In an article in the February issue of Health Affairs journal, William Kramer, executive director for national health policy at the Pacific Business Group on Health in San Francisco, discusses the potential long-term role the public health insurance exchanges could play in helping larger companies manage their health care benefits.
Near-term Opportunities for 2014-2016
In the near term, companies could use the public exchanges to help pre-age-65 retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare to obtain affordable health coverage. Companies that provide these retirees with only access to purchasing coverage at group health plan rates could easily move these individuals to the private marketplace once the exchanges are up and running.
Similarly, employers that provide some level of subsidized health insurance for pre-Medicare-eligible retirees could convert those subsidies into a defined contribution to a health reimbursement account that retirees could use to purchase coverage through an exchange. Part-time employees who do not usually receive access to employers’ group health plans could also find coverage through the exchanges immediately.
http://businessfinancemag.com/article/future-role-health-insurance-exchanges-part-3-0229
Hat Tip: Business Finance Magazine
No comments:
Post a Comment