only slightly reduced, as Congress and the Trump Administration work out what’s to come for the remainder of the year. On this week’s podcast, NAHU Vice President of Congressional Affairs Chris Hartmann and Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner review.
On this week's podcast, NAHU Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner, Vice Presidents of Congressional Affairs John Greene and Chris Hartmann, and host Director of Policy Engagement Dan Samson help answer the many questions raised by the defeat of the Graham-Cassidy proposal, including: Where do we go from here? Is there any hope for bipartisan market stability? Will healthcare make its way into tax reform? And, what happens with future reconciliation vehicles?
The bipartisan push for health reform came to a crashing halt this week after attention shifted toward the Graham-Cassidy proposal to repeal and replace the ACA. NAHU has many significant concerns about this proposal and what it could mean for the future of employer-sponsored insurance and the role of agents and brokers.
A flurry of legislation of interest to NAHU was introduced this week, from changing the definition of full-time from 30 hours to 40 hours, to the newest attempt at repealing and replacing the ACA, to legislation for single-payer healthcare. You may be wondering why the sudden rush of bills all at once, or will any of these actually pass, and if so, what should I know for my clients?