As you may recall, a previous article recently published in the Benefits Update newsletter reviewed the letters that employers were beginning to receive regarding potential liability for employer shared responsibility...more
As health care costs increase, employers have been exploring new types of health coverage options, one of which is reference-based pricing (RBP). This method typically does not involve a traditional insurance carrier or...more
Late last year, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) and it was quickly signed by the President. The Act seeks to reform the current tax system and contains numerous provisions that may be significant to...more
3/12/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Disaster Aid ,
Employee Relocations ,
Equity Grants ,
Excise Tax ,
Fringe Benefits ,
Health Insurance ,
Incentive Awards ,
Income Taxes ,
Individual Mandate ,
IRA Rollovers ,
IRS ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Qualified Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) ,
Retirement Plan ,
Roth IRA ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Exempt Entities ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour
After multiple failed attempts by Congress to reform the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Trump announced several weeks ago that the federal government would stop making subsidy payments to insurers who sell coverage...more
12/1/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Association Health Plans ,
Bipartisan Agreement ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Electronic Filing ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Costs ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
MEWAs ,
Minimum Essential Coverage ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Plan (QSEHRAs) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Small Employers ,
Subsidies ,
Tax Returns ,
Trump Administration
You may recall that President Trump signed an executive order on the day of his inauguration directing all agencies to minimize the economic burden of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) pending its repeal. You may recall also that...more
9/13/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Health Insurance ,
IRS ,
Penalties ,
Repeal ,
Shared Responsibility Rule ,
Trump Administration
One of the hottest benefit trends in 2017 is the adoption of free or low-cost “telemedicine” programs to provide employees easy and affordable access to medical care. However, you need to proceed with caution when introducing...more
6/2/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
COBRA ,
EAP ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Excise Tax ,
HDHP ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
HSA ,
Telemedicine
Until very recently, employers were at risk of receiving steep fines if they reimbursed employees for non-employer sponsored medical care – the Affordable Care Act (ACA) included fines of up to $36,500 a year per employee for...more
3/6/2017
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
Affordable Care Act ,
COBRA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Medical Reimbursement Plans ,
Minimum Essential Coverage ,
Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Plan (QSEHRAs) ,
State Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Tax-Free Transfers
Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) published a final rule to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Most prominently, this rule...more
As the end of the calendar year approaches, so does the fiscal year or “plan year” for many employee benefit plans. Between complying with continuing annual deadlines while integrating new rules and regulations, employers...more
A number of employers have reported troublesome Social Security Number (SSN) issues cropping up when filing Affordable Care Act (ACA) notices with the IRS. Many have received “AIRTN500” error messages, which indicate...more
Many Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements and deadlines are new and difficult to navigate. Below you will find information about Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) Notices, which some employers may receive soon....more