Despite strong bipartisan support for a repeal of the onerous excise tax on health benefits, its fate in the Senate remains unclear.
Mercer offers a comprehensive look at what health plan sponsors should be thinking about this contract season.
With specialty drugs driving the most costly medical claims to stratospheric heights, stop-loss policies may not offer the same peace of mind they once did.
The deal comes after a move by the Trump Administration to quash the Affordable Care Act.
The long-entrenched system of drug-manufacturer rebates has not adapted to changes in health-plan designs and labor-market trends.
The Justice Department says the repeal of the penalty for failing to obtain health insurance makes the individual mandate unconstitutional.
With the tax perhaps unlikely to ever take effect, should companies still factor it into their benefits planning and strategies?
The government's deceit regarding the tax on rich health plans, and a possible delay in its effective date, aren't doing plan sponsors any favors.
However, employers' disdain for several aspects of the law, and their wish for changes to it, remain intact.
While millions would become uninsured if the bill became law, group health plans would mostly benefit, observers say.
As core strategies for containing employee health-care costs diminish in effectiveness, companies need fresher approaches.
Self-funded employers can significantly reduce their health-care spending through alternative payment arrangements for health-care services.
