Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia Helps Businesses Navigate Health Care Changes with New Online Tools

/PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to help minimize confusion regarding implementation of health care reform provisions among business owners, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) has created two new tools to help business navigate the changes in health care, a grandfathering tool and a tax calculator tool.

Both tools are available at www.anthem.com/healthcarereform. The small business tax calculator tool and tax content were developed by The Tax Institute at H&R Block and also may be viewed by visiting www.thetaxinstitute.com.

The interactive grandfathering tool is designed to help businesses better understand what grandfathering means, if they qualify for it, and what options are available to them with regard to their health plan. BCBSGa has also joined forces with H&R Block to provide a convenient, comprehensive tool to help small business owners understand the financial impact, as well as the opportunities that accompany the changes in the health care system.

"The grandfathering tool is another part of our commitment to help make health care reform work," said Morgan Kendrick, President, BCBSGa. "This tool will allow business owners to understand what grandfathering means to them, what the qualification parameters are, and if it is potentially in their best interests to grandfather their current health plan. This tool can help businesses quickly and easily determine a course of action based on their current plan in an easy-to-use and easy-to-understand tool."

Kendrick added, "We are also extremely pleased to be partnering with H&R Block to make the small business tax calculator available, which can help small business owners understand the tax credits they are qualified for and allow them to better control and anticipate their health care costs. It's BCBSGa's hope that this resource will enable owners to focus on running a successful business and add some clarity as they navigate the health care system."

The small business tax calculator can help users understand the following reform provisions:

* The small business health care premium credit for qualified employers with 25 or fewer employees and average annual wages under $50,000 (2010)
* Requirements to provide employee coverage for full-time employees who work for businesses with 50 or more employees (2014)
* Employer penalties for not providing coverage when at least one full-time employee is enrolled in a subsidized health care plan (2014)
* The excise tax on high-cost health plans, which applies to plans that cost more than $10,200 for an individual and $27,500 for a family (2018).


"These tools will provide us with an easy way to navigate and communicate the financial impact that health care reform may have on our small business customers," said Jeff Fishback, President and CEO, Purchasing Alliance Solutions. "They will also help us to better communicate about grandfathering and if it might be in their best interest. For example, whether they should take advantage of the available credits and other provisions designed to improve the affordability of health care. I anticipate that interactive tools such as these will help small businesses save time and money. This is just one more example of why BCBSGa is the leader in the industry."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

GSU unveils small business tax credit calculator for health reform

Georgia State University researchers have unveiled a small business tax credit calculator to help employers crunch the numbers to see if they’re eligible for health reform credits under the new law.

The tool, called the 50-State Health Reform Calculator for Small Businesses, will help small employers, including non-profits, determine if they’re eligible for tax subsidies to cover part of the cost of health insurance starting this year. It is the first comprehensive nationwide calculator for all states. It can be accessed at www.gsu.edu/ghpc.

“We’re trying to provide information for employers about the impact and effects of health reform on their business decisions,” said Bill Custer, associate professor and director of the Institute of Health Administration in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

Small businesses, or employers with fewer than 25 full time employees making less than $50,000, may be eligible for tax credits to help cover the cost of insurance starting this year.

Incentives are being offered because as premiums have increased, the number of workers with employer-sponsored health coverage has declined.

Custer, with associate professor Patricia Ketsche, also of the Institute of Health Administration, developed the tool in collaboration with the Georgia Health Policy Center in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, the Florida Public Health Institute and the Center for Mississippi Health Policy.

The Georgia Health Policy Center has spearheaded a collaborative effort to break down the complexities of the nation’s health reform law through a series of policy briefs. The latest is “Health Reform Implications for Employers,” which was released last week (http://bit.ly/9u3z4q).

Other topics have included state and community implications and the impact to health care providers. Many states have come to the center to request a breakdown of health reform and its impact in their localities.

The calculator is the latest tool being offered in a series intended to help consumers, employers, providers and policy makers understand health reform.

“This has been a great opportunity to not only partner across Georgia State University, but with other states, to bring relevant information about health reform to those who will be impacted by the law,” said Karen Minyard, executive director of the Georgia Health Policy Center. “Our group’s goal from the beginning has been to interpret, share, and apply what is learned to real world situations.”

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage