Health Care Reform

The 2020 law, which allows for price transparency in medical billing, has been largely successful in protecting consumers, though gaps remain, say stakeholders.

On Friday, the high court ruled that consumers will have full access to the abortion pill mifepristone as a lawsuit works its way through the lower federal courts.

With health care spending expected to increase 10% in the next three years, the case for reference-based pricing is growing, while employers with at least 100 employees should also be looking at self-funding.

For benefits professionals, administering employer sponsored health plans and providing employee participants with access to affordable, quality health care is one of the greatest economic challenges of today — and the foreseeable future.

The final rule requires that issuers on state and federal ACA marketplaces offer standardized qualified health plans at every tier level and that agents and brokers document consumers' consent information.

Taking more of a holistic wellness approach – giving employees access to core health, behavior health, voluntary and even financial services – is key to addressing mental wellness, as well as linking them to needed resources.