On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I wanted to see exactly what this HR3590 said so I pulled it up on my computer in PDF form. 2074 pages!! That explains why it took 22 pens to sign the thing. Ok, I know that isn’t the reason but it’s a fun thought, right? I was overwhelmed with the 2074 pages. As I tried to read bits and pieces of it I became bleary eyed. 

The HR3590 talks about so much, employer responsibilities, individual responsibilities, health benefit exchanges, Individual and employer subsidies, and the financing of the health reform.  There is just so much to it. How much of it will be changed before the 2014 date when everything is supposed to “change”?

President Obama is in Iowa today talking about this new law. It will be interesting to see what the people who attended think about what was said. You have people who support the law and those who don’t. Usually both sides have good points. I would guess tomorrow will be a busy news day.

With so many changes coming up and such uncertainty on how it will happen, I think we need to take advantage of what we have now. If you are not enrolled in one of our programs (HRA, HRA+ and 125 Cafeteria Plan) please take the time to call in and talk with one of our Benefit Specialists. We will always have your plan in compliance with any changes that may happen.

Laura Radebaugh

BASE Administration/Adjudication Specialist

I had the opportunity to visit with several small business owners a few weeks ago at a local conference.  They were interested in insurance solutions for their employees.  The one thing I learned from my conversations is that business owners do not know what is available to them in the form of not only insurance coverage, but options to offer to their employees.  Whether the business owner has 1, 20 or 100 employees….. there are options.

One business owner I visited with first asked, do I have to offer health insurance to my employees either part time or full time?  The answer is no.  Being an employee myself, I do realize that having benefits such as group health insurance coverage, access to a flexible spending account and health reimbursement arrangement, are more attractive as part of my compensation.  I commend those employers who are considering helping their employees by wanting to offer some help in paying medical expenses, because that is a huge issue these days.

Here are some options that I gave those employers who want to offer a plan to their employees.  Keep in mind that I do not work in the health insurance field, and these options are strictly benefit plans that can work in addition or in place of health insurance coverage.  These plans save the employee approximately 25 cents on the dollar for health expenses, while the employer is able to reduce the amount of employee taxes they are responsible for.  Essentially these options make it a win-win solution for both.

Premium Only Plan – allows employees to pay for group health insurance premiums through their paycheck on a pre-tax basis.

Health Care Premium Reimbursement – this allows an employee to pay for an individually purchased health insurance plan through their paycheck on a pre-tax basis.

Flexible Spending Account – Allows the employee to allocate a pre-determined amount of their paycheck to be set aside pre-tax for non-insured medical expenses such as co-payments, dental, vision, chiropractic, deductibles, prescriptions and much more.  Also included could be those expenses that are purchased at your local pharmacy that are not prescription but are to alleviate a medical condition or injury.

Dependent Care Assistant Plan – for those who pay for child and/or dependent care, the employee can have those expenses paid pre-tax through their paycheck.

These options are first sponsored by the employer to set up the actual Plan, but benefit both the employer and employee as far as tax savings.  An additional option that can be added to this plan or may be opted for solely is a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA).

The HRA is again sponsored by the employer to reimburse employees for non-insured medical expenses.  This gives the employer an opportunity to help with the employee’s family medical expenses and the employees enjoy a benefit to help keep them healthy. 

The win-win with these solutions…..the employer gains loyalty and appreciation from the employee and the employee is given an opportunity to keep themselves and their family’s healthy.

For more information on these solutions contact BASE®  at 1-888-386-9680 or visit www.baseonline.com.

Shawndi Filby

BASE - VP Business Development & Training

It’s funny how sometimes when you go with something for so long, that you kind of forget what is possible.  Or, a lot of times we just settle for what we have because change means stepping outside of our comfort zone.  I think a lot of us can relate.

A good example would be a cell phone.  You get use to the one you have, and wouldn’t dream of anything different.  Then the time comes to change, and you dread the entire process of getting a new one.  Why do you dread the process?  There are many reasons I can think of, like having to create a new address book, a new one likely won’t be the same size or shape, no time for researching a new one, and the list goes on and on.  What it all boils down to is that a new one means…change.  But, then you get that new phone and wonder why in the world you didn’t get one sooner!

Small businesses have the same problem.  They get comfortable with a particular way of doing business, and forget or just plain don’t have time to research what is out there.  I always think about that when I hear about the small business owners that have saved an average of $3,800 by utilizing the BASE® HRA.  Or, the employer with multiple employees who managed to complement their current health benefits with the BASE® HRA+ or BASE® 125 Cafeteria Flexible Spending Account in order to continue providing a valuable benefit plan for their employees in order to contain costs from premium increases.

At one time all of these businesses decided to take the time to research a new way of doing something.  Just like the cell phone can make us more efficient, BASE® has done the same thing for businesses looking to provide a benefit to their employees. 

This spring try and research one new thing that might put you out of your comfort zone.  Doing so could reveal a whole new window of opportunity to something else.  Just look at what smart phones are doing for people these days! 

Anne Case

BASE® - Marketing

Just like any other day, I was sitting at the breakfast table this morning eating my ho-hum, bland cereal.  Wanting to “spice” it up a bit, I reached for the fake (supplemental) sugar – after all, I'm a grown up now and it's evidently better for me than the real stuff.  It then dawned on me that it seems in the last several years, we are hearing more and more about alternatives and substitutes.  Food substitutes and alternatives, alternative energy and alternative medicine just to name a few.

Alternative energy has made a lot of headlines as the oil crisis seems to continue to grow.  These energy alternatives are those that don't use up the Earth's natural resources and are, therefore, more environmentally sound.   Interestingly enough, these technologies have been available for many years, but are just recently becoming further developed.  The reason these methods aren't already the norm is because the need has only recently become more recognized, especially by the general public.  This is very similar to the alternatives available in health care and medicine.

Many of the common alternatives in medicine are considered naturopathic, which generally refers to the use of natural and holistic remedies in combination with more modern treatments and applications.  This ideology has been around for centuries, but has gained a lot of attention in the last several years as the public becomes more informed and seek out these types of health restoration practices and treatments. 

There are now thousands of highly educated physicians that primarily focus on naturopathic medicine by combining both modern science and nature.  These doctors are fully licensed health care practitioners that have studied the same curriculum as traditional medical doctors.  They can diagnose the same as MD's do, but bring a myriad of other solutions and possible treatments to their patients.

While much of the naturopathy ideology focuses on preventative care including diet, exercise and lifestyle changes, it is also used in treatment of various afflictions and illnesses.  Although preventative care is generally not included as a deductible medical expense, if a service or expense is the result of treatment or analysis of an existing condition, it can and should be deducted as a medical expense on income taxes.  These types of expenses and services are also eligible for reimbursement through a BASE^® FSA (Flexible Spending Account) as well as the BASE^® HRA (Health Reimbursement Arrangement).

To inquire whether a particular service or expense is includable and/or eligible for reimbursement through a BASE^® benefit plan, please contact a BASE^® Benefit Specialist at 888-386-9680.

Matt Decklever

BASE - Benefit Specialist