Tide of ERISA Litigation to Continue

A new Supreme Court ruling may further open the door to ERISA fiduciary claims.
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Legislative Efforts to Repeal ACA Do Not Reduce Health Care Costs

Don’t Confuse Cost Shifting with Cost Savings

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 […]

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Senate Republicans released the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017

Senate Releases Health Care Bill

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 […]

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New Proposal for Paid Family Leave Program Shows Promise

Paid Family Leave – An Emerging Consensus?

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 […]

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American Workers Are Finding New Ways to Afford Retirement

Retirement Patterns: Are Workers Outsmarting the Experts?

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 […]

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Telemedicine Holds Promise of Lower Costs and Better Outcomes

Telemedicine: Poised for Takeoff or Frustration?

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 […]

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Employees in New York will be able to take paid family leave to care for a family member or bond with a new child. This new law is far-reaching and generous. And, it may affect the national debate over paid family leave

Paid Family Leave: Next Benefits Frontier or New Battleground?

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. […]

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Health literacy can be defined as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.”

Health Literacy: What Is It and Why It Matters

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, […]

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While the debate over replacing the ACA continues, the Trump Administration is also sending conflicting messages about its approach to the law that is currently on the books.

Multiple Personalities: The Administration’s Approach to the ACA

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 […]

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Managing your health care dollars

Your Money…and Your Life

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. […]

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