The executive order has made for a noisy discussion in healthcare circles, but employers are unlikely to make any changes, given that executive departments still must weight in. As it stands, the expansion of association health plans would supposedly make coverage cheaper for some small businesses, Shandon Fowler, Principal of Four8 Insights, told HR Dive. … Continue Reading
Archives
HR Dive: Employers move on as healthcare reform fails—for now
At any rate, it doesn’t seem reasonable to stress out over the past week’s developments, Fowler said. Of course, vigilance should be taken in the event that serious reform is passed, even if that is short of a full-stop replacement. But there are more important matters. “Follow the horse race — it’s exciting,” Fowler said, … Continue Reading
CNBC.com: Senate’s Obamacare replacement bill to boost health savings accounts
“These changes are welcomed by employers,” Shandon Fowler, senior director of employer portfolio strategy at benefits administrator Benefitfocus. “Overall, they give employers more flexibility to drive employees to make the best choices for themselves and their families.” Roughly 60 percent of large employers offer an HSA-compatible health plan to workers and half of the employees enrolled … Continue Reading
HR Dive: Forecasting the ACA compliance storm: Cloudy with a chance of repeal
“The irony of the ACA was to bring a more consumer-centric approach to healthcare,” Fowler said. The industry attempted to help smooth what had been a rocky transition in several ways, including the growth of private insurance exchanges. Though private exchanges didn’t solve core problems outright, Fowler said the technological advances that made them possible … Continue Reading
How Consumer-Driven Digital Enrollment Has Transformed Health Care Benefits
On Friday, January 20, the 45th President of the United States of America was sworn into office. That same day, he made the opening move in his campaign promise to repeal Obamacare. President Trump’s Executive Order on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was largely symbolic, but it sent the intended message that he’s serious about ACA … Continue Reading
Employee Benefit News: Benefit pros predict Trump’s healthcare, retirement moves
Shan Fowler “Strategically, a Trump win may put Paul Ryan and House Republicans in the driver’s seat of healthcare reform. Trump, like Nixon, doesn’t seem overly interested in healthcare reform except as retribution against Obama and Democrats. That perspective, combined with a lack of many details around his health policy, might leave a vacuum of … Continue Reading
How employers want benefit offerings to evolve after the election
This article was originally published on Employee Benefit Adviser. As a student of political science, the 2016 election has been like being a meteorologist tracking a hurricane. There has been no shortage of debates, controversies, tests of democracy and Constitutional crises that are both exciting and exhausting. As a citizen, it’s mostly just been exhausting. … Continue Reading
New York Times: Is High-Deductible Health Insurance Worth the Risk?
And there is widespread evidence that people have trouble understanding the subtleties of any plan. Many people liken the process of open enrollment and picking a plan to the pleasures of a root canal, said Shan Fowler, an executive at Benefitfocus. “The understanding of a P.P.O. versus high deductible is not good at all.” The … Continue Reading