U.S. Delays On-line Enrollment For Small Business

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a one-year delay in online health insurance enrollment for small businesses with fewer than 50 full-time workers that qualify for subsidized coverage under Obamacare.

The announcement, which comes nearly two months after the October 1 rollout of the landmark healthcare law, said employers seeking coverage through the federal Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP, marketplace would be able to enroll off-line through insurance companies, agents and brokers.

Up to now, SHOP enrollment has been available only through paper applications.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

Optum Urgent Care Clinics to Open in Kansas City and Houston Markets

optum

November 19, 2013

Optum has identified markets nationwide that have high emergency room utilization and shortages of primary care physicians. With plans to open urgent care clinics nationally in 2014, locations will open in Overland Park, Kan., in December, and in the Tanglewood and Copperfield communities of Houston, Texas, in January.

Optum Clinic Urgent Care Initiative Goals:

  • To give your clients and members increased access to affordable options for employees who do not have a primary care physician, need immediate attention, or require care outside of normal office hours. On-site lab and X-rays for same-day test results will provide further savings.
  • To connect members to appropriate downstream medical services. Optum Clinic will call every patient three days post-visit to assess whether further treatment is necessary. Where appropriate referrals will be made to UnitedHealth Premium® Designated providers.
  • To reduce high cost of Emergency Room visits by educating members about additional care options.  Many people go to an ER for illnesses and injuries that can be treated at an urgent care.  The average cost for an ER visit in these markets is between $1,200 and $1,500.  We expect to be competitively priced in the marketplace, whereas the average cost of an urgent care visit at $155

Optum Clinic Offers a Wide Range of Health Care Services and Advantages:

  • Wellness visits, including biometric screenings, vaccinations, physical exams and pre-employment physicals.
  • Real-time access to doctors and advance practitioners seven days a week
    • Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
    • Saturday – Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    • Open holidays

For more information, please contact your UnitedHealthcare representive.

** Cost information represents averages only based on internal claims data and is not tied to a specific condition, level of coverage or treatment. Actual out-of-pocket costs will vary based on plan design.

Reinsurance Fee Rules Exempt Certain Self-Funded Group Health Plans

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Matt Dunning

November 26, 2013 – 1:59 pm ET

Proposed rules issued this week would provide certain self-funded group health care plans with relief from the financial burden of one aspect of the health care reform law.Employers that self-insure and self-administer health coverage for their employees will be exempt from having to pay into reform law’s three-year Transitional Reinsurance Program for the 2015 and 2016 plan years, the Department of Health and Human Services said in rules proposed Monday.  Continue reading Reinsurance Fee Rules Exempt Certain Self-Funded Group Health Plans