The Department of Labor has clarified the rules on grandfathering that we told you about last week. The Interim Final Regulation, Table of Provisions, and Model Disclosure Language are all available on the Department of Labor's website. In addition, we have two topics to share with you - HCR and adult children, and HCR and wellness programs.
The Cost of Adding Adult Children
The new law will allow adult children to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26. But employers and insurers can't charge more to cover an adult child than they charge for children under the current age limit.
Read more about the cost of adding adult children here.
Employers Expand Wellness Efforts
The costs of the health care reform law make it more important than ever that employers keep their workers healthy and motivated to adopt healthy lifestyles. In a recent survey, not only did 78% of employers agree or somewhat agree with that statement, most also said they are likely or very likely to create or expand corporate wellness programs as a result of an incentive provision in the new law.
Effective Jan. 1, 2014, employers will be able to use employee wellness program rewards or penalties of up to 30% of the cost of individual health coverage, up from the current limit of 20%.
The survey, conducted by the Chicago-based Midwest Business Group on Health in partnership with Business Insurance, found that 60% of employers are likely or very likely to create or expand their wellness programs as a result of the wellness provision, while 33% said they are unlikely or not very likely to do so, and 7% did not answer.
The survey of 1,300 employers, including MBGH members and the National Business Coalition on Health, gauged their intentions and perspectives concerning the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
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