New poll shows tax credits, insurance exchanges in year-old Affordable Care Act attractive to California employers not currently offering health benefits, however most small firms don't know the provisions exist

More workers employed by California small businesses would have health insurance if their employers knew about key provisions in the national healthcare law, according to a new poll by Pacific Community Ventures.

One year after the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 43 percent of small businesses not offering insurance said they would be more likely to do so once they learned about small business healthcare tax credits, a key provision in the law, according to the survey of 804 California small employers with fewer than 20 workers. However, 48 percent of small employers in the state are unaware of provisions in the law that benefit small businesses, the survey found.

Specifically, the poll found that 57 percent of small businesses are unfamiliar with the small business tax credits they can claim this year to offset healthcare costs, and 62 percent have not heard of health insurance exchanges, which the state is establishing to drive down insurance costs.  When provided with basic information about the exchanges, 55 percent said they would be likely to participate, and 32 percent of businesses not providing coverage said they would be more likely to offer it because of the exchanges.
"This survey shows the tremendous opportunity to further inform small business owners about the healthcare act's core benefits available to help them offer insurance," noted Beth Sirull, Executive Director of Pacific Community Ventures, a nonprofit organization committed to creating jobs in low-income communities. "Armed with this information, small businesses will play a vital role in covering great numbers of uninsured workers to buoy our economy with a healthy, productive workforce."

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law March 23, 2010 and included two key provisions critical for small business. The small business tax credits allow businesses with fewer than 25 employees that have average annual wages under $50,000 to get a tax credit of up to 35 percent of their health insurance costs beginning in tax year 2010. Insurance exchanges, which go into effect in 2014, are online marketplaces where small businesses and individuals can band together to purchase insurance.

Affordable Health Insurance

Research Study: Insurance Barriers Blocking Access to Healthcare

Significant barriers to patient care implemented by the health insurance industry are difficult to navigate, have a negative impact on patient care and drive up the administrative costs of healthcare, according to a statewide survey of Georgia physician assistants.  The survey, which was released yesterday by the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants (GAPA), also indicated that most physician assistants (PAs) are proactively taking steps to help address the problems that plague the system, and feel there is a legislative role that can contribute to a solution.


According to the survey, a nearly universal 99 percent of PAs stated they have had to change the way they treat a patient as a result of restrictions imposed by an insurance company. An overwhelming majority, 94 percent, feels that health plans frequently or occasionally delay or deny diagnostic testing or prescription medications for their patients.

Not surprisingly, 93 percent of those surveyed stated they felt insurance requirements such as prior authorizations, pre-certifications, and step therapy protocols had some degree of a negative effect on their ability to treat patients.

"The lessons learned from this report are resounding, in that nearly all the physician assistants that responded to the survey cited major insurance hurdles they had to jump over before being able to provide the care they deemed appropriate for their patients," said Mary Vacala, ATC, PA-C, MSPAS, DFAAPA, and 2010-11 president of the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants. "Some cited several phone calls taking 45 minutes with an insurance company.  Others noted that patients are forced to go without medication until the insurance company would approve the treatment already prescribed by the healthcare professional."
One-in-five respondents stated they or their staffs are required to interact with an insurance provider to obtain approval for a prescribed course of treatment or to determine the insurer criteria for prior authorization or step therapy protocols an alarming 150 times or more per month. Approximately one-in-five said the number was 61-100 and more than one-in-four stated the number of interactions as 21-60.

"There are more than 2,000 physician assistants across the state of Georgia, and so many are using technology such as electronic medical records and e-prescribing, to promote better, more coordinated care," concluded Vacala.  "As these technologies continue to be developed, the Georgia General Assembly should take steps requiring that patient formulary information be more transparent and that there be a uniform electronic process for obtaining medication approval.  By taking simple steps, we will save significant time and resources while also having a healthier patient population in Georgia."

Source: Georgia Association of Physician Assistants

Millions of Americans Have Uncorrected Vision Problems

With the recent reform of healthcare in the United States, we are seeing rising costs of healthcare and health insurance coverage.  Employers are being forced to increase employees' cost sharing responsibilities and are exploring ways to add other benefits.


The Pennsylvania Association for the Blind is encouraging employers to consider Vision Care as an added benefit for their employees.  According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), two-thirds of all adults report wearing some type of eyewear and nearly one-quarter report they have an eye condition or disease.  An estimated 11 million Americans have uncorrected vision problems.

These vision problems can carry quite an expense and reduce productivity.  Vision coverage can help to maintain a healthier workforce, reduce absences and attract quality employees resulting in higher productivity.  In comparison to medical benefits, vision coverage is inexpensive.  It is often one-tenth that of medical benefits and is highly valued by employees.  Of the 43% of American adults not covered by a managed vision care plan, 63% said they would either "probably" or "definitely" sign up for vision care coverage if presented with the opportunity – even if they had to pay a small fee each month.

When seeking a vision plan provider; consider such factors:
 

Employer and employee ability to access information on the Internet;
Restrictions on eyeglass frame types;
Geographical locations of plan providers;
Age of employees (the older your employees' ages, the more coverage you need);
Cost of benefits as they relate to disposable income;
Ability to use independent providers or large optical retail chains;
Provision for a discount on laser vision correction;
The offer of both in-and out-of-network benefit alternatives;
Rate guarantees over a number of years and;
No minimum enrollments.

Find affordable health plans with vision coverage at Discount Insurance Marketplace

Taking a scalpel to the healthcare system

Social Security now doles out more money in benefit checks than it takes in from taxes, and its trust fund is projected to run out of cash in about 26 years. Former Tennessee Gov. Philip Bredesen proposes a Social Security-like trust fund to collect payroll taxes and issue medical vouchers to every American. That would do away with private health insurers making it something worth considering. Read Story

Dental Savings Program

Health Care Law Can Be Temporarily Enforced

As health costs soar, GOP and insurers differ on cause

Republicans are seizing on rising costs as evidence that the new health care law includes expensive features, but insurers say premiums are rising because of demand and cost of care.   Read Story

Health Insurance Quotes

Healthcare consumers get new ways to cut premiums, but at a price

When consumers and employers pick health plans, some increasingly are being offered a trade-off these days: They can get a hefty break on their premiums if they agree to pay more out-of-pocket when they use certain high-cost providers in their network or if they cut those providers out of their network altogether. Read Story

Health Insurance Quotes

Obama endorses key change to healthcare law

President Obama endorsed a significant change to his health reform law Monday, signing on to bipartisan legislation that would allow states to opt out of federal requirements -- including the individual mandate -- three years earlier than scheduled. Read Story

Health Insurance Quotes

Two-thirds of uninsured Californians could gain health coverage in 2014, report says

Nearly 5 million uninsured Californians could gain access to health coverage in 2014 when the nation's healthcare law expands eligibility for subsidized insurance programs for the poor, according to a new report. Read Story

California Health Plans

What seniors will save as Medicare 'doughnut hole' closes

The widely unpopular "doughnut hole" - the coverage gap in the Medicare drug benefit - is headed for oblivion, under the new health law. Beginning this year, seniors who hit the doughnut hole will get substantial discounts on both brand-name and generic drugs.  Read Story

Health Plans for Seniors

Drug Shortages Plague Connecticut Hospitals

A shortage in medications has plagued hospitals in the U.S., and Connecticut health care officials say the state hasn't been spared. Read Story

Health law could affect fertility treatment coverage

A panel of experts convened by the Institute of Medicine will decide whether infertility treatments should be included in exchange policies. Read Story

Health Insurance Plans

More Americans skipping, delaying needed health care

The number of Americans aged 18 to 64 who said they skipped or delayed needed medical care in the past 12 months because of cost rose to 15 percent in 2009, government researchers reported Wednesday.  Read Story

Find and compare affordable health plans today.

Alaska gov. refusing to enact health care law

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said he will not implement the federal health care overhaul after a judge in Florida struck down the law as unconstitutional.  Read Story

High health insurance rates should be unconstitutional.  Find and compare affordable health plans today.

Ariz. may require hospitals to check citizenship

Arizona lawmakers are trying to widen the state's illegal immigration crackdown with a proposal to require hospitals to confirm whether patients are in the country legally. Since most patients arriving at Arizona hospitals are American citizens, this law, if passed could have unintended consequences and cause unnecessary delay of treatment  to American citizens.  Read Story

Opposition to healthcare law eases, poll finds

Hard feelings over President Obama's healthcare overhaul have subsided, with only about 1 in 4 people supporting its repeal, an Associated Press-GfK poll has found. Read Story

Some seniors are in for sticker shock on drug premiums

The Obama administration often touts the health-law provision that over the next decade will close the unpopular "doughnut hole" -- a gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage. Read Story

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Medicare chief says health law working

President Barack Obama's chief of health programs for the elderly and poor on Thursday said the year-old healthcare overhaul was helping millions of Americans and called a push by congressional Republicans to repeal the law unfortunate. Read Story

Overhaul your Medicare Advantage health plan. 

Got a flexible spending account? Time is running out to spend unused money from 2010

If you have a health flexible spending account at work, there's still a little time to spend any money leftover in your account from 2010. Read Story

1.6 Million In Connecticut Benefit From Reform Laws On Pre-existing Conditions

Federal health officials announce that 1.6 million people in Connecticut benefit from health reform laws on pre-existing conditions. Read Story