March marks the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Are you an “ACA Guru,” or could your ACA knowledge use a refresher? Take the 10-question Alera ACA Quiz to find out!

If you have any questions about whether your plans and employer policies are ACA-compliant, contact your Fall River Client Manager today!

Earlier this month the U.S. marked the one-year anniversary of public shutdowns related to COVID-19. No one could have expected that the pandemic would last this long, but many have been encouraged to see parts of the country start to open up again due to lower infection rates and the vaccines becoming more widely available.

The American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, was signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021. The Act allowed for various extensions related to the FFCRA’s Paid Leave and FMLA provisions, relief for Health FSAs and Dependent Care Accounts, enhanced Premium Tax Credits for Marketplace coverage, and a 100% premium subsidy for COBRA coverage for Assistance Eligible Individuals (AEIs) for the period of April 1 through September 30, 2021. What does all of this mean for employers?

With everything going on related to COVID, it might be easy to miss that the EEOC recently issued new proposed wellness program rules after a long period of silence regarding wellness incentives and how to handle the concerns of the ADA and GINA. However, these proposed changes are important to note for any company that has an employer-sponsored wellness program, because if finalized in their current form they may restrict the level of incentives you can use in certain circumstances.

The Employers Council conducts an annual Health, Welfare and Retirement Plans Survey in Colorado, and the results provide valuable insights into benefit and plan trends. We’ve culled through the recent data from 2020 to bring you the latest trends emerging in the Denver/Boulder area.

As of February 14th, 37.5 million Americans and 630,000 Coloradans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Now that vaccination is available, we’ve been getting more questions about when a plan member can get it and how they go about doing so. What’s the best way to determine when and where they’ll be able to receive the vaccine? 

Over the past few years, surprise billing has been a very hot topic and a huge source of frustration for members affected by it. One large unexpected bill from a health care provider or facility can be financially and emotionally devastating for patients that have already endured a surgery or emergency medical event. Legislation passed shortly before Christmas is a big step toward easing the concerns of Americans in the health care system.

It’s likely not a surprise that last year saw a decline in healthcare spending due to closed medical offices and many other factors related to COVID-19. Because of this, provisions were included in December’s Consolidated Appropriations Act for both health Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Dependent Care flexible spending accounts (DCAs).

The New Year brings several HR changes that impact employers of all sizes. We’re providing you with a 2021 HR Compliance Checklist, brought to you by our partner and HR Consultant extraordinaire, Solvere HR Consulting. This helpful guide includes several federal and state employment law changes you need to be aware of. 

As the first doses of the COVID vaccine are arriving in Colorado and across the country, questions are being raised by employers about their health plans and office safety procedures. Our partners at Alera Group have issued guidance on what employers should be doing now to prepare themselves and their employees for the vaccine rollout. Read the recommendations here regarding medical policy cost restrictions and vaccine requirements.