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IRS Loosens Preventive Care Coverage Rules

InterWest Insurance Services

New guidance issued by the IRS expands the types of preventive care benefits that high-deductible health plans are required to cover with no out-of-pocket costs on the part of plan enrollees. The changes are aimed at reducing out-of-pocket costs for diabetes-related expenses, certain cancer screenings and contraceptives.

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It’s Time for a Mid-Year Financial Check-Up

Money Talk

Last year, I wrote a blog post about mid-year financial check-up s for the OneOp Personal Finance team. Among the culprits: climate change, higher costs for labor and supplies to repair houses and cars, and higher out-of-pocket costs for employer-provided health insurance. have generally trended up.

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3 in 4 Workers Would Accept Lower-Pay for Better Benefits: Survey

InterWest Insurance Services

A new study has found three out of four U.S. The main driver in workers prioritizing benefits is the rapidly rising cost of group health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs, according to the study by Voya Financial.

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HDHP Enrollees Less Satisfied with Their Health Plans

InterWest Insurance Services

” HDHP enrollees enjoy lower up-front premium costs in exchange for higher potential out-of-pocket costs for copays, coinsurance and deductibles, and high health care users may experience significant outlays not covered by insurance. If enrolled three or more years, 55% were satisfied.

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New Rules Expand Services Covered with No Cost-Sharing

InterWest Insurance Services

The Department of Health and Human Services has issued some new “frequently asked questions” for its Affordable Care Act pages, and new guidelines that require health plans to expand what they are required to cover with no cost-sharing.

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Cutting Through the Alphabet Soup of Dental Insurance Plans

InterWest Insurance Services

However, there still may be a network, and your out-of-pocket costs may be lower if you see dentists from within these networks. Meanwhile, DMOs generally offer the lowest monthly premiums and have low out-of-pocket costs for routine services like cleanings.

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What (Most) Decision-Support Tools Get Wrong

Flimp Communications

Calculator tools estimate costs by multiplying units of services by applicable copay or average costs. Consequently, they tend to underestimate employee out-of-pocket costs and expenses for ancillary services such as diagnostics, anesthesia, therapy, and supplies.