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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Compliance 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 moreSBC Template and Required Addendums for Covered Entities under ACA Section 1557
Updated March 2017 A Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) is four page (double-sided) communication required by the federal government. It must contain specific information, in a specific order, and with a minimum size type, about a group health benefit’s coverage and limitations. If an employer providing an SBC is a covered entity under the […]
Read moreHHS OCR HIPAA Audit Phishing Email Alert
In recent months, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) notified business associates of their inclusion in Phase 2 HIPAA Audits. On November 28, 2016, and November 30, 2016, the OCR issued listserv announcements warning covered entities and their business associates about a phishing email disguised as an OCR […]
Read moreNondiscrimination Regulations Relating to Sex, Gender, Age, and More Finalized
On May 13, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule implementing Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will take effect on July 18, 2016. If entities need to make changes to health insurance or group health plan benefit design as a result of […]
Read moreCompliance Recap // March 2016
The government was busy during the month of March, issuing the massive Benefit Payment and Parameters rule in addition to numerous other updates. The IRS has added filing errors relating to Form 5500 to its project list, and multiple federal agencies confirmed that the just-announced templates relating to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage will […]
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