Client Resources: Healthcare Reform Impact

WorkCite McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide

Diagnosing the Effects of Healthcare Reform on Providers, Payors,
Suppliers & Employers

Congress has approved, and the President has signed, two pieces of legislation that create a brave new world for the provision of healthcare services in the United States, and which include a number of significant changes. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and its companion bill, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HCERA) referred to jointly as “the Act,” will have a direct impact on virtually all sectors of healthcare, as well as employers.

Healthcare Reform Impact focuses on various aspects of PPACA and HCERA from the provider, payor, supplier and employer perspective, including explanations of how the new laws will work; when they will come into play; what choices individuals, employers, and providers will have; and how the new laws will affect your business. There will also be new regulations and changes to existing regulations (by a variety of agencies) as a result of the new laws, and Impact will provide updates and analysis on this activity our clients.

Following is a general overview of the employer-related provisions. Please see the employer or provider/payor sections for information specific to your business. We will continue to provide updates on a regular basis.

  • Employer Mandates
    • Changes in Lifetime and Annual Benefits and Waiting Periods
    • Dependent children coverage
    • Play-or-Pay Mandate on Employers
    • Pre-Existing Conditions
    • Automatic Enrollment
    • Excise Tax on “Cadillac” Health Plans
    • Annual Information Returns
    • New Rules for Cafeteria Plans and other Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangements
    • Wellness Incentives
    • Nondiscrimination rules for insured health plans
    • Retiree Medical
  • Participant Mandates
    • Individual Mandate
    • Refundable Tax Credits
    • Free Choice Vouchers
    • Free-Rider Mandate
    • HSA Penalty Increase
    • Increase in Medicare Tax Rate
    • Unearned Income Medicare Contribution
    • Changes to Medicare Advantage Plans
    • Closing the Medicare Donut Hole
    • Portability
    • CLASS Act (Long-Term Care Insurance)
  • Payor Mandates
    • No Cancellation of Policies
    • Health Insurance Exchanges
    • Other Insurance Market Reforms
    • Small Business Health Option Programs
    • Fees and Taxes
  • Tort Reform

Updates & Analysis

General Information

CMS Issues Proposed Rule on Changes to Stark In-Office Ancillary Services Exception (8/10/2010)

Healthcare Reform Bill Tries to Address Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Crisis (5/11/2010)

Healthcare Reform Includes Significant Transparency and Disclosures Initiatives (4/7/2010)

Employee Benefits

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 10 - Federal External Review of Benefit Claims and Appeals (9/1/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 9 - Internal Claims/Appeals and External Review Processes (7/30/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 8  - Coverage of Preventive Services and Elimination of Cost-Sharing (7/29/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 7 - New, Lower Compensation Deduction Cap for Health Insurers (6/16/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 6 - Guidance on the Small Employer Healthcare Tax Credit (5/24/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 5 -  Health Plan Coverage Extended to Adult Children (5/13/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 4 - Q&A on the Early Retiree Health Reinsurance Program (5/11/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 3 - Health Benefit Tax Exclusion for Adult Children (4/28/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 2 - Grandfathered Health Plans – What They Are and Why They're Important (4/23/2010)

McGuireWoods Healthcare Reform Guide: Installment No. 1 - Timeline of Key Provisions Affecting Large Employers (4/16/2010)

Health Care Reform is Here (4/1/2010)

Hospitals

Health Reform for Hospitals and Health Systems (4/14/2010)

Nonprofit Hospitals in Need of an Aspirin (4/2/2010)

Life Sciences

The Impact of Healthcare Reform on Medical Device Companies (Health Care Law Monthly, July 2010)

Health Reform for the Life Sciences Industry (5/10/2010)

Health Care Reform Includes Significant Transparency and Disclosures Initiatives (BNA's Health Care Fraud Report, April 7, 2010)

Healthcare Reform and FDA Updates (12/21/2009)

Participant Mandates

Planning for the New 3.8 Percent Surtax on Trusts and Estates (4/22/10)

Post-Acute

Provisions of Health Reform Law Promote "Aging in Place" (5/18/2010)

Gov. Announces Reform Plan for Illinois Nursing Homes (1/19/2010)

Senate Health Reform Bill Incorporates CLASS Act (11/25/2009)

Senate Finance Committee Bill: Highlighting Provisions for Post-Acute Care Providers (9/22/2009)