The Power of Aligned Incentives

Even before the Transparency in Coverage Rule (TiC) was finalized in October 2020, requiring health insurance plans and issuers to disclose healthcare pricing information to plan participants, we were asking ourselves how to build a platform that would usher in this new era in healthcare. Compliance is an essential and foundational element, but at our…

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New Transparency in Coverage Requirements Are Quickly Approaching. And So Are the Penalties for Noncompliance.

As we have seen in recent months, CMS has started to pick up the pace of hospital audits to ensure Transparency in Coverage (TiC) compliance. Where there was more leniency for noncompliance before as entities worked through the heavy lifting of system implementations to satisfy new requirements, the looming threat of penalty fees in the…

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Are You Moving at The Speed of Technology or Healthcare?

If there’s one thing that’s not a secret, it’s that changes to the healthcare system tend to move at a snail’s pace. The Affordable Care Act, for example, took nearly 5 years from the time of its introduction to the first open enrollment period1. Looking on a smaller scale at group health plans, even implementing…

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Taking The Road Less Traveled: Beyond Regulation

Since its founding in 2014, TALON has been ahead of the regulatory curve, setting the standard in a breakthrough market and even influencing the Transparency in Coverage Rule. Our platform was used as an industry standard upon which the new federal mandates were based. TALON provides employers with the tools they need to stay compliant,…

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Complying with the Transparency in Coverage Final Rule and No Surprises Act: Taking Baby Steps is the Expensive Way to Go

Various elements of the Transparency in Coverage Final Rule and the No Surprises Act have already taken effect, and others will take effect over the next two years.  This staged rollout of requirements (with very significant fines for non-compliance) could encourage employers to opt for piecemeal software solutions that end up being far more costly,…

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TPAs: A Piecemeal Solution To Transparency In Coverage Could Be Your Last Meal

The Transparency in Coverage Rule (TiC) already requires that companies post machine readable files (MRF) which disclose negotiated rates for every in-network provider and the historical payments to, and billed charges from, out-of-network providers.  The MRF must also include in-network negotiated rates and historical net prices for covered prescription medications, broken down by health plan…

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July 1 is “Healthcare Independence Day”

  Americans should now consider July 1 as “Healthcare Independence Day.” Why? Because on July 1, 2022 the nation can celebrate an incredible victory for the hundreds of millions of people who have been deprived, for far too long, of the real freedom to choose amongst healthcare providers who truly compete for their business—by offering…

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Not Acting:  $35 Million in Annual Fines Await a Typical 500 Employee Non-Compliant Employer

  The Biden Administration Will Fine Companies of All Sizes for Not Complying with the Transparency in Coverage Rules of the Affordable Care Act Health Plans, management consultants, TPA’s, and advisory brokers are being held accountable by employer groups to ensure compliance. Meanwhile, opportunistic vendors providing fractional solutions are underserving in this critical venture, leaving…

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Insurers’ ‘Gaming’ of Obamacare Provision Seen Boosting Premiums

Larger companies typically sponsor self-funded health plans in which the employer pays most medical bills directly and hires third-party administrators to handle claims and help design plans. Those plans aren’t subject to the ACA’s medical loss ratio rules, but they can be affected. “When you look at the administrative services-only parts of those same entities,…

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