Cafeteria PlansCDHCFlexible SpendingFSAHealth Care ReformHealth ReimbursementHealth SavingsHRAHSAPPACASection 125 Plans
Every so often it seems another round of surveys is released demonstrating the strong, continual growth of the consumer-directed health care (CDHC) market and the accompanying behavioral shift in how Americans approach buying health care. This month has
From the November 08, 2012 EBIA Weekly [Evans v. Books-A-Million, 2012 WL 5379351 (N.D. Ala. 2012)]
The terminated employee in this case sued her former employer for, among other things, not providing her a COBRA election notice for its group dental plan.
By Beth Pinsker Gladstone NEW YORK | Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:30am EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) - If your company tells you it's replacing your health insurance with a high deductible plan paired with a health savings account - or adding that option to your
Compliance and RegulatoryHealth Care ReformIRSMedicarePPACATaxes
What premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies are available to individuals in 2014 and who is eligible for them?
To assist individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid and are not offered affordable health coverage by their employers, a refundable tax credit (the “premium tax credit”) and a cost sharing subsidy will be available beginning in 2014 to help pay for insurance purchased through an Exchange.
Cafeteria PlansCDHCCompliance and RegulatoryDOLERISAFlexible SpendingFSAHealth Care ReformHealth ReimbursementHRAHSAIRSPPACA
Group health plans, which include HRAs, MERPs, and non-excepted FSAs, must provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) for all eligible plans to all eligible individuals, participants and beneficiaries.
Cafeteria PlansCDHCCompliance and RegulatoryFlexible SpendingFSAHealth Care ReformIRSPPACASection 125 PlansTaxes
The IRS has released Notice 2012-40 which provides guidance on the effective date of the $2,500 contribution limit to health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) under IRS Code Section 125(i) and on the deadline for amending plans to comply with the limit. The notice also provides relief for contributions that mistakenly exceed the $2,500 limit provided they are corrected in a timely manner.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has begun auditing covered entities for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) under the HIPAA Audit Program (Audit Program). The Audit Program is funded by the Health Information Technology for Economic Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and requires HHS to conduct periodic audits to ensure both covered entities and business associates are complying with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, as well as all Breach Notification standards.
IRS has just issued Revenue Procedure 2012-26, which provides the 2013 cost-of-living contribution and coverage adjustments for HSAs, as required under Code Section 223(g). Most contribution limits and the out-of-pocket amounts have been increased for 2013.
Compliance and RegulatoryDOLERISAFlexible SpendingFSAHealth ReimbursementHHSHIPAAHRAIRSPPACASection 125 Plans
Does an employer have to provide a copy of the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (“SBC”) to enrollees of Health Flexible Spending Accounts (“Health FSA”) or Health Reimbursement Arrangements (“HRA”)?
Cafeteria PlansCompliance and RegulatoryDOLERISASection 125 Plans
Voluntary benefits that are sold directly to employees may be subject to ERISA as employer-sponsored plans, or may be exempt under the voluntary plan safe harbor, which allows for only minimal involvement by the employer. The plaintiff in this case purchased a short-term disability policy after seeing a presentation by the insurer at his workplace.
CDHCCompliance and RegulatoryDOLHealth Care ReformHHSIRSPPACAState Legislation
By Joyce Frieden, News Editor, MedPage Today
WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services has issued the final regulations for implementing the state health insurance exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
CDHCCompliance and RegulatoryHealth Care ReformHealth ReimbursementHealth SavingsHRAHSAIRSTaxes
The HHS has just issued their draft bulletin on defining the “actuarial value” methodology that will be used to calculate AV for health plans, and it is good news for HSAs and HRAs! The rules DO include the employer contributions to accounts in the calculations, which is tremendously beneficial to the attractiveness of the plans.
CDHCCompliance and RegulatoryHealth SavingsHSAIRSTaxes
The HSA minimum deductible, a benchmark for comparing HSAs with traditional PPO plans, will rise to $2,500 family and $1,250 individual in 2013, the first increase in the past 3 years, according to former Treasury official Roy Ramthun who makes the annual estimate using near-final government data.
Cafeteria PlansCDHCCOBRACompliance and RegulatoryFlexible SpendingFSAHealth Care ReformHealth ReimbursementHIPAAHRAMedicareTaxes
Posted by RENEE KUHS, Compliance Attorney
Do you think you’re saving money by administering your health reimbursement arrangement (HRA)? In our experience, many employers that self-administer an HRA often overlook important compliance obligations that put them at financial risk. Failure to comply with the following requirements is common and can be costly.
