CEO DATELINE - Veterinary group offers health plans once again
CEO DATELINE - Veterinary group offers health plans once again
- July 3, 2019 |
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The American Veterinary Medical Association and its insurance arm, AVMA LIFE, have announced they are again offering an employer-based association health insurance program for AVMA members. Enrollment began July 1, and policies can take effect starting Sept. 1. To sign up, members must do business primarily in one of nine eligible states where the plans are available for now: Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas or West Virginia. Plans are afoot to expand coverage to more states.
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The AVMA health insurance plans were available for almost 60 years "until changes in the health insurance marketplace forced coverage to discontinue," the group said.
To be eligible for a plan, veterinarians must also be an active AVMA member, employ between two and 50 people, offer coverage to all employees and enroll at least 75% of eligible employees, and pay at least 50% of the premium of the lowest single rate per enrolled employee.
"While the plan is currently available in only nine states, we are navigating complicated market and regulatory conditions to expand coverage as quickly as possible," AVMA said in a statement. "We are also advocating for federal legislation that could expand coverage nationally and bring coverage to working owners without additional employees."
Association health plans have become a politically charged issue linked to Trump administration efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act. On April 26, the Labor Department appealed a March 28 ruling by U.S. District Judge John Bates. Bates declared an agency rule expanding the use of association health plans was an unlawful "end run" around the ACA.
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