Blog

As the debate in Washington rages on over the efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) there is a fundamental truth that is being ignored: there are no provisions of the current ACA replacement bills - either from the House (the American Health Care Act, or AHCA) or the Senate (the Better Care Reconciliation Act, or BCRA)...

On June 22, the Senate Republicans released the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (“BCRA”), their version of a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The bill repeals some provisions of the ACA. However, in many instances the bill retains the ACA framework, but dramatically reshapes provisions of the ACA. Here are some of the key provisions...

An interesting thing happened in Washington last week. No, not high profile testimony or legislative action on health care. Rather, a working group of economists from the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute issued a report on paid family leave. You might wonder what is so interesting about another report coming from some Washington economists, but stay with me...

For years, experts have warned that Americans will have insufficient savings for retirement and that penury was awaiting a generation of retirees. However, some recent studies indicate that American workers have been paying attention to these warnings – but responding in some different ways. Most significantly, it seems that large numbers of workers are remaining in the workforce beyond the...

In an age when technology disrupts one industry after another, it may be helpful to spend some time thinking about technology and healthcare. Specifically, let’s focus on telemedicine - including telehealth (using electronic communication media to provide clinical services) and remote patient monitoring (using technology to monitor patients with certain chronic conditions). Telemedicine holds great potential •      For individuals who cannot...

Effective January 1, 2018 New York becomes the latest state to require that employers provide paid family leave, joining California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Also, Washington State adopted a paid family leave act in 2007, that has not been implemented due to a lack of funding, and San Francisco has adopted its own ordinance. The New York law is:...

My recent post (“Your Money … and Your Life”) described some of the decisions facing individuals in making health insurance and health care purchasing decisions. The choices described in that blog post were, generally, decisions that individuals make once per year – such as what type of health insurance coverage to buy (e.g., HMO, PPO, high deductible plan) or whether...

The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress have been clear about their desire to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. But, while that legislative battle plays out, the ACA is still on the books and defines the rules for the American health care system. This blog post will not look at the repeal and replace battle. Rather, it looks...

As the wrangling over the future of the Affordable Care Act continues, it is important for consumers to keep their eyes on a very important issue – an issue that remains important, regardless of the outcome of the political battles. The issue: the increasing burden on individuals in making health care purchasing and utilization decisions. Health Care is Complicated In...

As the Administration and Congress move beyond replacing the Affordable Care Act (at least for now), the focus is turning to changes in the tax code. This does not mean that employee benefits are out of the crosshairs; rather, it may simply mean that the target might shift. Here’s why: First (and Second) Goal – Reducing Corporate Tax Rate As...