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What is the penalty if I don’t buy health insurance?
Major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have been in place since the beginning of 2014, however many employees and small business owners still wonder, “Do I have to buy health insurance in 2015?” and “What is the penalty if I don’t buy health insurance?”
This article answers common questions about the requirement to have health insurance and the penalty for not having health insurance.

Do I Have to Buy Health Insurance If I’m Uninsured?
Most Americans are required to have health insurance, or pay a tax penalty if they don’t. This ACA rule is called the “Individual Mandate” or “Individual Shared Responsibility Fee” and started in 2014. Coverage can include job-based health insurance, individual health insurance, or insurance through a government program such as Medicaid or Medicare.

What Is the Penalty If I Don’t Buy Health Insurance?
The penalty for not having “minimum essential coverage” is called the “Individual Shared Responsibility Fee.” This fee is either a flat fee or a percentage of household income, whichever is greater. The penalty increases over the first three years.

Year Flat Fee or Percentage of Income
2014 $95 per adult, $47.50 per child, up to $285 per family or 1% of family income minus federal filling threshold
2015 $325 per adult, 162.50 per child, up to $975 per family or 2% of family income minus federal filling threshold
2016 $695 per adult, 347.50 per child, up to $2,085 per family or 2.5% of family income minus federal filling threshold
2017 Adjusted Annually or Adjusted Annually
Source: Affordable Care Act 101

Example of the Individual Shared Responsibility Fee:
Nancy is single and earns an annual income of $40,000/year. Nancy went uninsured in 2014. At tax time, Nancy is required to pay an Individual Shared Responsibility Fee. Nancy will pay either 1% of income (minus the federal tax filing threshold) or $95, whichever is greater.
Nancy’s annual income ($40,000) minus the federal tax filing threshold ($10,000) is $30,000. One percent (1%) of $30,000 is $300.
Since this amount is greater than $95, Nancy will pay a $300 fee.
See more Individual Shared Responsibility Fee examples here.

Does Everyone Who Is Uninsured Have to Pay the Fee?
You may not have to pay the Individual Shared Responsibility Fee if you are uninsured, and:
• Are required to pay more than 8% of your household income for the lowest cost bronze plan.
• Are not a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a resident alien lawfully present in the U.S.
• Had one gap in coverage for less than three consecutive months during the year.
• Won’t file a tax return because your income is below the tax filing threshold. In 2013, the tax filing threshold was $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for a couple.
• Are unable to qualify for Medicaid because your state has chosen not to expand the program.
• Participate in a healthcare sharing ministry or are a member of a recognized religious sect with objections to health insurance.
• Are a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe.
• Are incarcerated.
• Qualify for a hardship exemption.
If I Owe a Fee for 2014, How Do I Pay It?
If you go uninsured in 2014 and don’t qualify for an exemption, you will have to pay the Individual Shared Responsibility Fee to the IRS on your 2014 tax return. You will most likely need to submit your tax return for 2014 by April 15, 2015.
How Do I Prove I Had Coverage to Avoid Paying the Fee?
If you obtained insurance in 2014, you should receive a notice from your insurance provider by January 31, 2015 that describes your coverage status during the year to use with your tax return.

Financial protection that fits your needs

Sometimes called “supplemental insurance,” voluntary benefits are policies you buy to add to the health and life insurance your employer may already provide. These benefits can help you pay for things your other insurance won’t, such as lost wages, out-of-pocket expenses and household bills. Everyone’s benefit needs are different. That’s why it’s important to choose the benefits that are right for your personal situation.

Disability insurance — Helps replace a portion of your income to help make ends meet if you become disabled from a covered accident or covered sickness.

Accident insurance — Helps offset unexpected medical expenses, such as emergency room fees, deductibles and co-payments that can result from a fracture, dislocation or other covered accidental injury.

Life insurance — Enables you to tailor coverage for your individual needs and helps provide financial security for your family members.

Cancer insurance — Helps offset the out-of-pocket medical and indirect, non-medical expenses related to cancer that most medical plans don’t cover. This coverage also provides a benefit for specified cancer-screening tests.

Critical illness insurance — Supplements your major medical coverage by providing a lump-sum benefit you can use to pay the direct and indirect costs related to a covered critical illness, which can often be expensive and lengthy.

Hospital confinement indemnity insurance — Provides a lump-sum benefit for a covered hospital confinement or a covered outpatient surgery to help with co-payments and deductibles that are not covered by most major medical plans.

For more information contact info@probityins.com or call 408-293-9923

What you may not know about disability insurance

If you got sick or hurt and couldn’t work, how would you pay for everyday living expenses?
While most of us like to think we won’t be affected by a disability, any one of us could be. In fact, common illnesses or health conditions make up 90% of paid disability claims. If you become disabled, you could be out of work for quite some time several weeks for surgery, months for a serious injury, or a year or more for a chronic illness. Working without a financial safety net?

More than 1 in 4 of today’s 20-year-olds will become disabled before age 67. We’re under insured. More than half (52%) of workers say they know “not very much” or “nothing at all” about disability insurance. Three times as many disabling injuries occur off-the-job as on-the-job and are therefore not covered by workers’ compensation. The average Social Security Disability Insurance benefit is $1,100 a month and is reserved for eligible disabilities expected to last for at least a year or result in death. The Family and Medical Leave Act provides sick and family leave, but that time may end up not qualifying for payment.

Half of all households are “financially fragile ,”having a great difficulty raising $2,000 within a month, if needed. More than three-quarters (77%) of workers think that missing work for at least three months because of injury or illness would create a financial hardship ,and half think it would cause a “great hardship.”
Common illnesses or health conditions make up 90% of paid disability claims.

For more information please contact info@probityins.com or 408-293-9923

What are voluntary benefits?
Sometimes called “supplemental insurance,” voluntary benefits are policies you buy to add to the health and life insurance your employer may already provide. These benefits can help you pay for things your other insurance won’t, such as lost wages, out-of-pocket expenses and household bills.

Disability insurance: Helps replace part of your regular income if you are unable to work because of a covered injury or illness.
Accident insurance: Helps cover out-of-pocket expenses in the event of a covered accident.
Cancer and critical illness insurance: Helps with the high cost of cancer or critical illness screenings, diagnosis and treatment.
Life insurance: Helps pay for final expenses and helps provide financial security for your family members.
Hospital confinement: Helps pay for covered hospital-related expenses, including co-payments and deductibles.

Advantages Voluntary Benefits:

 Flexibility: Use claim payments however you like – pay deductibles, co-payments and other expenses not covered by your health or life insurance.
Portability: Take coverage with you if you leave your job or retire.
Stability: Maintain coverage whether or not you’re employed.
Convenience:Pay premiums using your choice of payroll deduction, bank draft or direct billing.

For more information please contact info@probityins.com or 408-293-9923

The annual open enrollment period for individuals is coming soon. If you are looking for new coverage, to review your options, or make a plan change the window for this is November 15, 2014 thru December 15, 2014 for an effective date of January 1, 2015. The open enrollment period to make any changes ends February 15, 2015. If you do not make changes during this time you will need to wait until the next open enrollment period unless you have a qualifying event during the year. A qualifying event includes different life changes which allow one to make a change outside of open enrollment. Here are a couple of the most common qualifying events: marriage, divorce, birth/moving of a child, moving inside/outside of a service area or loss of coverage.
You have a couple of options to obtain coverage which Probity Insurance Services can assist you with. You may qualify for assistance in paying your monthly premiums thru the Federal Healthcare Exchange Covered CA, if you meet the income guidelines. Or you may decide to go with a Carrier outside of Covered California. Covered California is a part of the state of California and was created to help you get health coverage to protect yourself and your loved ones. Having insurance can ensure your access to medical care if you get sick or are injured, so that you can keep your body healthy, but it also protects your peace of mind, because you can rest assured that you will have help when you need it most.
For more information contact probity insurance service at 408-293-9923 or info@probityins.com

Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others. Over a period of 31 seasons between 1976 and 2007, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people. During a regular flu season, about 90 percent of deaths occur in people 65 years and older. “Flu season” in the United States can begin as early as October and last as late as May.
During this time, flu viruses are circulating at higher levels in the U.S. population. An annual seasonal flu vaccine (either the flu shot or the nasal spray flu vaccine) is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get seasonal flu and spread it to others. When more people get vaccinated against the flu, less flu can spread through that community.
What kinds of flu vaccines are available?
There are several flu vaccine options for the 2014-2015 flu season.
Traditional flu vaccines made to protect against three different flu viruses (called “trivalent” vaccines) are available. In addition, flu vaccines made to protect against four different flu viruses (called “quadrivalent” vaccines) also are available.
Trivalent flu vaccine protects against two influenza A viruses (an H1N1 and an H3N2) and an influenza B virus. The following trivalent flu vaccines are available:
• Standard-dose trivalent shots (IIV3) that are manufactured using virus grown in eggs. Different flu shots are approved for people of different ages, but there are flu shots that are approved for use in people as young as 6 months of age and up.
• An intradermal trivalent shot, which is injected into the skin instead of the muscle and uses a much smaller needle than the regular flu shot. It is approved for people 18 through 64 years of age.
• A high-dose trivalent shot, approved for people 65 and older.
• A trivalent shot containing virus grown in cell culture, which is approved for people 18 and older.
• A recombinant trivalent shot that is egg-free, approved for people 18 through 49 years of age.
The quadrivalent flu vaccine protects against two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses. The following quadrivalent flu vaccines are available:
• A quadrivalent flu shot.
• A quadrivalent nasal spray vaccine, approved for people 2 through 49 years of age (recommended preferentially for healthy* children 2 years through 8 years old when immediately available and there are no contraindications or precautions).
(*“Healthy” in this instance refers to children 2 years through 8 years old who do not have an underlying medical condition that predisposes them to influenza complications.)
Who should get vaccinated this season?
Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season. This recommendation has been in place since February 24, 2010 when CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for “universal” flu vaccination in the United States to expand protection against the flu to more people.
Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza. See People at High Risk of Developing Flu-Related Complications for a full list of age and health factors that confer increased risk.
Who Should Not Be Vaccinated?
Different flu vaccines are approved for use in different groups of people. Factors that can determine a person’s suitability for vaccination, or vaccination with a particular vaccine, include a person’s age, health (current and past) and any relevant allergies, including an egg allergy.
Flu Shot:
• People who cannot get a flu shot
• People who should talk to their doctor before getting the flu shot
Nasal Spray Vaccine:
• People who cannot get a nasal spray vaccine
• People who should talk to their doctor before getting the nasal spray vaccine
When should I get vaccinated?
Flu vaccination should begin soon after vaccine becomes available, ideally by October. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even in January or later. While seasonal influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, during most seasons influenza activity peaks in January or later. Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that protect against influenza virus infection, it is best that people get vaccinated so they are protected before influenza begins spreading in their community.
Flu vaccine is produced by private manufacturers, so availability depends on when production is completed. Shipments began in late July and August and will continue throughout September and October until all vaccine is distributed.
Why do I need a flu vaccine every year?
A flu vaccine is needed every season for two reasons. First, the body’s immune response from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccine is needed for optimal protection. Second, because flu viruses are constantly changing, the formulation of the flu vaccine is reviewed each year and sometimes updated to keep up with changing flu viruses. For the best protection, everyone 6 months and older should get vaccinated annually.
Does flu vaccine work right away?
No. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. That’s why it’s better to get vaccinated early in the fall, before the flu season really gets under way.
Can I get seasonal flu even though I got a flu vaccine this year?
Yes. There is still a possibility you could get the flu even if you got vaccinated. The ability of flu vaccine to protect a person depends on various factors, including the age and health status of the person being vaccinated, and also the similarity or “match” between the viruses used to make the vaccine and those circulating in the community. If the viruses in the vaccine and the influenza viruses circulating in the community are closely matched, vaccine effectiveness is higher. If they are not closely matched, vaccine effectiveness can be reduced. However, it’s important to remember that even when the viruses are not closely matched, the vaccine can still protect many people and prevent flu-related complications. Such protection is possible because antibodies made in response to the vaccine can provide some protection (called cross-protection) against different but related influenza viruses. For more information about vaccine effectiveness, visit How Well Does the Seasonal Flu Vaccine Work?
Vaccine Effectiveness
Influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary from year to year and among different age and risk groups. For more information about vaccine effectiveness, visit
Vaccine Benefits
What are the benefits of flu vaccination?
While how well the flu vaccine works can vary, there are a lot of reasons to get a flu vaccine each year.
• Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick from flu. Protecting yourself from flu also protects the people around you who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness.
• Flu vaccination can help protect people who are at greater risk of getting seriously ill from flu, like older adults, people with chronic health conditions and young children (especially infants younger than 6 months old who are too young to get vaccinated).
• Flu vaccination also may make your illness milder if you do get sick.
• Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of more serious flu outcomes, like hospitalizations and deaths.
o A recent study* showed that flu vaccine reduced children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission by 74% during flu seasons from 2010-2012.
o One study showed that flu vaccination was associated with a 71% reduction in flu-related hospitalizations among adults of all ages and a 77% reduction among adults 50 years of age and older during the 2011-2012 flu season.
o Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions. Vaccination was associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease, especially among those who had had a cardiac event in the past year. Flu vaccination also has been shown to be associated with reduced hospitalizations among people with diabetes (79%) and chronic lung disease (52%).
o Vaccination helps protect women during pregnancy and their babies for up to 6 months after they are born. One study showed that giving flu vaccine to pregnant women was 92% effective in preventing hospitalization of infants for flu.
o Other studies have shown that vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-related hospitalizations in older adults. A study that looked at flu vaccine effectiveness over the course of three flu seasons estimated that flu vaccination lowered the risk of hospitalizations by 61% in people 50 years of age and older.
References for the studies listed above can be found at Publications on Influenza Vaccine Benefits.
Flu viruses are constantly changing (called “antigenic drift”) – they can change from one season to the next or they can even change within the course of one flu season. Experts must pick which viruses to include in the vaccine many months in advance in order for vaccine to be produced and delivered on time. (For more information about the vaccine virus selection process visit Selecting the Viruses in the Influenza (Flu) Vaccine.) Because of these factors, there is always the possibility of a less than optimal match between circulating viruses and the viruses in the vaccine.
Vaccine Side Effects (What to Expect)
Can the flu vaccine give me the flu?
No, a flu vaccine cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines that are administered with a needle are currently made in two ways: the vaccine is made either with a) flu vaccine viruses that have been ‘inactivated’ and are therefore not infectious, or b) with no flu vaccine viruses at all (which is the case for recombinant influenza vaccine). The nasal spray flu vaccine does contain live viruses. However, the viruses are attenuated (weakened), and therefore cannot cause flu illness. The weakened viruses are cold-adapted, which means they are designed to only cause infection at the cooler temperatures found within the nose. The viruses cannot infect the lungs or other areas where warmer temperatures exist.
While a flu vaccine cannot give you flu illness, there are different side effects that may be associated with getting a flu shot or a nasal spray flu vaccine. These side effects are mild and short-lasting, especially when compared to symptoms of bad case of flu.
The flu shot: The viruses in the flu shot are killed (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that may occur are:
• Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
• Fever (low grade)
• Aches
The nasal spray: The viruses in the nasal spray vaccine are weakened and do not cause severe symptoms often associated with influenza illness. In children, side effects from the nasal spray may include:
• Runny nose
• Wheezing
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Muscle aches
• Fever
In adults, side effects from the nasal spray vaccine may include:
• Runny nose
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Cough
Vaccine Supply and Distribution
Information about vaccine supply is available on the CDC influenza web site.

Open Enrollment for 2015 coverage starts November 15, 2014. Until then, you can get ready by learning about the Marketplace, seeing if you may qualify for savings, downloading an application checklist, and more. Plans and estimated prices for 2015 coverage will be available in early November.
Applying for coverage Important. Before November 15, 2014, you can enroll in a Marketplace health plan only if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Any plan you enroll in before November 15, 2014 ends December 31, 2014. Find out if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period or view plans and prices for coverage ending December 31, 2014.
If you know you qualify for a Special Enrollment period, you can create an account and apply right now.
You can apply for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) any time. Learn how to apply through your state agency by visiting our Medicaid page and choosing your state. You can also apply by filling out a Marketplace application. If you want to do that, find out if you may qualify and start an application.
To apply for 2015 coverage, come back on or after November 15, 2014. The deadline for enrolling in 2015 coverage is February 15, 2015.
• Need a general overview of the Marketplace? Start with our quick guide to the Marketplace and we’ll lay out your next steps.
• Wondering if you qualify for savings on a Marketplace health insurance plan or Medicaid? Check out the quick chart, which shows income ranges that qualify for savings in 2015.
• Want to get timely email and text message reminders and important Marketplace information? We’ll let you know as soon as 2015 plans and prices are available. Sign up for Marketplace emails.
• Want to get ready to fill out your application starting November 15? Use this checklist to gather the documents you’ll need to apply (PDF).
• Have questions about 2015 coverage? Plans and prices will be available soon. If you have questions in the meantime, contact the Marketplace Call Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

New rule to help self-insured dental, hurt voluntary EAPs
By Allison Bell
The Obama administration has posted a 32-page batch of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act regulations that could reshape some non-medical health benefits.
The rule was finalized Wednesday.
The package, Amendments to Excepted Benefits, affects one category of benefits that are free from most of the requirements that apply to major medical coverage: “limited excepted benefits.” The category includes dental benefits, vision benefits, long-term care benefits and some other types of benefits, such as employee assistance plans.
The Internal Revenue Service, the Employee Benefits Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have decided to let employers with self-insured dental and vision plans treat the plans as excepted benefits without necessarily having to charge workers separate premiums for the benefits.
The excepted-benefits regulation changes that affect vision and dental benefits will also apply to employer-sponsored LTC benefits, such as long-term care insurance benefits or home care benefits, officials say in a preamble to the final rule.
The IRS, EBSA and HHS have decided that the provider of an EAP program with excepted benefits status cannot include wellness benefits, such as coverage for checkups and immunizations, in the benefits packages, and that the employer and EAP cannot charge the employees to participate in the EAP.
The rules do not apply to individual health coverage
The regulations are set to appear in the Federal Register Oct. 1, take effect 60 days later, and apply to group plans and group plan insurance issuers for plan years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2015.
The federal government developed the “excepted benefits” system for the sake of administering the laws that came along before PPACA, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). In the past few years, Obama administration officials have been working to update the system to reflect the changes made by PPACA.
Letting PPACA apply to a benefit would have a much bigger effect than applying HIPAA requirements. HIPAA, for example, might require an employer and an insurer to give a worker a chance to keep a benefit after the worker leaves the employer. PPACA might require the provider of any affected benefit, even dental insurance, to cover at least 60 percent of the actuarial value of the major medical essential health benefits package.
Up until now, employers have not been able to treat their self-insured dental and vision plans as excepted benefits unless they charged extra premiums for the benefits, and they have been treating voluntary, employee-paid EAPs as HIPAA-excepted benefits.
The agencies that came out with the final rule released today noted that they promised when they released a proposed version of the regulations in December 2013 that they would continue to treat any dental, vision or EAP programs that qualified as PPACA-excepted benefits in the proposed regulations as excepted benefits through at least 2014.
Officials acknowledged in the preamble that the EAP rule changes could disrupt existing EAP arrangements.
In the proposed rule, the agencies talked about setting rules for a new type of “limited wraparound coverage,” aimed at workers who are getting individual major medical coverage from a PPACA exchange. The agencies said they will issue wraparound product regulations later.

Open enrollment for buying or changing plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace begins November 15, 2014, and runs through February 15, 2015. During this time, the health plans offered on the Marketplace are “open” and accepting new people. Uninsured people and others who did not use the Marketplace last year can get coverage that can start as early as the beginning of 2015.
Are you one of the nearly 320,000 Pennsylvanians who currently get their health coverage through the Marketplace? If you do nothing, your insurance plan will automatically reenroll you. For many people, this will work just fine. But having the right health insurance is very important for your health. You should make sure that automatic reenrollment is the best choice for you.
Here are five things you should consider as we head into the open enrollment period:
1. Watch for important mail (or email) from the federal government and your insurance plan. The government will send you a notice about reenrollment. Your insurance company will send you a notice about how much your plan will cost in 2015 and how much you will save on your monthly bill, if you are eligible for Affordable Care Act financial assistance (through a tax credit).
So far, it looks like premiums won’t change much next year on average. But that’s on average. The plan you are enrolling in could have a significant increase or decrease.
2. Is your health or your family’s health changing? Is a baby on the way? Do you need surgery? Make sure your current health plan still meets your needs. Maybe a plan with a more expensive monthly premium, but a lower deductible and lower copays, would be better for next year.
3. Have your finances changed? Did your household income go up or down? Make sure you update your financial information with the Marketplace. If your income went up and you don’t report it, you may wind up receiving more financial assistance (tax credits) than you should. You would then end up having to reimburse the government. If your income went down, you may be missing out on some financial help, just when you need it the most.
4. Has your health plan changed? Health plans change from year to year. For example, premiums and copays may change. Your doctor may no longer be covered by the plan. Look over your plan carefully to make sure it’s still right for you.
In addition, some new health plans are being added to the Marketplace, and some plans are leaving. One of the new plans may give you better value at lower cost. If the plan you have now is discontinued, your insurance company will automatically offer you a plan that is most similar to the discontinued one.

5. Remember: If you do nothing, you will be automatically enrolled in the plan offered in the notice from your insurance company. To keep that plan, you don’t have to do anything. But, if you want to change that plan, you must take action. The notice will explain what to do.
If you have questions, or would like more information about open enrollment, you can:
• Contact your health insurance plan.
• Go to LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov on the web to get a list of nearby organizations that can give you personal help.
• Call the Marketplace’s 800 number: 1-800-318-2596.

Brown Vetoes Bill To Create Marketplace for Vision Insurance
Monday, September 29, 2014

Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has vetoed a bill (AB 1877) that would have established a statewide marketplace for vision insurance that would be separate from but linked to Covered California, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Covered California is the state’s health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 9/26).
Details of Bill
AB 1877, by Assembly member Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova), called for the state to create a vision care access council that would have contracted with insurers to provide stand-alone coverage for vision care. The council and its processes would have been modeled after the state’s health insurance exchange and would have sought to establish links to Covered California.
The bill called for funding for the new exchange to come from vision insurers, not the state (California Healthline, 8/4).
Details of Veto
In a veto message, Brown said the bill would have created a “new state bureaucracy” and questioned whether creating a separate marketplace for vision coverage would have been allowed under federal law.
Brown added that it is not “advisable to divert Covered California’s focus with a new scheme,” noting that the bill would “require Covered California’s board to run the [vision] council’s operations and use the board’s staff and resources to conduct the activities of the council” (Brown veto message, 9/25).
Reaction From Vision Insurer
Rob Lynch — president and CEO of VSP Global, a provider of stand-alone vision coverage — said that VSP Global was “surprised and shocked” by Brown’s veto of AB 1877 (Kasler, Sacramento Bee, 9/28). VSP and other insurers had agreed to pay $250,000 to launch the marketplace for vision insurance, as well as millions of dollars in start-up costs (Sacramento Business Journal, 9/26).
Lynch noted that the state Senate and Assembly had passed the bill unanimously (Sacramento Bee, 9/28).