Health Care Reform May Mean Employers/Employees Pay More

Sept. 4, 2009 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA – When a partial first-draft of national health reform legislation emerged in June, it confirmed what many had speculated: Most businesses could be required to pay a fine if they don’t offer health benefits to their employees, although fine amounts were not specified.

The legislation provides for sweeping health care reforms, including the establishment of a health insurance exchange, regulations for how much health coverage employers must offer, and the requirement that all individuals purchase health coverage.

President Obama also announced a plan to cut $313 billion in Medicare and Medicaid spending over the next decade as a way to raise money to overhaul the health care system while still covering millions who are uninsured.

For seniors on Medicare, the plan is expected to increase Medicare payments to primary-care physicians while cutting payments to Medicare Advantage health plans. Alan Weinstock, an insurance broker with http://www.MedicareSupplementPlans.com, which specializes in Medicare supplement insurance plans, also known as Medigap, said the changes will mean that many seniors will want to switch from Medicare Advantage plans to a Medicare supplement.

Add the President’s proposed revisions to the 2010 budget, and it could mean a total of $622 billion in revisions to Medicare and Medicaid over the next ten years – most of the changes occurring to Medicare.

“President Obama seems to favor Medigap over Medicare Advantage plans,” Weinstock said. “Medigap plans do provide more freedom of choice to seniors who want to choose their own doctors and hospitals.”

John Peshek, 78, of Oaks, Calif., said of the Medigap plan he signed up for with http://www.MedicareSupplementPlans.com, “They helped my wife and me to get a policy that saved us money but still had the same benefits. They also helped us get signed up with Medicare Part D.”

Facilities receiving Medicare reimbursements and employers are not the only ones that will pick up the health insurance tab. A major proposal of the bill, as outlined by the congressional Finance Committee, would require a health benefits tax on employees.

Small employers, currently defined as those with 27 or fewer full-time employees, will be offered credits to help defer costs. Employers that do not contribute to employee health care coverage will be required to make monthly payments to the federal government for each employee not covered.

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