ICHRAs may soon be a thing of the past, which is critical to making sure we’re moving forward with a health care system that respects workers and supports them in times of need

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Article first posted in BenefitsPRO. 

 

June 22, 2021 

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The pandemic has forever changed the relationship between employees and employers. As we enter our new normal, people are expecting their place of work to be there for them and their family during difficult times and to support their health needs. And as companies look to lure back workers, a system of benefits that treats them with respect will be more important than ever.

 

That’s why the work that the Biden Administration is doing to protect workplace health care from a controversial Trump-era regulation is so important. In one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden directed his agencies to review two particular health care rules: one that boosted junk health insurance plans on the individual market and another – a system called ICHRA – that would sever the traditional bonds of trust between an employer and its employees.

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Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs) are an invention of the last administration that sought to weaken the quality of benefits that employees receive from their employers. While some brokers and insurers are hoping to make a quick buck out of this misguided system, the Biden administration has signaled that the window is closing, and that’s a good thing for workers and any employer who cares about the people they hire.