Phia Group

Aetna to subsidize Apple Watch for health monitoring

On September 28, 2016
Health insurer Aetna will subsidize Apple Watches for select large employers and individual policyholders during November’s open enrollment as a healthy living initiative.

Recoupment or Embezzlement? Cross-plan Offsets in the Crosshairs

On September 26, 2016
When a self funded employee benefit plan, or indeed any payer of health benefits, overpays a benefit claim to a medical provider, it is often a tall task to later secure refunds.

Independent Consultation & Evaluation: ICE, ICE, Baby!

On September 22, 2016
Our industry is plagued by issues related to compliance, contracts, and cost-containment – and a myriad of other legal issues as well. Engaging an expert for a second set of eyes is a chore in itself, requiring approval from management or an individual group as well as a cost-benefit analysis of the expert’s fees – sometimes resulting in the decision not to consult a neutral third-party at all.

California Senate Approves Reference Based Pricing

On September 8, 2016
A measure to protect California consumers from surprise medical bills moved closer than it’s ever been to becoming law when the Senate approved it Monday with a 35-1 vote.

Unwrapping Your Wraps

On August 23, 2016
Wrap networks provide plans with discounts off billed charges for claims that don’t fall within the plan’s primary network. But do these wraps really add value? With skyrocketing provider charges and static discounts off of those charges, the modern-day wrap network doesn’t seem to provide much help when it comes to claims costs.

The Phia Group's Response to the DOL Final Rule

On August 17, 2016
A hard day’s work should lead to a fair day’s pay. This is one of the most basic tenets of our economy, it is about fairness, and it is a core belief of our company. At The Phia Group, our mission is to reduce the cost of healthcare through innovative technologies, legal expertise, and focused, flexible customer service. We can only achieve this objective with the help of our employees. We believe that every employee makes a direct and valuable contribution to the strength and competitiveness of our company, and therefore to its growth and success. It is for this reason that we welcomed the new changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).

Back to Basics: Plan Documents 101 (Part 2)

On July 13, 2016
When we think of hot topics in the self-funded industry, plan document drafting is hardly the first thing that come to mind. Instead, issues such as fiduciary duties, reference-based pricing, transgender coverage, employee incentives, and provider abuse are on the tip of everybody's tongues. All these topics, however, share a common feature: they're all reflected, in some way or another, within the plan document. Without compliant and effective plan document language, a plan can't offer robust benefit programs while containing costs.

Back to Basics: Plan Language 101

On June 15, 2016
Most situations that involve self-funded benefit plans revolve around language within the plan document. Whether deciding if a service is experimental, or figuring out whether a dependent is actually covered, or deciding whether a leave of absence will extend coverage, the plan document controls in just about all situations. For that reason, it's all the more disastrous when poor plan language handicaps plans and TPAs. Like we always say, your rights are only as good as your language.

Federal regulators may try to kill critical illness insurance

On June 10, 2016
Officials are thinking about the possibility of banning the sale of critical illness policies and other policies that cover two or more specific diseases.

ER docs sue HHS over out-of-network payments

On May 18, 2016
The American College of Emergency Physicians is suing HHS, claiming a provision of the Affordable Care Act allows insurers to underpay for out-of-network emergency medical services.

The Tangled Web of Contracts

On May 12, 2016
The self-funded industry is made up of a complex system of contracts, and navigation across them is anything but simple. Network contracts supersede plan documents; Administrative Services Agreements “add” plan provisions, stop-loss policies embrace carve-outs but networks prohibit them, employee handbooks promise benefits not provided by the SPD…and those are just a few examples of areas of confusion. Thank you for joining The Phia Group on May 12th, 2016 as its legal team gave a crash course in contracts. Cost-containment can be impacted by the contracts you sign, and there are often exceptions and restrictions buried deep down, or potential issues not considered beforehand. In this webinar, The Phia Group explained some of the contracting pitfalls experienced on a daily basis within the self-funded industry.

Unraveling FAQ Part 31

On May 4, 2016
Reference-based pricing is unquestionably a hot topic in the self-funded industry today. So hot, in fact, that the federal government has taken an active interest in it for the third time now; in its latest FAQ, published just last week (FAQs about Affordable Care Act Implementation, Part 31), the regulators reiterate concerns regarding network adequacy and how it relates to - and regulates - reference-based pricing arrangements.

Reference-Based Pricing Webinar: Unraveling FAQ #31

On April 28, 2016
Reference-based pricing is unquestionably a hot topic in the self-funded industry today. So hot, in fact, that the federal government has taken an active interest in it for the third time now

Why Plan Sponsors should be Upfront with Workers about Self-funding

On April 26, 2016
Self-funded health plans don’t have health insurers, only health plan administrators. Learn more about why plan sponsors should be upfront with workers about self-funding.

A Changing Industry: Navigating the current (Events)

On April 14, 2016
The self-funded industry changes rapidly and without notice. In recent memory, the biggest culprit has been the ACA - and in its aftermath, there have been numerous regulatory guidelines and court cases that have helped interpret the ACA's provisions. Still, though, there are many other changes occurring at any given time. Examples include assignments of benefits, discrimination, preemption, bankruptcy, subrogation, stop-loss, and more.