North Bay Business Journal

The political and legal challenges to federal health reform may finally be settled with the reelection of President Obama and the Supreme Court’s upholding of the Affordable Care Act, but, even with that seeming sense of finality, a host of challenges lay ahead for all levels of the industry.

North Bay insurers reflect on the Supreme Court’s ruling that maintained key aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

NORTH BAY — Nearly two years after its passage, health care reform and much of its measures hang in the balance of what promises to be a politically charged U.S. Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the individual mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance. But while politicos and pundits await the decision and its implications, health insurance experts in the North Bay said most of the reforms are here to stay, even in the event that the mandate is struck down.

Questions for Mark Stokes, Regional Managing Director, and John Fradelizio, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Insurance Services: What do you see as the trends in business insurance for 2012? What trends do you see in employee benefits for 2012, in cost and in design? What issues are clients asking about most often and what are you telling them?

NORTH BAY — Throughout the health care reform debate, employers and employees alike were told they’d be able to keep their current health plans, if so desired. With the unveiling of details on the so-called “grandfathering” clause by the Department of Health and Human Services, however, brokers said such a prospect seems slim, and employers will face a series of tough choices regarding what type of plan they choose to offer employees as they attempt to grapple with still-rising costs.