Employees Better Manage Their Health Care Spending with Castlight Health and HealthEquity

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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Castlight Health, the leader in Health Care Transparency, today announced a partnership with HealthEquity, the largest dedicated U.S. Health Savings Account (HSA) trust organization. With the integration of HealthEquitys HSA data into the Castlight health care management suite, employees for the first time have one central location to view and manage their health care activities and costs, from finding a high-value provider to seamlessly managing the balance of their HSA account.

For most individuals today, health care benefits are challenging to manage at best. Varying co-pays, piles of receipts and unexpected bills only increase the angst around already unruly health care costs in America, said Nita Sommers, VP, Corporate and Business Development, Castlight Health. With Castlight and HealthEquity, employees have easy access to all of their medical activity and HSA balance information in a single, personalized place, along with the ability to shop for high-quality, cost-effective providers. This is a powerful proposition that engages employees to take better control of their care and maximize the value of the health care investments.

HSAs allow employees covered by HSAqualifying health plans to contribute pre-tax dollars towards an HSA for future medical expenses. The integration of HealthEquity with Castlight will provide employers a frequent and high-touch avenue to engage employees across the wider spectrum of their benefits offerings. With the partnership, users of both Castlight Health and HealthEquity will be able to seamlessly view their HSA information directly through their personalized Castlight dashboard or the HealthEquity website.

In our quest to continually offer new products that provide value for our members, we are pleased to partner with Castlight Health, said Brad Bennion, VP, Product and Implementation, HealthEquity. With greater transparency into their overall health care spending through Castlight, our members can make wiser decisions that leads to maximizing health savings.

About HealthEquity

Founded in 2002, HealthEquity is the nations oldest and largest dedicated health savings custodian. Through efficient administration and innovative technology the company helps members build health care savings while controlling premium costs. HealthEquity works with more than 60 health plan partners and services more than 760,000 health care accounts for employees at more than 23,000 companies across the United States. To learn more, visit http://www.HealthEquity.com or call 1-866-346-5800.

About Castlight Health

Castlight Health enables employers, their employees, and health plans to take control of healthcare costs and improve care. Named #1 on The Wall Street Journals list of The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies for 2011 and one of Dow Jones 50 Most Investment-Worthy Technology Start-Ups, Castlight Health helps the countrys self-insured employers and health plans empower consumers to shop for health care. Castlight Health is headquartered in San Francisco andbacked by prominent investors including Allen & Company, Cleveland Clinic, Maverick Capital, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Oak Investment Partners, Redmile Group, T. Rowe Price, U.S. Venture Partners, Venrock, Wellcome Trust and two unnamed mutual funds. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.castlighthealth.com or call (415) 829-1400.

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Employees Better Manage Their Health Care Spending with Castlight Health and HealthEquity

Employer mandate of health care law delayed until 2015

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WASHINGTON In a major concession to business groups, the Obama administration Tuesday unexpectedly announced a one-year delay, until 2015, in a central requirement of the new health care law that medium and large companies provide coverage for their workers or face fines.

The so-called employer mandate requires companies with more than 50 full-time employees to provide affordable health insurance or face a penalty of $2,000 per employee.

The move sacrificed timely implementation of President Barack Obama's signature legislation but may help the administration politically by blunting a line of attack Republicans were planning to use in next year's congressional elections. The employer requirements are among the most complex parts of the health care law, which is designed to expand coverage for uninsured Americans.

"We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively," Treasury Assistant Secretary Mark Mazur said in a blog post. "We have listened to your feedback and we are taking action."

Most business groups were jubilant.

"A pleasant surprise," said Randy Johnson, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There was no inkling in advance of the administration's action, he said.

The National Retail Federation, which has called for the regulations to be delayed, was equally appreciative.

"The one-year delay will provide employers and businesses more time to update their health care coverage without threat of arbitrary punishment," said Neil Trautwein, the federation's vice president and employee benefits policy counsel.

But others maintained that the provision will never be workable.

"Temporary relief is small consolation," said Amanda Austin, director of federal public policy with the National Federation of Independent Business, which last year lost the landmark Supreme Court case challenging the law's constitutionality.

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Employer mandate of health care law delayed until 2015

Health care stocks pull back

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Shares of hospital operators sold-off Wednesday on delay in health care reform.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Investors had been betting that hospital operators and insurance companies would benefit from an increase in the number of insured workers under the law, widely known as Obamacare.

Shares of Tenet Healthcare (THC, Fortune 500), which operates hospitals and outpatient centers in 11 states, fell 4% Wednesday.

Investors also punished shares of HCA Holdings (HCA, Fortune 500), LifePointHospitals (LPNT), Community Health Systems (CYH, Fortune 500) and Health Management Associates. (HMA, Fortune 500)

The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Health Care Provider Index Fund (IHF) , which includes drug stocks like Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500) and Pfizer (PFE, Fortune 500), was down1%.

Shares of major health insurance companies also pulled back. UnitedHealth (UNH, Fortune 500), Humana (HUM, Fortune 500)and Aetna (AET, Fortune 500) were all down about 0.5%.

The Treasury Department said Tuesday it will delay a provision in the law that requires businesses to provide their workers with health insurance or face fines.

The decision came after businesses complained about the complexity of the law's reporting requirement, which applies to firms with more than 50 full-time employees that don't already provide coverage.

Critics say the law will cause small businesses to cut back on full-time workers and hire more part-timers to avoid penalties. But the delay is not expected to have a major impact on profits for big insurance companies.

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Health care stocks pull back

Health care stocks pull back on Obamacare delay

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Shares of hospital operators sold-off Wednesday on delay in health care reform.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Investors had been betting that hospital operators and insurance companies would benefit from an increase in the number of insured workers under the law, widely known as Obamacare.

Shares of Tenet Healthcare (THC, Fortune 500), which operates hospitals and outpatient centers in 11 states, fell 4% Wednesday.

Investors also punished shares of HCA Holdings (HCA, Fortune 500), LifePointHospitals (LPNT), Community Health Systems (CYH, Fortune 500) and Health Management Associates. (HMA, Fortune 500)

The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Health Care Provider Index Fund (IHF) , which includes drug stocks like Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500) and Pfizer (PFE, Fortune 500), was down1%.

Shares of major health insurance companies also pulled back. UnitedHealth (UNH, Fortune 500), Humana (HUM, Fortune 500)and Aetna (AET, Fortune 500) were all down about 0.5%.

The Treasury Department said Tuesday it will delay a provision in the law that requires businesses to provide their workers with health insurance or face fines.

The decision came after businesses complained about the complexity of the law's reporting requirement, which applies to firms with more than 50 full-time employees that don't already provide coverage.

Critics say the law will cause small businesses to cut back on full-time workers and hire more part-timers to avoid penalties. But the delay is not expected to have a major impact on profits for big insurance companies.

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Health care stocks pull back on Obamacare delay

Freedom Homer Their Way Past CornBelters

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July 3, 2013 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom Normal,IL-The Florence Freedom improved to 25-15 and moved into a first place tie in the Frontier League East with Traverse City after a 6-4 win over the Normal CornBelters Tuesday night at The Corn Crib.

Jacob Tanis launched his sixth homerun of the season in the fourth which gave the Freedom a 2-1 lead. It was a two run shot for Tanis over the left field wall. Jeremy Hamilton hit a two run homer of his own in the fifth which gave the Freedom a 5-1 lead. It was Hamilton's third of the year.

David Carrillo who made his first professional start also contributed an RBI as did Pablo Bermudez.

Freedom starter Michael Oros(4-0) remained perfect on the season. He pitched 5.1 innings giving up six hits on two earned runs while striking out four.

Daniel DeSimone pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning for the Freedom. Jorge Marban then nailed down a 1-2-3 save in the ninth. It was his twelfth save of the year, which leads the Frontier League.

The Freedom will continue their series Wednesday night with Normal. The Freedom will have RHP Justice French(0-2 4.77) on the mound. The CornBelterrs will feature RHP Tyler Lavine(2-3, 3.13). The game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki starting at 7:45 pm on radio station 1320 AM and gospel1320.com.

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Freedom Homer Their Way Past CornBelters

NRG Keeps Fans Cool at Freedom Over Texas Celebration

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HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cool escapes and hot prizes from NRG will delight visitors at the Freedom Over Texas celebration on July 4 at Eleanor Tinsley Park. As this years entertainment sponsor, NRG will give away 100 VIP concert tickets and signed CDs. In addition, one lucky winner will have a chance to meet the evenings performers, Sheryl Crow and Martina McBride.

To enter, visitors can stop by the NRG Cool Zone, located near the event main stage on Allen Parkway, and have their photo taken at NRGs Smilebooth. The random drawing will take place at 6 p.m. Winning fans will occupy a reserved section with snacks and water, with the extra opportunity to meet the headlining stars later in the night.

Throughout the celebration, the NRG Cool Zone will help beat the heat with misting stations, cooling towels, giveaways and games. NRG companies Reliant and eVgo will display tools they are using to help shape the countrys energy future, including the eVgo electric car charging solutions, the Nest Learning ThermostatTM and smart energy solutions.

Freedom Over Texas is an opportunity for NRG to share fun and surprises with our customers and their families, said Karen Jones, NRGs chief marketing officer. Well help the Houston community have a cool Fourth of July theyll remember.

For information about NRG and Freedom Over Texas, visit http://freedomovertexas.nrgenergy.com.

About NRG Energy

NRG is at the forefront of changing how people think about and use energy. We deliver cleaner and smarter energy choices for our customers, backed by the nations largest independent power generation portfolio of fossil fuel, nuclear, solar and wind facilities. A Fortune 300 company, NRG is challenging the U.S. energy industry by becoming the largest developer of solar power, building the first privately-funded electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and providing customers with the most advanced smart energy solutions to better manage their energy use. In addition to 47,000 megawatts of generation capacity, enough to supply nearly 40 million homes, our retail electricity providers Reliant, Green Mountain Energy and Energy Plus serve more than two million customers. More information is available at http://www.nrgenergy.com. Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.

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NRG Keeps Fans Cool at Freedom Over Texas Celebration