Since the Individual Mandate statute of the Affordable Care Act was enacted in January 2014, every American is accountable for an Individual Shared Responsibility* payment every year. Meaning, if you do not have health insurance, you will face penalties. While you may not see an actual summons, or pay a fine, the federal government enforces … Continue reading
It’s graduation season! And according to sources from both the White House and the Fed, the current unemployment rate of only 5.5 percent signals a wealth of opportunity for grads. Furthermore, the unemployment rate has been consistently declining. This means that all of us in Class of 2015 should breathe easy; the time has come … Continue reading
The Federal Government’s role as a safety net for the vulnerable has been growing steadily since the passage of the New Deal in the wake of the Great Depression, when President Roosevelt introduced such novel concepts as Social Security. Follow-up legislation in the 1960s established Medicare, which continues to help senior citizens remain independent as … Continue reading
What is it? The 340B Drug Pricing Program requires drug manufacturers to provide outpatient drugs to eligible health care organizations at substantially discounted prices ranging from 25 to 50 percent off a drug’s average wholesale price. Who’s eligible? In order to be eligible for 340B, a provider must either be a nonprofit with particular federal … Continue reading
The rising cost of health benefits and prevalence of chronic diseases has increased the significance of employer wellness programs. These programs encourage healthier lifestyles and may help reduce health care costs, with numerous large firms suggesting that the programs save the average employer $3.27 for every dollar spent on them. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions … Continue reading
With the influx of insured patients skyrocketing due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as well as our growing and aging population, the demand for primary care physicians is at an all-time high. By 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has predicted that we will be in need of 20,400 more primary care … Continue reading
In budgetary terms, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is anything but affordable. Though well-intentioned, it expands a poorly designed program and adds significant spending during a time of slow economic growth. This attempt to improve and expand health coverage to uninsured Americans is unduly expensive. In an already strained fiscal climate where the federal budget has reached … Continue reading
On Wednesday March 5th, the Obama Administration announced a second delay in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate that requires health insurance plans to meet minimum requirements in health benefits. The mandate has been controversial since its conception. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, this mandate established 10 essential benefits that must be … Continue reading
When addressing the nation last week, President Obama had only brief remarks regarding immigration reform, simply saying, “let’s get it done”. Perhaps this brevity is emblematic of how unlikely immigration reform has become. While off-putting to some members of Congress, comprehensive immigration reform remains one of the President’s major legislative goals. Though the President has … Continue reading
In 2013, Kaiser released a poll stating 7 out of 10 young adults rate having health insurance as “very important” and worth spending money on. Yet a recently released Issue Brief on the Marketplace from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) shows that in the last three months the “young invincibles” did not … Continue reading
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