Get ready for a mini-series you can't ignore! Tune in every day next week for Healthcare Trivia, featuring contestants Joel Harrison from EliteHRTeam.com and Heavy-Weight Champion, OBAMACARE! Don't miss this hilarious series with real facts about what you need to know on Healthcare Reform.

Healthcare Reform Trivia coming to a computer screen near you! Monday 10/28/2013 at Noon CST. 

Joel Harrison VS Obamacare

MCS is counting down the minutes until the Illinois Health Care Exchange opens on October 1. Keep checking back for what-you-need-to-know updates!

FOR EMPLOYERS: You are required to send a letter to your employees, explaining their exchange options. We have drafted a letter for you. There are two options: one for businesses that already offer healthcare and one for businesses that do not. Contact us and we can co-brand it with your company’s information. 

FOR EMPLOYEES: If your employer doesn’t offer coverage, or you want to explore your options, we are here to give you the best health quote. We take into consideration your income, your life, and your desired level of coverage. There is a plan for everyone out there, and we can answer whether your best course of action is to go through the state, stick with your employer’s offering, or go out on your own.

Illinois opened the registration process for Producers to sign up on the Exchange on August 9. The first step is to complete the certification requirements for the Federally Facilitated Marketplace. As they say, “The course only takes 3-4 hours to complete, and it’s free.”

Our licensed agents have been attempting to complete this training for a while now, and so far, they haven’t been able to get access to the site to complete the verification process. One of them called the number listed on the site, and after being redirected to the right number (which has since been updated), was told that the site was experiencing a high volume of visitors (not surprising, since thousands of agents in the state have been waiting for access to rates and more information for their clients). He was told to try back later. Seven in the morning, eleven at night. Same error message. These lines are longer and more frustrating than the DMV! This problem is occurring with just enrolling agents--what happens if the population of Illinois wants to log on for more information? That's 12.8 million people. Facebook may be able to handle it, but we aren't sure about the Exchange.

The good news about the Exchange is that if you, as an individual, use a licensed and trained agent to find the best plan, you won’t pay a penny more than if you sat in front of the computer and dealt with the headache yourself! 

Mensing Consulting Solutions is here with the information you need to make an informed decision.

On August 21, Mensing Consulting Solutions hosted “Are You Prepared?” in conjunction with the Small Business Association. It was a workshop designed to answer business owners’ many questions about the Affordable Care Act. Keynote speaker Dennis Foldenauer from the Small Business Association explained the benefits of the program from the government’s perspective. 

In three breakout sessions, practical solutions were offered and “what if” scenarios proposed. Kurt Rickhoff, owner of Rickhoff Small Business Accounting, discussed the ramifications from an accounting perspective, including the changes to W-2s. Joel Harrison from Mensing Consulting Solutions talked about how to make the affordable care act actually affordable, and presented a myriad of options that business owners might not have been previously aware of when it comes to offering benefits to their employees. Finally, Kandi Mensing ended the morning with a session on the perks that business owners can offer their employees–many with no additional cost involved.

The workshop addressed more than forty attendees, with interest in repeating the information session for chamber groups. Attendees stayed after for an hour-long question-and-answer session, where they had a chance to outline their own unique situations and get answers to their specific questions. 

The event was a success thanks to the support of: 

• Mensing Consulting Solutions 
• Rickhoff & Associates

• SBA, Small Business Association 
• SBDC, The Small Business Development Center at SIUE
• O'Fallon-Shiloh Chamber of Commerce (COC) 
• Riverbend Growth Association
• Edwardsville/Glen Carbon COC
• Collinsville COC
• SW Madison County COC
• Belleville COC
• Mascoutah COC
• Snap Shack PhotoBooth
• Illinois Business Journal 
• Snap Shack Phot
• Edward Jones Mascoutah Office

Even though “Are You Prepared?” and events like it can help owners understand what is expected of them, starting with the changes that have already passed and the new requirements of January 1, 2014, we recommend contacting a trusted broker who can walk you through all the options. Mensing Consulting Solutions has recently sat down with clients and saved them thousands of dollars a year or more, just by exploring their choices. Our experts would love to talk with you! 

Businesses tell us that one of their top areas of worry and uncertainty, if not THE #1 concern, involves changes in healthcare.  We're always interested in multiple points of view regarding this important topic, regardless of political leaning.  Like you, we're keenly attuned to the financial impact of healthcare policies on businesses. Thus we thought you might be interested in Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet's perspective, especially since "taxpayer" is often another way to say "businesses."

Now that businesses will not be required to offer health insurance until 2015, workers and their dependents will be eligible for taxpayer-funded subsidies to purchase health insurance on the exchanges.
This will cost taxpayers an estimated $60 billion dollars in 2014 alone to cover the increased costs of subsidies and the loss of revenue from employer penalties.
This $60 billion figure is before we take into account the "liar subsidies"that will invariably occur now that the administration has quietly removed eligibility verification for taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Community organizers are already being hired around the country to sign people up for the health exchanges. There are no penalties for failing to verify eligibility, and no penalties for signing up people who cannot afford to pay the monthly insurance premiums.

To read more, go to:
 
 10 Reasons Why Obamacare Is Going to Ruin Your Medical Care and Your Life

Part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as healthcare reform) is the employer mandate for businesses with over 50 FTEs (full-time equivalent employees) to provide healthcare coverage to their employees working 30 hours or more. The consequence for NOT providing healthcare to full-time employees is to face hefty government fines. Late yesterday, the Obama administration announced that the employer mandate portion of healthcare reform has been DELAYED UNTIL 2015! What does this mean for employers? It simply means they have another year to prepare. We have already been asked here at MCS what that means for individuals and W-2 reporting. We are being told that all other provisions of the ACA legislation will remain in effect. However, we are telling our clients that it is truly 'wait-and-see' at this point. The government sure does keep our jobs interesting!

We will continue to monitor this closely and keep you updated.

By Joel Harrison

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been stated by many to be the single most controversial and confusing piece of legislation in United States history. With so many different people and groups interested in healthcare in one form or another everyone has something to say and they are all saying something different.  Like it or not healthcare reform is coming FAST. The countdown is to less than 6 months left in 2013 and the exchanges open in October.   If you’re “just waiting to see what the ACA does” you’re going to be left in the dust and be scrambling to comply with regulations early next year.  This could end up costing you in the end. So here are a few tips to stop worrying and love the ACA.

Drop the politics

OK I’ll admit love is a bit of a stretch. My point is Healthcare reform is coming whether you like it or not.  Congress tried to overturn it… FAILED. The Supreme Court tried to say it was unconstitutional… FAILED. States said they would not participate… FAILED.  It’s time to face the facts… the healthcare reform is here to stay. So stop arguing about who is right and who is wrong and start having intelligent conversations about what solutions work best for your business. The number of businesses who will actually be severely hurt by the new laws is minimal.

Get educated (properly)

Healthcare reform is complex; there is no way around it. If you have not already begun to understand how the ACA will affect you, your time is running out. Now is the time to meet with professionals in the healthcare field. Search out and attend seminars that help you to navigate the pitfalls business owners will have to deal with. Have specific conversations about how reform will help or hurt your business and what strategies are available to make the transition as smooth as possible.  When doing research remember to pay attention to the political affiliations of your sources. Because everyone feels so strongly about healthcare reform there is A LOT of misinformation out there… be careful.

Relax… it’s just the ACA

Once you have made your peace with healthcare reform and found the best solutions for your business you can sit and watch the chaos happen around you. The “wait to see what happens” crowd will be forced to make last-minute, hasty decisions and pay costly fines because they have been too stubborn to just stop worrying and learn to apply and love the ACA.