The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has re-established $6,900 as the 2018 health savings account (HSA) contribution limit for individuals with family coverage under a high deductible health plan (HDHP). This limit was previously announced as $6,900 in May 2017, but was revised to $6,850 in March 2018 due to an inflation adjustment provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs […]
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March 2018 Compliance Recap
March 2018 March was a quiet month in the employee benefits world. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a bulletin that lowered the family contribution limit for health savings account (HSA) contributions. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated its model Premium Assistance Under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program notice (CHIP notice). The […]
Read moreCompliance Recap November 2017
November was a busy month in the employee benefits world. President Trump nominated Alex Azar for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated its guidance on employer shared responsibility penalty assessments and released guidance on Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSE HRA) implementation and […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // June 2017
June was an active month in the employee benefits world. The U.S. Senate released a draft of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 which would substitute the U.S. House Resolution 1628 that aimed to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The U.S. Supreme Court decided an ERISA church plan […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // May 2017
May was an active month in the employee benefits world. On May 4, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill titled the “American Health Care Act of 2017” (AHCA) to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released its Employer Shared Responsibility affordability percentage […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // April 2017
In April, government agencies ramped up their activities by issuing a final rule, updating guidance, and announcing increased Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) enforcement. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated its webpage that summarizes employer shared responsibilities payments and their calculation. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // March 2017
In March, the employee benefits world watched as the House Speaker unveiled a proposal to replace parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The AHCA bill was withdrawn from consideration by the full House on March 24 because it appeared that there would not be […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // February 2017
February had relatively little activity in the employee benefits world because a new Secretary of the Department of Health and Humans (HHS) was recently confirmed and HHS started its rulemaking under the new administration. On February 10, 2017, the U.S. Senate confirmed Rep. Tom Price as the new Secretary of HHS, who has a budget […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // November 2016
November was a busy month for administrative rulemaking in the employee benefits world. The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) released advance informational copies of 2016 Form 5500 Annual Return/Report. The government released annual benefit plan amounts for 2017. The IRS […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // October 2016
October was a busy month for administrative rulemaking in the employee benefits world. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C, guidance on the taxability of health care sharing ministry employer contributions, and health care information reporting tips. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released guidance on HIPAA […]
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