Member Chat – Feb
Feb 12th – COBRA & Medicare Feb 5th – Spousal and Dependent Eligibility Feb 5th
Defining Plan Eligibility for Employees, Spouses and Dependents
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Supreme Court Decision – Change in Administrative Power
A Supreme Court decision released last week overturned a 40-year precedent known as the Chevron Doctrine. Under the doctrine, when a...
PCORI Fee – Updated Form 720
The IRS released the updated Form 720 for the 2024 second quarter with updated dates and fees on Line 133...
PCORI Fee Reminder
The PCORI fee for group health plans that ended sometime during 2023 must be reported and paid by July 31,...
HIPAA Privacy Rule for Reproductive Health Care
Deemed necessary following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, HHS has issued a new...
2025 Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters
The agencies released finalized 2025 Benefit and Payment Parameters regulations. The guidance generally focuses on the administration of the public...
Reimbursement of Nutrition, Wellness and General Health Expenses
While reimbursement of new weight-loss drugs available solely by prescription are reimbursable on a tax-favored basis under an FSA, HRA,...
ERISA Enforcement & Penalties
We continue to be reminded lately of the importance of the employer’s role as a fiduciary of the benefit plans...
Guardian HR
HR & Employment Law Support Get Federal, State, and Local Leave Law Help – And Much More. We know how...
GAG CLAUSE ATTESTATIONS – QUESTION OF THE WEEK 2
Q: What if an employer changes carriers, TPAs or service providers during the attestation period? A: If there was more than one...
Gag Clause Attestations – Question of the Week
Q: How many attestations must be filed by the employer if the carrier, TPA, PBM or other service provider has not...
2024 Health FSA and Qualified Transportation Limits
IRS confirmation of 2024 health FSA and qualified transportation limits has arrived! As many expected, 2024 health FSA contributions are...
DOL Settlement Serves as Reminder that Tobacco Surcharges are Wellness Programs
An employer recently entered into a settlement with the Department of Labor (DOL) stemming in part from a complaint by the DOL...
PCORI Fee Reminder – Updated Form 720
The IRS has released a long-awaited updated Form 720 for the 2023 second quarter with updated dates and fees on...
When is a Business Associate Agreement Required?
Part of any HIPAA compliance project involves the process of reviewing existing vendor relationships to determine which vendors are acting...
Revisiting the Department of Labor’s Cybersecurity Guidance
In July 2021, we wrote about new guidance from the Department of Labor (“2021 guidance”) that set forth “best practices”...
Air Ambulance Reporting – No, it is not happening in 2023
Included in the No Surprises Act (NSA) is a provision requiring carriers and health plans to report information regarding air...
Reporting Offers of COBRA
Reporting Offers of COBRA The reporting of offers of COBRA and actual enrollment in COBRA continuation coverage depends upon (i)...
Reporting for Aggregated ALE Groups
Entities that are part of the same controlled group or affiliated service group under IRC §414 rules due to common...
HHS Guidance on Audio-Only Telehealth & Reproductive Care Privacy
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued several pieces of guidance related to compliance with the Health Insurance...
Affordability Safe Harbors
An employer is unlikely to know the employee’s household income, so the IRS provided three employer affordability safe harbors. When...
Reporting Offers of Coverage – 1A versus 1E
When reporting offers of coverage in Part II, Line 14 of the Form 1095-C, both codes 1A and 1E indicate...
Preparing for a HIPAA Audit – Steps Employers Should Take
A question we often receive from our current and prospective HIPAA clients is what they need to do to ensure...
Determining Applicable Large Employer (ALE) Status
All applicable large employers (ALEs) are required to offer medical coverage to full-time employees and their dependents and then report...
IRS Enforcement Efforts – Letter 226J (§4980H Requirements)
The IRS is now proposing §4980H (“Employer Mandate”) penalties for applicable large employers who appear to owe penalties for the...
2023 “Affordability” Percentage
In Revenue Procedure 2022-34, the IRS significantly decreased the affordability percentage from 9.61% to 9.12% for 2023. This percentage determines...
Biden Administration Extends National Emergency
Introduction On February 18, 2022, President Biden formally extended the COVID-19 National Emergency for up to another year. The National...