The Benefits Brief

Latest Episodes:

Calling All Medicare Agents! Check out NAHU’s New Medicare Advantage Training Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

Did you know that NAHU has a brand-new Medicare and Medicare Advantage certification course? If you are looking for a new way to complete your annual Medicare Advantage training, NAHU should be your first stop. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s senior vice president of education Farren Baer is here to discuss the course and the value it can bring.

It’s Time to Get on Your Legislator’s Calendar to Discuss NAHU’s Legislative Priorities Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

August recess has already begun for the House and is poised to begin this weekend for the Senate. Now is the time to get on the calendars of your representative and senators to talk with them about NAHU’s legislative priorities. What are those priorities? On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Marcy M. Buckner is here to discuss them.

Senators Move Bipartisan Package Forward while Democrats Develop Their Own Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

With August recess rapidly approaching, the Senate voted to move forward Wednesday on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal with over $550 billion in new spending. Meanwhile, Democrats internally debate provisions of their own package, expected to top $3 trillion, which they plan to pass via the reconciliation process. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, NAHU’s vice presidents of congressional affairs, Chris Hartmann and John Greene, discuss the details of these bills and what they’re hearing on Capitol Hill

NAHU Responds to RFI Regarding Reporting on Pharmacy Benefits and Prescription Drug Costs Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

Last week we discussed the balance-billing ban included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act that passed at the end of 2020. This week, we’re discussing another provision that was included in the CAA – a request for information regarding reporting on pharmacy benefits and prescription-drug costs. Marcy M. Buckner explains the RFI and our response to it, as well as some upcoming comment letters that NAHU will be submitting.

Federal Agencies Release First Round of Surprise-Billing Regulations Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

Federal agencies recently released “Part 1” of the highly anticipated regulation regarding the ban on surprise billing included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The 2,000-plus-page CAA encompassed many provisions, including a ban on surprise billing referred to as the No Surprises Act. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner reviews what is included in this first round of regulatory language regarding the No Surprises Act.

Special Guest from UBA Discusses the Benefits of Our Associations Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we are joined by Brian Luciani, partner at Blueprint Benefit Advisors and vice chair of the Board of Directors at United Benefit Advisors. We discuss UBA, Brian's experience during the pandemic at UBA and his personal business, their Annual Health Plan Survey, and more.

Legislators Introduce Bills to Put an End to Medicare Observation-Status Loophole Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

NAHU allies in Congress introduced bills that would address the three-day stay requirement for Medicare beneficiaries who are considered to be under observation status while being hospitalized. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Vice President of Congressional Affairs and resident Medicare policy expert John Greene discusses these new bills and how they seek to resolve this issue.

Supreme Court Effectively Upholds ACA in Texas v. United States Ruling Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

The Supreme Court finally issued a long-awaited decision in California v. Texas case, the case that could have struck down the entirety of the ACA. Ultimately the Court ruled 7 to 2 to effectively uphold the ACA as law of the land. On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, Marcy M. Buckner discusses the ruling and its implications moving forward.

What’s the Status of Broker Compensation Disclosure? Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

On last week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour, we discussed NAHU’s letter to federal agencies regarding concerns about the implementation of the surprise billing provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This week, Marcy M. Buckner is back to talk about another comment letter we submitted last week – this one concerning the hot-button issue of broker compensation disclosure. We review the law that passed at the end of 2020 that made these disclosure requirements, what NAHU is doing to ensure it is implemented fairly, and more.

Surprise! NAHU Submits Comments Ahead of Balance Billing Regulations Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

On this week’s episode of the Healthcare Happy Hour we are revisiting an issue that we have not discussed in detail in some time – balance billing, also known as surprise billing. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, passed at the end of 2020, included a ban on surprise billing, with much of the implementation left up to regulatory bodies. NAHU submitted a letter this week to the relevant federal agencies with comments and concerns about the implementation of this law, and Marcy M. Buckner is here to review.

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