Oakridge Health Insurance Agency

The Ban on Surprise Medical Bills Will Take Effect in 2022 On Dec. 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 into law, a $900 billion stimulus bill that includes emergency economic relief, government funding and tax cuts. The bill also includes the No Surprises Act, a ban on surprise medical bills, which will take effect beginning in 2022. Surprise Medical Bills Surprise medical bills occur when patients unexpectedly receive car...e from out-of-network health care providers. For example, a patient may go to an in-network hospital for treatment, such as surgery or emergency care, but an out-of-network doctor may be involved in the patient’s care. Patients often cannot determine the network status of these providers, such as emergency room doctors or anesthesiologists, in order to avoid the additional charges. In many cases, the patient is not involved in the choice of provider at all. No Surprises Act The Act applies to surprise bills from doctors, hospitals and air ambulances. It prohibits these providers from billing patients who have health coverage for unpaid balances. Rather, providers will have to work with the group health plan or health insurance issuer to determine the appropriate amount to be paid by the plan or issuer, under the methodology provided in the Act. The Dept. of Health and Human Services will work with the Depts. of Labor and the Treasury to issue regulations regarding this methodology and other requirements of the Act. We will continue to keep you updated as information becomes available on the details of the law. Health Care Reform Updates provided by: Oakridge Corporate Health Insurance Agency 1534 N. Moorpark Road, Suite 115, 699 Old Farm Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 (805) 379-8884

Explore noted business expert and columnist Gene Marks’ insights into three areas of concern, including possible ramifications from: New regulations to improve safety and curb harassment/discrimination The $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill currently in Congress Changes to employee and contractor classification rules

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Covered California is now accepting applications for those who truly need some extra help... Contact us if you want more info on how to qualify. As of October 5, 2020, Victims of domestic abuse or spousal abandonment is available as a distinct Qualifying Life Event (QLE) selection on the special enrollment period (SEP) dropdown menu in the CalHEERS application. However, the consumer would need to have prior knowledge of these options and manually enter the reason using th...e Other QLE option on the dropdown menu. Starting October 5, 2020, consumers can select the Victims of domestic abuse or spousal abandonment QLE to: o Apply for coverage (for new members). o Remove self and/or dependents and begin a new case and enrollment (if enrolled on an existing case). See more

Another Huge Hit to Small Business in CA ~ Effective Jan. 1, 2021, amendments to the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) expand the law’s leave requirements to cover employers with at least five employees, provide new grounds for leave and remove leave limits. The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) provides 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to otherwise eligible employees to bond with a new child or to care for themselves, a child, a parent or a spouse. The law current...ly applies to government employers and employers with 50 or more employees (20 for child bonding) within 75 miles of the worksite where the employee requesting the leave is employed. Expansion of Leave Under New Amendments The amendments to the CFRA expand the law's leave requirements to cover employers with five or more employees. The amendments also eliminate the 75-mile requirement. In addition, the amendments change the CFRA to allow employee leave to care for grandparents, grandchildren, siblings and domestic partners and their children, and for exigencies related to a family member’s active military duty. Parents who work for the same employer will now each be allowed to take 12 weeks of child-related leave, in contrast to the current limit of 12 weeks’ combined leave for both parents. Finally, the amendments eliminate the CFRA’s job reinstatement exemption for salaried employees in the highest paid 10% of the employer’s employees.

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Stimulus plan -Individual Individuals making up to $75,000 a year are expected to receive checks for $1,200. Couples making up to $150,000 would receive $2,400, with an additional $500 per child. Stimulus plan - Business: ... $100 billion in assistance for hospitals; $350 billion in assistance to small businesses; $500 billion in aid for corporations, including airline companies and cruise lines, that have been hurt by the outbreak; and about $150 billion for state and local stimulus funds.. See more

Gavin Newsom overshot his ability to get the Federal government to comply with his "open borders" philosophy while submitting his $222 billion dollar budget for Medi-Cal for 2021. Containing in his proposal the concept that the Federal government would pay a larger portion toward Medi-Cal than it had in the past. That combined with tax favors given to insurance companies that worked within the Medi-Cal system as opposed to those that would not, was considered "running afoul... of the agency's regulations". It has been said that this had to have been presented with an anticipation of refusal for political ground.... The people of California need to be reminded that the Federal government pays for Medi-cal (Medicaid) through taxation. These increases, if approved, would have had a direct impact on higher FICA taxes on all Californians in 2021. See more

HR Updates from Oakridge Insurance Agency Temporary Injunction Applies Only to the Trucking Industry A district court in San Diego has issued a temporary injunction to prevent enforcement of California’s recent AB 5 law for the trucking industry. This injunction does not affect other industries and all other employers are still expected to comply with the state’s ABC test for employee classification. ... California Trucking Assoc. v. Becerra In a lawsuit brought against the state of California, the California Truckers Association (CTA) asserted that the recently enacted bill AB 5 would reclassify most drivers as employees. The CTA argued that most truck drivers it represents would prefer to retain their independent contractor classification, which allows them to set their own schedules and profit from owning their own vehicles. The CTA also argued that AB 5 is preempted by a federal law that prohibits states from regulating the price, route or service of freight-hauling motor carriers. The district court judge found that the CTA was likely to succeed in its case and likely to suffer irreparable damage if relief was not granted, and that the request for a temporary injunction was in the public interest. A hearing on this matter is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2020. While the CTA case is not the only case that has been filed against California’s AB 5, this case is the only one that has succeeded against enforcement of the new law. Next Steps We will continue to monitor challenges to this law and provide updates as new developments take place. Employers should continue to review their employee status classification practices to ensure compliance with federal, state and local laws See more

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It's not the most fun topic to think about, but long-term care is an important part of planning your financial future.