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		<title>The Benefits Brokers Healthcare Change Blog</title>
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog.cfm</link>
		<description>Benefits Brokers: Why you need a partner through these times of healthcare change</description>
		<language>en-us</language>
		<copyright>Copyright 2012 The Benefits Brokers Healthcare Change Blog, All rights reserved.</copyright>
		<lastBuildDate>Sun, 20 May 2012 11:09:03 CST</lastBuildDate>

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		<title><![CDATA[ BlueCross Creates Exchange Website to Inform Tennesseans ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41639</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ &amp;ldquo;BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has developed a new website focused solely on the health insurance Exchange. Intended to serve as a resource to all Tennesseans, www.BCBSTexchange.com was created to be a solid reference for individuals, brokers, employer groups and health care providers as they seek to learn more about the Exchange and what it means to Tennessee.
With so many details about the Exchange still emerging, the site will be updated frequently. It features basic information for those impacted by the Exchange, and offers links to third-party resources, such as the State of Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, America&amp;rsquo;s Health Insurance Plans and more. In addition, visitors can sign up to receive more information on topics of greatest interest to them.
We encourage you to visit the site regularly to learn more about the health insurance Exchange planning efforts underway in Tennessee.&amp;rdquo;
... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ HCR ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David M Widmer, PAHM, RHU)</author>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41639</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Tennessee studies health exchange despite legal distraction ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/41319</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Tennessean &amp;ndash; 3/28/12 - As the guy leading work on Tennessee&amp;#39;s health insurance exchange, Brian Haile is watching intently as U.S. Supreme Court legal arguments wrap up to determine whether the federal health reform law is constitutional. Haile says he&amp;#39;s fascinated by the legal debate, but he also considers the case a distraction to state planning efforts that eventually will determine whether Tennessee sets up an exchange of its own to offer insurance -- or allows the federal government to operate the one planned here. Actually, Gov. Bill Haslam&amp;rsquo;s administration hopes the high court throws out the federal health reforms (derided by critics as &amp;quot;ObamaCare&amp;quot;) as unconstitutional.... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ HCR ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David m Widmer)</author>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/41319</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ State exchange legislation ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/40495</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ NAHU Government Affairs - There is a movement underway led by the lieutenant governor, Speaker of the House and Republican legislators to delay state exchange legislation this session. The group would like for Tennessee to wait for the Supreme Court ruling and November election before moving forward. If this plan holds, Tennessee will likely call the legislature into special session to pass a state exchange bill if necessary. ... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ HCR ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David M Widmer, PAHM, RHU)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/40495</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ CMS Moves Closer To Sunshine Provisions In ACA. ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/40093</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ The New York Times (1/17, A1, Pear, Subscription Publication) reports on its front page, &amp;quot;To head off medical conflicts of interest, the Obama administration is poised to require drug companies to disclose the payments they make to doctors for research, consulting, speaking, travel and entertainment.&amp;quot; According to &amp;quot;the new standards, if a company has just one product covered by Medicare or Medicaid, it will have to disclose all its payments to doctors other than its own employees.&amp;quot; The Times noted that &amp;quot;the new requirements, or something very similar, will take effect soon; in fact, they are overdue.&amp;quot; ... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ New ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David M. Widmer)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:38:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/40093</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ State insurance exchanges and Medical Loss Ratios ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/40090</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Who woulda thunk it? Did you know the state health insurance exchanges will be excluded from the new Federal MLR requirements? (Beginning not later than January 1, 2011, and subject to the definitions established through NAIC/HHS regulation, large group plans (101 employees or more) that spend less than 85% of premium revenue and small group (one to 100 employees) and individual plans that spend less than 80% of premium revenue on clinical services and activities to improve health care quality must provide a rebate to enrollees.)

... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ HCR ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbroekrs.com (David M. Widmer)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:37:00 EST</pubDate>
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		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/40090</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Employers Skeptical of Health Care Reform, But Few Project Dropping Health Insurance Coverage ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/39404</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Even in an environment of uncertainty about the future of health care reform, a majority of employers surveyed (56 percent) say that they are likely to continue to offer employer-sponsored health insurance after health care reform is enacted, according to a new survey of benefit decision-makers conducted by GfK Custom Research North America. Only 12 percent of benefits decision-makers say they would be very or somewhat likely to drop coverage, and another 32 percent of the 502 private-sector companies surveyed are unsure what they will do.
... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ HCR ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David M Widmer)</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:15:00 EST</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/39404</guid>
		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/39404</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Health Insurance Refunds Tweaked ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/39403</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Wall Street Journal (12/3, Radnofsky, Subscription Publication) reports HHS altered a component of the new healthcare law that requires insurance companies to spend a certain percentage of income from premiums on medical care. Providers not doing so must issue refunds to consumers. On Friday, HHS revised the rule to state that such refunds would be tax-free. ... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ HCR ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David M Widmer)</author>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/39403</guid>
		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/39403</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ HIT Legislation ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/39142</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Stop The HIT Coalition applauded Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Orin Hatch (R-UT) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) today, for introducing The Jobs and Premium Protection Act, legislation to repeal the Health Insurance Tax (HIT). The bill brings relief to millions of small businesses nationwide, by preventing the recently passed HIT from collecting billions of dollars from their operations beginning in 2014.
&amp;ldquo;For our nation to maintain any hope of recovering from these difficult economic times, we must repeal the HIT. Senators Barrasso and Hatch along with a bipartisan group of House members recognize this reality and should be applauded for introducing this much needed legislation.&amp;rdquo;
&amp;ldquo;This legislation comes at a crucial time for our nation&amp;rsquo;s small businesses and we commend Senators Barrasso and Hatch for recognizing that Washington must take action to repeal the HIT,&amp;rdquo; said Neil Trautwein, Vice President and Employee Benefits Couns... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ HCR ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David M Widmer)</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/39142</guid>
		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/39142</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Health Reform Cases Gaining Supreme Court Attention ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/38263</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ Last week, a number of significant events occurred in the ongoing legal battle over the constitutionality of PPACA, which has now seen three circuit courts rule in three different ways on the issue. Last week&amp;rsquo;s legal development primarily concerned the case being brought by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), the largest and highest profile challenge to the health reform law. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals last ruled on this case this past summer, upholding a lower court&amp;rsquo;s finding that PPACA&amp;rsquo;s individual mandate provisions are unconstitutional. -NAHU Washington Update October 3, 2011
... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ HCR ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David Widmer)</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/38263</guid>
		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/38263</comments>
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		<title><![CDATA[ More Bad Luck for the CLASS Act ]]></title> 
		<link>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/38138</link>
		<description><![CDATA[ The CLASS Act faces more public scrutiny this week after an e-mail from HHS official Bob Yee was publicly circulated last Thursday morning which announced to colleagues he was leaving his position because the CLASS Act office was closing effective last Friday. Yee served as the HHS actuary overseeing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act program established by PPACA to be an optional, government-backed, long-term care insurance program. The e-mail left the Obama administration fiercely denying reports of the program&amp;#39;s demise, and a statement was released saying the CLASS office is cutting back on staff but not shutting down. &amp;ndash;NAHU Washington Update
... ]]></description>
		<category><![CDATA[ New ]]></category>
		<author>dwidmer@thebenefitbrokers.com (David M Widmer)</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/38138</guid>
		<comments>http://www.thebenefitbrokers.com/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/38138</comments>
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