Wooster Community Hospital reviews health insurance policies

WOOSTER -- Laws and rulings at the federal level have trickled down to the local level, as explained at Wooster Community Hospital's July board meeting.

Several issues were reviewed by the human resources committee, which apprised the full board of where things stand.

First, as reported by Tom Capek, the hospital reviewed its policies for providing health insurance and how that fits within new regulations from the Affordable Care Act.

This is the first year the employer mandate has been in effect and per the ACA regulations, the hospital is required to provide coverage for employees who work more than 30 hours per week. If it does not, it would be subject to a penalty.

Even though WCH provides coverage to people who work more than 24 hours, Capek said the hospital has engaged an outside company to audit its data to maintain compliance and file required documentation for the Internal Revenue Service.

As the hospital begins to prepare its 2016 budget, Capek added, the committee discussed staff wages, employee portions of health coverage and is considering offering a flexible spending account to staff in order to offset taxes for co-pays and deductibles.

And lastly, Capek apprised the board of a new tax called a "transitional re-insurance fee" under the ACA.

This year, the hospital will pay about $90,000 under the program, which was created in the new health law "to help stabilize premiums for coverage in the individual market during the years 2014 through 2016," according to the IRS website on this fee.

The law requires all health insurance issuers and third-party administrators on behalf of self-insured group health plans to pay the transitional re-insurance fee to support payments to individual market issuers, which cover high-cost individuals, per the IRS information.

Capek also noted from the United States Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriages, the hospital was mandated to amend its health plan to consider an open enrollment.

The hospital decided not to offer open enrollment, a decision it needed to make by July 15.

When asked what went into that decision, Marlon Taylor, the hospital's director of human resources, explained only one person inquired about open enrollment following the Supreme Court decision.

The hospital is only two months away from its regular open enrollment period, Taylor added, and that qualifying events -- such as getting married -- would be eligible for coverage under the hospital's insurance regardless.

Reporter Steve Huszai can be reached at 330-287-1645 or [email protected]. He is @GeneralSmithie on Twitter.