ASC Coding, Billing & Collections

There are several changes expected in the employer-sponsored health plan market for 2016, as changes from the Affordable Care Act continue to affect coverage, according to a Benefits News report.

In January, about 70 percent of uninsured consumers who used TurboTax filed tax exemptions from the Affordable Care Act tax penalty, according to TheStreet.

Blue Cross Blue Shield subsidiary Highmark is reducing physician pay, which could impact premiums, according to a PA Home report.

Payers and health plan sponsors are pushing hard to contain costs. Negotiations with providers are becoming more difficult and low reimbursement coupled with the rising costs of doing business will continue to plague ASCs.

DirectPath and CEB released the 2016 Medical Plan Trends and Observation Report with data from more than 750 employee benefit health plans.

Many employers are seeking ways to limit rising health benefit costs, based on an Arlington, Va.-based Corporate Executive Board and Birmingham, Ala.-based DirectPath report, according to Business Insurance.

The Government Accountability Office cannot fully calculate the amount of Medicare and Medicaid fraud, as it is difficult to detect, according to The Daily Caller.

Georgia state legislators are considering a budget which would add $26 million into the Medicaid budget for physician pay raises, according to Gwinnett Daily Post.

Oregonians will receive two new tax forms this year, according to The Bulletin.

Indiana is the latest state to join a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Providers Free, according to Legal Newsline.com.