The U.S. Department of Labor recently posted some clarification on their website, indicating that business owners who provide employee benefits to their workers would not be fined if they don't inform their workforce of the health insurance exchanges opening. Nevertheless, it still encouraged them to make this information available.
However, among health services companies, many have been slow to make patients aware of the health insurance marketplaces – including hospitals.
In its "Health Exchanges: Open for Business" report, professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers discovered that health providers have been somewhat lackadaisical in promoting the insurance marketplaces due to, among other things, limited information from regulators, not getting the appropriate amount of guidance from organizers of the exchanges as well as so-called "reform fatigue."
"As the health industry moves from wholesale to retail, the customer takes center stage," said Ceci Connolly, managing director of the Health Research Institute at PwC. "Outreach and education should be top-of-mind for hospitals and health systems, but many are still coping with operational issues to ensure readiness for open enrollment."
Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched its "Meaningful Consent" website, aimed at providing healthcare providers with the tools they need to achieve HR compliance, such as details on the various laws, policies and issues relating to the health information exchanges.
