Category: Uncategorized

As employers determine their plan designs for the coming year, those with grandfathered status need to decide if maintaining grandfathered status is their best option. Following are some frequently asked questions, and answers, about grandfathering a g…

How many times have you asked an employee about his or her stress level only to get the response that they are too busy to be stressed? Whether overworked, overstressed, or a combination of the two, employees keep putting off taking a day off to relax …

On July 22, 2014, two Courts of Appeals issued decisions that address whether only people who live in states that have state-run Marketplaces (which are also called exchanges) are eligible to receive premium tax credits or subsidies under the Patient P…

As was the case last year, insurers with medical loss ratios (MLRs) that were below the prescribed levels on their blocks of business must issue rebates to policyholders. Insurers must pay rebates owed on calendar year 2013 experience by August 1, 2014…

By Elizabeth Kay
Compliance and Retention Analyst for AEIS, UBA Partner Firm in San Mateo, CA

482462399According to new information from United Benefit Advisors (UBA), health savings accounts (HSAs) are outpacing health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) in both adoption and participation rates. And now that metal tier health plans [e.g., platinum, gold, silver, etc.] are allowed higher deductibles, employers are increasingly looking at HSA qualified plans for their upcoming plan year. Here’s a look at why this trend is unfolding.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) continues to phase in. Many plan design requirements took effect in 2014 for both large and small plans. This next year will bring employer-shared responsibility (“play or pay”) requirements for larger employers. PPACA has also affected the notices employers need to give as part of the open enrollment process and it affects COBRA.

BYOD stands for bring-your-own-device and it’s a concept that’s gaining in popularity among most major companies, especially those that allow telecommuting. Most employer policies on BYOD cover productivity and ensuring the employees are using the righ…

Generally, plans that must comply with ERISA must file a Form 5500 by the last day of the seventh month after the close of their plan year. For calendar year plans this means the due date for the Form 5500 is July 31. Government plans (which includes m…

Question: Is affordability under the Employer Shared Responsibility mandate based on the lowest cost plan? Answer: Yes. According to the final regulations: “In order to avoid a potential assessable payment under section 4980H(b), the coverage offered must be affordable, generally meaning that the employee portion of the self-only premium for the employer’s lowest cost coverage … Continued

The Department of Labor has published a new model COBRA general notice and a new model COBRA election notice. The new model notices reflect that coverage is available in the public health insurance exchanges, i.e., the “Marketplace,” and include information on special enrollment rights in the Marketplace.