Consumer Driven Health Care

A round-up of the weeks employee benefits news, reports and controversy from around the web

Its not too soon to start preparing for new health care flexible spending account rules that take affect beginning next year.

The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) has issued a bulletin that could affect the ability of personal health account programs to continue to operate after Jan. 1, 2014.

The University of New Hampshire opened a new health clinic Monday aimed at saving money and providing faculty and staff with more convenient options for their medical needs.

Rules that allow some small employers to avoid regulation under health reform are unlikely to have a major impact on the future cost of health insurance unless those rules are relaxed to allow more businesses to opt out.

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials says they are deeply disappointed by the $5 billion cut to the Prevention and Public Health Fund that was made in order to partially pay for extending unemployment benefits and fixing Medicares sustainable growth rate.

Thanks to greater use of generic drugs, the financial burden Americans face with prescription drug use has declined, says a study from the RAND Corporation.

Private consultant Roy Ramthun, who led the U.S. Treasury Departments implementation of the HSA program after it was enacted in 2003 and is an expert on consumer-driven health care, projects the maximum HSA contribution will expand to $3,200 for individuals with self-only coverage and $6,450 for those with family coverage...