January 2018 January was a busy month in the employee benefits world. On January 24, 2018, the U.S. Senate confirmed Alex Azar as the new Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed regulations regarding association health plans. HHS released the 2018 federal poverty guidelines. […]
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COBRA Notices
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) requires group health plans to provide notices to covered employees and their families explaining their COBRA rights when certain events occur. The various notices described below are subject to different timeframes and requirements under COBRA. Initial Notice The initial notice, also referred to as the general […]
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 // 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 moreLimited seating available! Sign up now for a our February webinar on Medicare Secondary Payer and CMS Data Match
Benefit Insurance Marketing is pleased to extend an invitation to attend our upcoming monthly compliance Webinar. In conjunction with our alliance with United Benefit Advisors, you have the opportunity to learn more about the latest compliance trends and regulations from one of the nations leading employment and benefit law firms, Fisher Phillips. Best of all, you can take […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // August 2016
August remained relatively quiet in the employee benefits world, with only new draft versions of the instructions for Forms 1095-C, 1095-C, 1094-B and 1095-B. The new draft versions of the specific forms were released in July. The IRS also released the annual contribution limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and the deductible minimums and out-of-pocket […]
Read moreWhat You Need To Know About Medicare Secondary Payer Rules
Under federal regulations, Medicare is a secondary payer for many individuals who have an employer group health plan available to them, either as an employee or the dependent spouse or child of the employee. Generally the Medicare Secondary Payer rules prohibit employers with more than 20 employees from in any way incentivizing an active employee […]
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