News Briefs

✦ During the first week of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act exchanges (Nov. 1-7), 818,365 people selected plans on the federal platform, HealthCare.gov, according to CMS’s weekly enrollment snapshot released on Nov. 12. And in the second week — comprising Nov. 8-14 — 803,741 enrolled in plans. The number of HealthCare.gov signups during 2021 open enrollment won’t be directly comparable to last year’s, as Pennsylvania and New Jersey started using their own state-based exchanges for 2021 open enrollment, excluding them from the running tally reported by CMS. Open enrollment for the 36 states using the federal platform runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15. Visit https://go.cms.gov/3nznBqu and https://go.cms.gov/36StGaU.

✦ U.S. employers appear to be interested in exploring individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements (ICHRAs), in which companies reimburse workers who buy their own health coverage, according to Willis Towers Watson. The health benefits brokerage firm’s 2020 Health Care Delivery Survey found that 15% of employers are planning to offer or considering offering ICHRAs for at least some of their employees in 2022 or later. A 2019 rule issued by the IRS allowed employers to start offering ICHRAs this year, but relatively few opted to do so, “as the pandemic diverted much of their attention to other critical benefit matters,” said John Barkett, senior director of policy affairs, benefits delivery and administration at Willis Towers Watson. Read more at https://bit.ly/36Sxl8E.

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