As employers work toward annual enrollment and new service contracts for their health plans, it is key to remember one of the changes to enhance disclosure to individuals contained in the “No Surprises Act” and Transparency...more
On July 19, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the “Tri-Agencies”) issued new frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the implementation of...more
During the last administration, Texas joined by a number of other states filed suit seeking to overturn the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) because the individual mandate penalty in such law had its penalty...more
The Internal Revenue Service has provided additional guidance on the the American Rescue Plan Act’s COBRA premium assistance. Greta Cowart summarizes the top 10 takeaways of Notice 2021-31 specifically related to group health...more
On Thursday, March 11, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law. The rescue plan affects a number of issues surrounding employer-provided health coverage, specifically triggering a number of...more
In the American Rescue Plan Act (the “Relief Act”), a subsidy for the payment of COBRA premiums was added for the period beginning on April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021. Unlike previous COBRA premium subsidies, this...more
The protections for participants and their beneficiaries in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) were expanded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”). Some of the changes build on concepts in...more
As the last few days of the last plan year ending in 2020 come to a close, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “Act”) makes a big change for all flexible spending accounts with a plan year ending in 2020 on or...more
Payroll Tax Relief Under CARES Act, FFCRA, and Executive Order -
While the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act permitted employers to defer depositing the portion of the FICA taxes the employer pays...more
8/12/2020
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
CARES Act ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Contributions ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employment Tax ,
Executive Orders ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
FICA Taxes ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
IRA Rollovers ,
IRS ,
Medical Leave ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Pension Funds ,
Pensions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Safe Harbors ,
Sick Leave ,
Tax Relief ,
Wage and Hour
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief And Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act both made changes to required minimum distribution rules. The SECURE Act changes the age...more
6/26/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Funds ,
Retirement Plan ,
SECURE Act ,
Self-Insured Health Plans ,
Wellness Programs
Families First Coronovirus Response Act (FFCRA) Proposed Legislation as Amended as of March 17, 2020 – Employee Benefits Considerations -
The FFCRA is a bill that has not yet been signed into law, and the bill has a...more
3/19/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
HDHP ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Leave ,
Medical Testing ,
Paid Leave ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sick Leave ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour
Healthcare coverage became an employer-offered benefit during World War II as the result of the federal government’s wage and price controls. Since that time, Medicare has become an important part of how healthcare is...more
7/12/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Costs ,
IRS ,
Medicare Secondary Payer Act ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Tax Credits
Health and Welfare Plan Update -
It is 9:00 p.m., do you know where your health plan data is? As IT systems continue to expand, and data is accessed, moved and stored in many new and different ways, the Office for Civil...more
4/4/2019
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Business Associates ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Cloud Storage ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Form 1094 ,
Form 1095 ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Care Providers ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
IRS ,
Lump Sum Payments ,
OCR ,
Pensions ,
Plan Administrators ,
Plan Participants ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Request for Production ,
Retirement Plan ,
TPAs ,
Trump Administration