With all the recent and pending changes shaking up the Employee Benefits world, at least a few things are remaining constant. Here are a few upcoming annual reporting deadlines for group health plans:
The annual M-1 filing deadline for Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs) is March 1, 2017. However, if the MEWA filed an M-1 between October 1 and December 31, 2016, upon origination or certain other events (such as entering a new state), the annual filing is not required for this March 1.
The Online Disclosure to CMS to report the creditable coverage status of a prescription drug plan should be completed within 60 days from the beginning of a plan year (or within 30 days after termination of a prescription drug plan, or 30 days after any change in creditable coverage status). For a calendar-year plan, this generally means that it is due by March 1, 2017.