When you have a fully insured health plan, you might think you don’t have a viable way to reduce benefits costs. After all, you can’t access the data analytic insights you would see if you were self-funded. But switching to...more
Employers that sponsor self-insured group health plans, including health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) should keep in mind the upcoming July 31, 2023 deadline for paying fees that fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes...more
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
Employers have plenty on their plates to think about on the subject of wellness plans these days. New EEOC regulations and new court decisions will keep employers on their toes in evaluating their current wellness plan...more
On December 16, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2015-87 containing guidance on a wide-range of topics under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In addition to providing guidance on affordability and COBRA matters...more
Under so-called “employer payment plans” (“EPPs”), an employer pays or reimburses an employee for substantiated premium costs under individual health plan insurance coverage (i.e., nonemployer individual health plan...more
Any employer who offers an arrangement that reimburses employees (or pays directly) for premiums or other medical costs of individual health insurance coverage, including a health reimbursement account ("HRA") provided in...more
Beginning in 2014, a violation of certain healthcare reform rules, such as offering a health plan with annual dollar limits or not providing full preventive care with no employee cost, requires employers to pay an excise tax...more
Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") in 2010, employers were able to reimburse their employees for the premiums those employees paid for individual health insurance. This long-standing practice was changed...more
The IRS issued guidance on Feb. 18, 2015, providing temporary relief until June 30, 2015, from steep penalties for small employers and S-corps that have continued to use premium reimbursement arrangements to provide health...more
In a recent notice, the Internal Revenue Service has tempered prior guidance that closed the door on employer arrangements for paying the cost of individual health insurance for employees. The IRS still views these premium...more