Â鶹ŮÓÅ

Millions of Americans who have health coverage through a big employer are receiving a new, unfamiliar tax form in the mail this year, thanks to the Affordable Care Act: the 1095-C. Most tax filers do not need to do much with it, except file it away with their tax records. But because it is new, the form is causing a bit of confusion, said Victor Saliterman, vice president and general manager for health care reform at the benefits and payroll administrator ADP. This is the first time in decades that a major new employee tax form has been widely distributed, Mr. Saliterman said, and many workers do not know what to do with it when it arrives. (Carrns, 3/30)

Barring any major policy changes, most of the remaining non-elderly uninsured people in the U.S. likely won’t gain coverage, a new study released today suggests. The study, from the Urban Institute and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says that while some higher-income people who are uninsured will surely gain coverage as the penalties for not having insurance increase, the possibility for increased coverage is actually lower among those who have higher incomes than those who are eligible for financial assistance to cover insurance. (McIntire, 3/30)

Medicare’s bundled payment system arrives in Pittsburgh on Friday, the latest milepost in the still unfolding 6-year-old federal Affordable Care Act. The payment model is not particularly new: In a nutshell, it takes the Medicare reimbursements for different services — from hospital admission to post-discharge home health and physical therapy — and bundles them into one payment. The difference this time is that, as part of a five-year testing period, the payment model is mandatory for 67 metropolitan areas nationwide, including Allegheny and its six surrounding counties. (Twedt, 3/31)