New Medicaid policy cutting people off from vital drugs, advocates say

New Medicaid policy cutting people off from vital drugs, advocates say

Form W-2 Guidance

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers report the aggregate cost of employer-sponsored health coverage on employees’ Form W-2s. The reporting is for informational purposes to show employees the value of their health care benefits.

The IRS website provides specific guidance and a chart depicting the who, what, when, where and how of reporting health care benefit value. For instance, the reporting requirement is optional for employers filing fewer than 250 Form W-2s, until further IRS guidance is issued. Health Alliance recommends employers consult with a trusted tax professional regarding this and any other tax matter.

Business Travel Insurance

 Unfortunately, employers are sometimes innocently unaware  that their domestic group health and workers compensation plan's, don't adequately cover their employees when they travel abroad on business. Benefits such as Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), Emergency Medical Air Evacuation & Repatriation, Political Evacuation, and 24 Hour Assistance Services are rarely included in traditional group health plan's. These benefits are critical to anyone traveling abroad and should always be included in any risk management or employee benefit plan.  Our products include:

Business Travel Accident: This fully customizable insurance provides World - Class protection and is an inexpensive but extremely valuable coverage that supplements any employee benefit program. Benefit Options: Accidental Death & Dismemberment, International Medical, Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation, Political / Natural Disaster Evacuation, War Risk, and 24-Hour Multilingual Global Assistance Services.

Blanket International Group Medical (Groups of 5 or more): Customized blanket coverage for any business, corporation, church, school, and non-profit organization that has employees or group members traveling outside their home country, for short or long periods of time. This comprehensive but inexpensive insurance solution, fills the gaps in traditional U.S. state-side group health or nationalized health plans that limit or exclude, when an employee or group member travels abroad

A Nation at Risk

Americans remain dramatically uninsured–and underinsured–for life insurance. In fact, life insurance ownership is at an all-time low. A startling 41 percent of U.S. adults have no life insurance at all, according to recent LIMRA data, and 43 percent of those who have coverage admit it’s not enough. Both men and women are less likely to own life insurance today than they were in 2004.

The odds of not having life insurance have increased dramatically for every age group since that time, and only one in 10 insured adults owns both permanent and term life insurance—half as many as in 2004.

This creates a nation of families who could be on the brink of financial ruin if a primary wage-earner dies. For example, of the households that own life insurance, seven in 10 have only enough to replace their household income for 3.5 years.

The general rule of thumb is to carry enough life insurance to replace income for seven to 10 years. For those fortunate enough to have employer-provided life insurance, many assume the relatively small amount of coverage it offers will be adequate for their needs, when in reality it often will pay for little more than final expenses.

Tally up the ongoing costs of mortgage payments, utilities, food, transportation, health care, clothing and all the daily necessities of life—not to mention longer-term expenses such as children’s college education—and you’ll quickly see the gap in coverage.

Those without life protection are obviously at even greater risk, especially since 61 percent of American workers live paycheck to paycheck, and 34 percent of households admit they would immediately have trouble meeting everyday living expenses if a primary wage earner died today.

ADAAA Final Rule

ADAAA White Paper

FSA Limit & Plan Year Clarification

The IRS has just released Notice 2012-40 for Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) regarding the $2500 contribution limit that goes into effect for 2013 and deadlines for compliance. This guidance provides transition relief for FSA plans that run on a non-calendar year basis.

FSA Plan Year Clarified

• The $2,500 limit will not affect any plans beginning prior to January 1, 2013.    
• Fiscal plan years will not be impacted until the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2013.   
• Non-calendar plan years will have until the end of the 2014 calendar year to amend their plans to comply within the limit.
• Short plan years must prorate the $2,500 limit based on the number of months in the short plan year.    

$2,500 Contribution Limit Items of Note

• Applies to salary reductions (including cashable credits).
• Applies separately for each unrelated employer that an individual may be working for during the year.
• Does not apply to non-elective contributions that cannot be cashed out or received in the form of taxable benefits.
• Unused amounts carried over during a grace period are not counted toward the $2,500 limit.

Dental Health

Dental health planning is a valuable part of staying healthy, but it’s also a financial investment that helps employers and individuals save money.


Four out of ten Americans lack any kind of dental benefits. Without convenient access to affordable care, people often delay seeking treatment. Some end up seeking costly hospital care for preventable dental conditions, like a toothache progressing to a severe abscess. In Florida alone, the cost of dental-related ER visits was more than $88 million in 2010, according to the Pew Center.

“Anyone concerned about financial health should be ensuring employees have incentive for oral care because prevention and early detection makes a major difference in financial and clinical outcomes,” said Nicholas Kavouklis DMD.

A 2007 study published in the Journal of Periodontology showed that patients with severe periodontal disease had 21 percent higher healthcare costs than patients with healthy gums. The disease produces bacteria that enters the bloodstream and can exacerbate other conditions, including expensive lung and cardiovascular problems.

“Many diseases, including diabetes and cancers, will manifest symptoms in the mouth before they are evident elsewhere,” said Dr. Kavouklis. “A dentist can identify warning signs, uncover risks, and help employers and employees avoid high-dollar claims.”