Healthcare Legislation (92)
Friday, 26 October 2018 14:09
Student Loan Repayment Benefit Plan Receives Green Light from IRS
Written by Adam Wright
With unemployment at historic lows and student debt at historic highs, it’s no wonder that employers are considering fresh types of benefits plans to attract talent. Some companies are offering student loan repayment benefits linked to their 401(k) plans, a practice which recently received a green light from the IRS…
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Healthcare Legislation
The partisan battle over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) heated up once again during the first week of September, when Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas heard arguments from Republican attorneys general stating that the ACA is unconstitutional. Although it may take a few weeks or even months for…
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Healthcare Legislation
Friday, 03 August 2018 09:06
House Passes Bills Making HSAs More Attractive
Written by Scott Nitowski
On July 25, 2018, the House of Representatives passed two health care bills, H.R. 6199 and H.R. 6311, that would make significant changes to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). Republicans are pushing to expand HSA usage with a number of Democrats leaning…
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Healthcare Legislation
The expansion of Association Health Plans (AHPs) has arrived. The U.S. Department of Labor announced regulations that will allow these plans to become effective as early as September 2018. AHPs allow small business to band together to purchase health insurance. Continue reading to understand whether these Association Health Plans might…
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Healthcare Legislation
The final Affordable Care Act provisions for 2019 have been released and they are in line with the regulations proposed on October 27, 2017. The provisions primarily concern the out-of-pocket maximums, Essential Health Benefits (EHBs), and the Marketplace.
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Healthcare Legislation
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) provides employees of companies with 50 or more workers up to 12 weeks of protected unpaid leave annually for their own serious health condition, for the adoption or birth of a child or to care for a spouse, child, or parent…
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Healthcare Legislation
There are several healthcare-related taxes that employers have been responsible for under the Affordable Care Act. Some have gone through a sunset while others continue, and some were given a temporary holiday and were scheduled to start anew in 2018. Following a short government shut-down, President Trump signed a short-term…
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Healthcare Legislation
For starters, the individual mandate is still in effect for 2018, meaning that employees may have to pay a sharp tax penalty of 2.5% of their income if they do not have health insurance. Early reports that this is no longer in place are false. Even after the individual mandate…
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Healthcare Legislation
Wednesday, 20 December 2017 15:04
What Made the Cut in the Final Tax Cut Bill
Written by Kristen Russell
The Conference Committee in Congress worked last week to meld together the House and Senate versions of their tax cuts bill. Their compromise bill was passed on Tuesday, December 19th, by the House. While the Senate passed it that Wednesday, some last minute changes required Tuesday night by reconciliation rules …
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Healthcare Legislation
Republicans have promised to get a tax bill on President Trump’s desk by the end of the year. In response, the House and Senate have created separate versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in the last several weeks, leaving little time for them to be debated. These…
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Healthcare Legislation
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Friday, 10 November 2017 16:39
How Will Association Health Plans Impact Employers?
Written by Gaby Baughn
In early October, President Trump signed an Executive Order instructing the Department of Labor to propose regulations to expand access to Association Health Plans (AHPs). This expansion would give small employers and the self-employed more health insurance options through bona fide trade and association groups based on profession and interest…
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Healthcare Legislation
Tuesday, 31 October 2017 07:17
Funding Expires for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Written by Gaby Baughn
Congress missed the September 30 deadline to continue funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This means federal funding for this program will expire by the end of October. This could cause strain on state level budgets nationwide, because once CHIP funds run out, states will struggle to continue this…
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Healthcare Legislation
Wednesday, 28 June 2017 14:24
Senate Repeal and Replace Bill is Released, then Stalled
Written by Tonya Young
The American Health Care Act (AHCA) bill was passed by the House of Representatives on May 4, 2017. (To catch up on the content of the House bill, click here). Instead of agreeing with The House proposal, Senate Republicans instead drafted their own bill, released on June 22, called the…
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Healthcare Legislation
The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee is due July 31, 2017 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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Healthcare Legislation