Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

http://docs.house.gov/rules/hr4872/111_hr3590_engrossed.pdf (2,409 pages)

Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to HR 4872 as Reported

http://docs.house.gov/rules/hr4872/111_hr4872_amndsub.pdf  (153 pages)

Amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of Substitute to HR 4872 

http://docs.house.gov/energycommerce/111_managers_hr4872.pdf (9 pages)

From: Mike Humphrey
UA Director of Benefits

RE: Potential impacts of national health-care reform on UA’s health plans

As many of you know, national health care reform has been a hot topic in Washington, D.C. for many months.  The House has passed one version of a health care bill, while the Senate passed another. Negotiations between the two versions are ongoing and the situation remains fluid.

The University of Alaska is monitoring the situation, to assess potential impacts, positive or negative, on our employees and their health care benefits.  Precisely how our health care plan will be affected is not yet known.  At this time, there is no final bill, and the two current versions contain too many variables, ambiguities and questions to conduct a meaningful analysis.

You may have read or heard about a tax on so-called “Cadillac” plans.
This is a method of financing health care reform found only in the Senate version of the legislation. Since the university is self-insured we would be subject to this tax.  We are in the process of assessing Cadillac plan definitions and how the university’s UA Choice plans---the Economy, Standard and Deluxe plans, might be affected.

There are many other aspects of the 2,700-page bill beyond the tax issue that could impact our employees.  The University of Alaska, as well as the State of Alaska and many other public and private employers are doing their best to track and analyze the daily changes.  Through our health care committees and through direct communications from HR offices and the UA administration, we will keep you informed as more is known.

As ongoing legislation regarding healthcare reforms continue to take shape, the University of Alaska is assessing how the health plan may be affected.  Updates will be posted on the National Healthcare Reform page.