Tag Archives: PPACA

Costs slow, but it still bad news

July 29, 2016 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 6 Comments

Yesterday, we spoke about how PPACA (Obamacare) has been attenuating the US healthcare cost spiral. Over the past few years, the overall cost growth has dropped dramatically. But, many of us don’t feel the love- because our employers and our insurance companies have been playing the “cost shifting” game. They’ve changed our co-insurance, they’ve raised our deductibles- claiming that when we have ‘skin in the game’, we are more attentive to the costs of our healthcare.

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Business Management, Medicine

Obamacare Exaggerations

May 20, 2016 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 1 Comment

Yesterday, we talked about Obamacare and its purported failure in the rural regions of the US. Those regions have always been problem areas for healthcare. Long before there was a hint of the program. Too few practitioners, little density to support hospitals, and the population is generally a little poorer than the rest of the US.

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Business Management, Taxes, Technology

Tonight starts income tax season…And, do I have some surprises for you!

January 18, 2016 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 2 Comments

Most of you know that the IRS has had its budget slashed by Congress. The goal (of the majority party) was to make it really hard for the IRS to collect the special taxes one might owe for failure to have health insurance and to punish it for various perceived ills. Because, after all, every dollar provided to the IRS only provides some $ 11 in return. (There’s no other agency that has such a return on investment for the US.)

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Economy, Medicine

The COOPs. Part 3. The end?

November 12, 2015 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

Well, I didn’t think this explanation of health care coops would go on this long. But, it turns out there’s a lot to setting up new insurance companies. (Yes, I should recall how much it took to set up our liability insurance coop, as I described here.)

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Economy, Medicine

The COOPs. Part 2.

November 11, 2015 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 2 Comments

As discussed yesterday (this is part 3 of an update on PPACA- there is one more in this array.), PPACA (Obamacare) originally considered a single-payer solution. For about a second. Then, the goal was to develop non-profit insurers to compete against the existing health insurers, thereby providing (one would hope) lower cost alternatives for US citizens. All in the name of arresting health care cost increases- and, preferably, to lower our health care expenditures.

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Uncategorized

The COOPs. No, not the MIT/Harvard one, either.

November 10, 2015 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

So, yesterday, I talked about how corporations are using PPACA (Obamacare) as a wedge with which they can obtain information to which they really are not entitled. And, as a means to lower their health care costs, via an avenue that is impermissible. One that the regulators have begun to address.

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Business Management, Medicine

Corporate Overreach?

November 9, 2015 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

I have a few posts in the queue about the Affordable Care Act and how it’s been faring. In particular, how the actions of those that detest the act have made things more intolerable. But, today, I will be discussing how companies have been subverting the act for their own purposes.

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Business Management, Economy, Medicine

Is there a Cadillac Tax in your future?

September 2, 2015 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 1 Comment

For years, I’ve been working with my clients to provide special benefits; the kind that make starting and running an entrepreneurial business worthwhile. One section where I’ve been helping them is healthcare; to provide medical and dental reimbursement plans and flexible savings account plans (FSA).

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Business Management, Economy, Medicine

Hey, business owner- this affects you!

July 7, 2015 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 1 Comment

There is a penalty that can be imposed as of 1 July 2015 to small business employers who reimburse employees for premiums paid for individual health insurance policies under Obamacare (PPACA). Yes, that means if you don’t offer insurance because your state does not offer plans for small employers and the various insurance companies charge rates that are outrageous, you can still be penalized. But, there are ways to fix this. Read on…

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Business Management, Economy, Medicine

The first of many? Or just a stretch too far?

February 16, 2015 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 1 Comment

I have written (here’s one from more than 2 years ago) about this sort of issue before. While I have mixed emotions, I don’t want insurance companies to purchase (or otherwise acquire) physician practices. I am not sure I want hospitals systems to acquire docs, either, but it seems that the courts are coming around to my point of view, too.

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