ComplianceMnthlyRecap MH 5.16.22

Mary Drueke-Collins, FSA

Vice President of Employee Benefits for Swartzbaugh-Farber & Associates, Inc.
A UBA Partner Firm

Recent Posts

Employer Strategies for Managing Prescription Drug Costs

Posted by: Mary Drueke-Collins, FSA    Jul 20, 2017 8:46:29 AM

prescription drug costModern medicines have resulted in longer, more productive lives for many of us. Prescription drugs soothe sore muscles after a strenuous workout or manage the conditions of a chronic disease. Unfortunately, this use of prescriptions drugs can come with a hefty price tag.

Americans are spending more money on prescription drugs than ever before and the United States as a nation spends more per capita on prescription drugs than any other country. With the cost of some drugs exceeding thousands of dollars for a 30-day supply, this can translate into financial hardship for many Americans.

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Topics: UBA Health Plan Survey, health plan design, prescription drug cost, prescription drug copays, coinsurance

UBA Survey: Grandmothering Protects Many Small Employers from Rate Increases

Posted by: Mary Drueke-Collins, FSA    Nov 10, 2016 9:30:00 AM

Health costsOne goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to develop uniformity in coverage to ensure that all medical coverage included certain services. However, two interim regulations were passed, essentially allowing individuals and employers to keep their plans that were not completely ACA-compliant. Those regulations were termed “grandfathering” and “grandmothering.” Grandfathering was available to all employers that wanted to keep the plans they had in place prior to the passage of the ACA. For a plan to maintain grandfathered status, there were significant restrictions to plan design modifications and changes to employee contributions. The reality was that very few employers were able to maintain grandfathered status. In the 2016 UBA Health Plan Survey, only 5.9 percent of plans were still grandfathered.

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Topics: ACA, PPACA, UBA Health Plan Survey, transition relief, Affordable Care Act, health insurance cost, Mary Drueke-Collins, grandmothering

Industry Trends Emerge in Mail Order Drug Benefits

Posted by: Mary Drueke-Collins, FSA    Jul 8, 2016 10:19:18 AM

Health Plan Survey Special ReportMail order has always been a convenient way for individuals to keep their maintenance drug prescriptions filled. Employers often wonder, are there other advantages to using mail order other than convenience? As an employer, should we be incentivizing mail order? The answers to some of these questions can be found in results from the latest UBA Health Plan Survey.

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Topics: UBA Health Plan Survey, prescription drug plans, prescription drug cost, mail order drug benefits, Mary Drueke-Collins

2013: The Year of Ancillary Benefits

Posted by: Mary Drueke-Collins, FSA    Mar 29, 2013 10:13:00 AM

By Mary F. Drueke, FSA
Vice President of Employee Benefits
Swartzbaugh-Farber & Associates, Inc., a UBA Partner Firmpencil paper

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Topics: ancillary benefits, long term disability, health care costs, health care, dental insurance