Jim Rodriguez

It’s happening. I’ve been watching the evolution of ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement) for a few years, knowing it had the potential to transform small business health insurance. Now, I’m fully convinced that transformation is underway. Why? Because JPMorgan just got involved. The linked article references pre-COVID data (2018–2019)—not exactly relevant for today’s strategy—but it does […]

A new Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF) poll highlights the growing challenges Texans face in accessing and affording healthcare. The survey found that 63% of Texans have skipped medical care due to cost, and 41% struggle to pay medical bills. Texas, which has the highest uninsured rate in the country, remains one of the few states that has yet to expand Medicaid. Medical

The Trump administration plans to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate that requires insurers to fully cover certain preventive services, including HIV-prevention medication, regardless of religious affiliations. On February 18, the Justice Department filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court backing the Biden administration’s position in a case regarding whether employers can exclude

As we step into a new year, significant updates to federal hospital price-transparency rules are taking effect, making it crucial for patients to understand the implications for their healthcare choices. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is ramping up enforcement of these rules as part of a broader initiative that began in 2021.

A recent analysis by the Urban Institute reveals that if the enhanced federal subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expire in 2025, up to 4 million Americans could lose their health coverage. The expiration of these subsidies could lead to a 16% increase in the uninsurance rate, with a dramatic 42%

Some U.S. employers are shifting from traditional group health plans to Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs), giving employees a set amount of money to buy their own insurance on the individual market. Supporters argue this offers more choice and cost control, however critics say it shifts the complex task of selecting insurance to employees

The FDA has approved FluMist, a nasal spray flu vaccine, for self-administration in individuals aged 2 to 49, enhancing the convenience of flu immunization. Initially approved in 2003 for ages 5 to 49 and expanded to ages 2 to 5 in 2007, FluMist offers a needle free vaccination utilizing a weakened live virus. It will

A new wave of labor litigation is hitting federal courts, spotlighting the pressing need for Congressional action to enhance employer accountability regarding health-care costs. Major companies like Johnson & Johnson, the Mayo Clinic, and Wells Fargo are facing class-action lawsuits from employees who claim mismanagement of health insurance benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security