Compliance (60)
Wednesday, 26 October 2016 11:24
Deadline for Reinsurance Fee Reporting is November 15, 2016
Written by Susan Shepard
Employers that offer partially self-funded medical plans are subject to the Transitional Reinsurance fee established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). This fee was imposed over a three year period, with 2016 being the third and final year. The fee in 2016 is $27 per average covered…
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Tuesday, 06 September 2016 20:08
Important Medicare Part D Deadline October 15th
Written by Juliet Fitzgibbons
The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) requires Employers with prescription drug coverage to complete two items each year regarding Medicare Part D. The first deadline is October 15th annually, and the other is 60 days from the beginning of each new plan year. The only employers exempt from this requirement are…
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Sunday, 28 August 2016 17:57
Colorado Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Went into Effect August 10th
Written by Scott Nitowski
On June 1, 2016, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed the Colorado Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. This new provision provides clear standards that employers should follow when employing pregnant workers, as well as a new notice requirement. Effective August 10, 2016, Colorado employers of all sizes will commit an unfair employment…
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The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee is due July 31, 2016 for employers with any type of self-funded plan and/or a Health Reimbursement Arrangement. The fee helps fund unbiased research that evaluates the clinical effectiveness of medical treatments regardless of the profit potential. This fee is also known…
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Tuesday, 17 May 2016 03:25
Compliance Update: State Mandated Short-Term Disability Employer Requirements
Written by Juliet Fitzgibbons
As consumers, we spend so much time focusing on medical benefits and sometimes forget the importance of disability coverage. Although many states do not require that employers offer any type of disability benefit to its employees, there are a handful of states that mandate employers to offer paid-Short-Term Disability (STD)…
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On April 29, 2016, the IRS provided inflation-adjusted HSA contribution limits for 2017, as well as the HDHP minimum deductible and maximum-out-of-pocket expenses associated with HSA's. Click here for the IRS publication. The contribution limits for HSA's in 2017 will increase by $50 for self-only coverage. Family contributions to HSA's…
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Monday, 18 April 2016 12:00
Final DOL Rule Dramatically Changes Relationship Between Advisors and Employers
Written by Kristen Russell
Guest Article by Kristen Deevy, Strategic Retirement Partners The long wait it over! The Department of Labor (DOL) has finalized its Conflict of Interest rule. The question is “Did you know you were waiting for it?” As an employer you may not have heard about this new regulation, but your…
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Mention ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and most business owners and HR professionals think of retirement plans. We actually find, however, that while the vast majority of employers comply with ERISA on the retirement side, far fewer do on their health plan. How familiar are you…
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Limits on health plan out-of-pocket (OOP) maximums for 2017 have been announced by the Department of Health and Human Services. Annual limits on OOP maximums are imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as the maximum amount an enrollee in a non-grandfathered health plan could be expected to pay for…
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Thursday, 25 February 2016 15:34
How well do You Know Your Section 125 Plan Rules?
Written by Kristen Russell
While Section 125 plans seem basic on the surface, we find this to be one of the greatest areas of misunderstanding in benefit plans. Almost all HR professionals are familiar with the basic qualifying life event rules of a Premium Only Plan, and the use-it-or-lose-it rules of a Medical Flexible…
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Monday, 04 January 2016 17:00
2016 Employer 1095 Reporting Due Dates Extended
Written by Tonya Young
By now you are very aware of the ACA reporting requirements for the 2015 Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) and Large Employer Shared Responsibility regulations, which will help the feds track the compliance of companies with the employer mandate and individuals with the individual mandate. On December 28th, the IRS announced…
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Monday, 14 December 2015 17:00
End of Year Flexible Spending Account Reminders
Written by Juliet Fitzgibbons
2015 is almost over, so it is time to remind your employees to use up any remaining money they might have left in their Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) or Dependent Care Accounts (DCAP) before the year is over! An FSA account may be set up as a “use it or…
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The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was enacted to grant employees the ability to take unpaid medical leave with job protection for up to 12 weeks for a serious health condition for themselves, their spouse, a child, or parent, as well as certain types of leave for families of…
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Monday, 12 October 2015 18:00
Reinsurance Fee Reporting Deadline November 16, 2015
Written by Kristen Russell
2015 Reinsurance Fees are due soon for partially self-funded plans. These fees began in 2014, and were created by the ACA to stabilize the individual insurance markets for three years after the elimination of medical underwriting. The fee is $44 per average covered life (both employees and dependents) on the…
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