APA RESEARCH PAPER

APA Research Paper

Abstract

In this study we try to explore the concept of “alternative health care reimbursement plans” in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on “alternative health care reimbursement plans” and its relation with “alternative health care reimbursement plans”. The research also analyzes many aspects of “alternative health care reimbursement plans” and tries to gauge its effect on “alternative health care reimbursement plans”. Finally the research describes various factors which are responsible for “alternative health care reimbursement plans” and tries to describe the overall effect of “alternative health care reimbursement plans” on “alternative health care reimbursement plans”.

Alternative Health Care Reimbursement Plans

Introduction

The results of a 2-year pilot study on an alternative health-care reimbursement system are presented. This innovative system includes a 2-year warranty by the providers to protect the insured and insurer from additional expenses. It is based on the advantages of arthroscopy. This system provided access, choice, and affordability for 111 patients from a managed care environment who were predetermined to be orthopedic surgical candidates. The unique features included unlimited free consultations and office radiographs. Payment was made only if a patient had surgery (Himmelstein 2009).

Discussion

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) were created by Revenue Ruling 2002-41 issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on June 26, 2002. Since their inception, they have been gaining in popularity, evidenced by the high demand for Significa Benefit Services' administrative expertise with HRAs.

Under an HRA, a predetermined amount of funds are held in individual accounts by the employer for future reimbursements of IRS-approved medical expenses, not covered elsewhere, which are incurred by employees, their spouses and dependents (Woolhandler 2009).

An HRA can be designed to cover any IRS-eligible medical care expenses that are not covered by insurance. It is also permissible to design the plan so that reimbursements are limited to specific expenses.

A Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan (MERP) provides reimbursement to employees and their dependents for IRS-approved medical care expenses which are not limited or excluded by the plan document. Like a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), it is employer-funded and typically used to painlessly transition employees to higher deductible, lower cost group health insurance by the employer reimbursing all or a portion of the higher deductible (Grumbach 2009).

Key study findings include:

* If Medicare payment levels are used in the public plan, premiums would be up to 30 percent less than premiums for comparable private coverage. On average, the monthly premium in the public plan for a typical benefits package would be $761 per family compared with an average of $970 per family in the private market for the same coverage.

* If as the President proposed, eligibility is limited to only small employers, individuals and the self-employed, public plan enrollment would reach 42.9 million people. The number of people with private coverage would fall by 32.0 million people. If private payer reimbursement levels are used by the public plan, enrollment would be lower, with only 10.4 million people switching to the public plan from private ...