In enacting the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, (the “Act”), Congress, among other changes, enacted the following key changes affecting employer group health plans...more
1/22/2020
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Employee Benefits ,
Excise Tax ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Individual Mandate ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Repeal ,
Self-Insured Health Plans
As 2017 comes to an end, we are pleased to present our traditional End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we are presenting our “To Do” Lists in four separate Employee Benefits Updates. This Part 1 will cover...more
10/18/2017
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
AARP ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Breach Notification Rule ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) ,
COBRA ,
Code Sections 4980H ,
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disability Benefits ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Employee Assistance Programs ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Poverty Line ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form 5500 ,
Form 720 ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Information Letters ,
IRS ,
MHPAEA ,
Minimum Essential Coverage ,
Non-Grandfathered Health Plans ,
Open Enrollment ,
PCORI ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Plan (QSEHRAs) ,
Religious Exemption ,
SBC ,
Section 1557 ,
Section 6055 ,
Section 6056 ,
Shared Responsibility Rule ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Penalties ,
Telemedicine ,
Title VII ,
Trump Administration ,
Wellness Programs
Many employers were hopeful that the Code Section 4980H penalties would be repealed now that Republicans control Congress and Trump is in the White House. To date, that has not happened, nor has the IRS announced it will not...more
As 2016 comes to an end, we are pleased to present you with our traditional End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. Like last year, we are presenting our “To Do” Lists in three separate Employee Benefits Updates. Part 1 of...more
11/10/2016
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Business Associates ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) ,
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Form 1094 ,
Form 1095 ,
GINA ,
Grandfathered Status ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HIPAA Audits ,
Large Employer ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
Minimum Essential Coverage ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
OFCCP ,
PCORI ,
Section 1557 ,
Section 6055 ,
Section 6056 ,
Self-Insured Health Plans ,
Shared Responsibility Rule ,
Summary of Benefits and Coverage ,
Telemedicine ,
Title VII ,
Wellness Programs ,
Year-End Compliance Checklist
I have blogged more on the topic of how the Health Care Reform Act applies to employers that reimburse employers for individual health insurance policies than any other topic in the last year....more
2015 is a significant year for health care reform because the large employer shared responsibility penalties under Internal Revenue Code Section 4980H take effect for most large employers. ...more
As we move into 2015, employers continue to grapple with numerous Health Care Reform concepts. Employers should be cautious regarding arrangements promoted to avoid health care penalties because the agencies are cracking...more
The Health Care Reform Act made many changes to health plans, but one thing it did not do was expressly eliminate or change the COBRA rules. Although health care reform does not expressly change COBRA, it does, in many ways,...more
7/22/2014
/ Affordable Care Act ,
COBRA ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Look-Back Measurement Period ,
Plan Administrators ,
Popular ,
Severance Agreements
Welcome to the SW Benefits Update, formerly the Employee Benefits Update.
Historically, employers have had complete discretion in deciding whether to offer group health plan coverage to their employees. If they offered...more
The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury (collectively, the “Departments”) during the first half of the year issued guidance in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (the “FAQs”) on certain...more
7/10/2013
/ Clinical Trials ,
Deductibles ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Non-Grandfathered Health Plans ,
Out-of-Pocket Expenses ,
Preventive Health Care ,
U.S. Treasury
As reported in our January 31, 2013 Navigating Health Care Reform Alert, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “Affordable Care Act”)...more