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Employee Benefit News for School, City and County Employers

Steve Smith

Steve Smith, Employee Benefits Consultant for National Insurance Services, has his energy level permanently set at “high.” His maxim is “work hard, play hard.” Steve’s an expert in getting groups of people working together for a higher cause. Minnesota schools, cities, and counties rely on Steve’s unique and creative ideas of engaging employees in their own health and wellness to lower utilization trends. He has 20+ years in the health insurance field doing compliance, cost mitigation, utilization, analytics, wellness plans, and strategic planning. Steve is a licensed insurance agent and holds the designations for Managed Healthcare Professional (The Health Insurance Association of America), Certified Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Professional (National Association of Health Underwriters), and Group Benefits Disability Specialist (Hartford School of Insurance). He specializes in Employee Benefits Consulting for Minnesota schools, cities, and counties including fully insured, self-insured, and stop-loss plans.

Recent Articles by Steve Smith

ACA Reporting Penalties Increase for 2025

1 minute read

IRS Revenue Procedure 2023-34 outlines updated penalties for noncompliance with ACA requirements under IRC Sections 6055 and 6056. These increased penalties apply to 2024 information...

Impact of Medical Debt on Insured Employees

1 minute read

Despite competitive health care benefits, many employees still face medical debt. Over 40% reported experiencing this issue, as per a survey by Goodroot.

Time to Prepare for 2024 RxDC Reporting

1 minute read

Group health plans and issuers must submit detailed data on prescription drug and health care spending annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Known as the RxDC...

Understanding Embedded vs. Nonembedded Deductibles

2 minute read

When it comes to health insurance, employers are constantly searching for ways to optimize coverage and manage costs. That's where embedded and nonembedded deductibles come into play....

Medicare Part D Disclosures Due in February

1.5 minute read

Group health plan sponsors must annually complete an online form with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to disclose if their prescription drug coverage is creditable...

Florida Is First State to Import Canadian Drugs

1.5 minute read

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Florida permission to directly import prescription drugs from Canada. This historic policy shift has the potential to...

2024 Health Plan Compliance Issues

4.5 minute read

Employers should be aware of the compliance issues impacting their health plan coverage in 2024, including expanded electronic reporting requirements under the ACA and anticipated...

2025 Cost-sharing Limits

2 minute read

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the cost sharing limits for 2025 plan years. The new limits will be $9,200 for self only coverage and $18,400 for family coverage.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Taking Part of Medicare Drug Price Negotiations

1 minute read

The Inflation Reduction Act allows the federal government to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers to improve access to several costly brand-name drugs. Despite legal challenges,...

2023 ACA Reporting Final Forms and Instructions

1.5 minute read

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the final 2023 forms and instructions for reporting under IRS Code Sections 6055 and 6056.