"California Healthline" ran the recent KFF News + NPR Health Shots story about ICHRA. Great to see multiple outlines sharing this combination case study + ICHRA insights. 

https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/ichra-benefit-trend-employers-health-plan-allowance-individual-insurance/

As with the NPR "Shots" and KFF News original stories, this article quotes and mentions several HRA Council members and leaders.

KFF News in partnership with NPR published a well-reported ICHRA case story featuring quotes and news from several HRA Council members and leaders. 

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/ichra-benefit-trend-employers-health-plan-allowance-individual-insurance/

This article is trending as the top news story of the day on KFF News and is free to read and share. 

Great to see NPR, in collaboration with KFF News, publish this well-reported story for consumer and business audiences, including an ICHRA case study. Multiple HRA Council members and leaders are mentioned, some are quoted. 

This link is to the full story, with a sample excerpt immediately below: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/09/24/nx-s1-5123888/individual-coverage-health-reimbursement-arrangement 

Excerpt: Growing interest in an alternative to group plans

The plans are currently offered to only a tiny slice of workers: an estimated 500,000 of the roughly 165 million people with employer-sponsored coverage, according to the HRA Council.

But interest is growing. The number of employers offering ICHRAs and an earlier type of plan, called qualified small-employer HRAs, increased 29% from 2023 to 2024, according to the council. And, although small employers have made up the bulk of adopters to date, larger employers with at least 50 workers are the fastest-growing cohort.

Individual market insurers like Oscar Health and Centene see opportunities to expand their footprint through the plans. Some venture capitalists are touting them as well.

“The [traditional group] health insurance cornerstone from 60 years ago has outlived its usefulness,” said Matt Miller, whose Headwater Ventures has invested in the ICHRA administrator Venteur. “The goal is to ensure people have coverage, detaching it from the employment construct and making it portable.”

Stacy Edgar, CEO and founder of Venteur, an HRAC member, authors a commentary on critical questions facing employers and how ICHRAs can be the answer. See full article. 

Shout out to HRA Council Board Member Louis DeStefano, senior vice president of growth for Oscar Health, for straight talk about ICHRAs in this interview with Fierce Healthcare. Full article here. 

Noah Tong at Fierce Healthcare reports, "ICHRA is having a moment. VCs are taking notice and looking to invest in the emerging space." Read full story. 

Muhammad Jawad at BNN writes: "As startups like Oscar Health and Centene make strides in offering ICHRA plans, the model's potential to serve as the backbone for a more inclusive healthcare system becomes increasingly evident.: See full story.

Amid concerns about people being misled, the Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers and health spending plan administrators that personal expenses for general health and wellness are not considered medical expenses under the tax law. This means personal expenses are not deductible or reimbursable under health flexible spending arrangements, health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements or medical savings accounts. See alert. 

To avoid a partial government shutdown, Congress last week approved a continuing resolution (CR) to extend six appropriations bills until March 8. The deadline for passing the remaining FY 2024 appropriations bills is March 22.

While none of the language specifically touches on HRAs or individual marketplace plans, Division G of the legislation text contains a number of health care policies and extensions of programs relating to public health, Medicare, and Medicaid including: an extension of the community health center program, protections against reductions to the disproportionate share hospital program, and increases in Medicare physician payments. Read more about the health care provisions here.

The text of the 1000+ page continuing resolution can be found at the House's list of Bills This Week. 

HRA Council members Remodel Health and PeopleKeep are making news. Read more here.