Since the passage of reforms under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, health plans and plan administration have had to evolve plan documents and train staff on the requirements. This week’s Feature from CCH reports on a recent webcast sponsored by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans covering a review by experts on what reforms are currently in place, which ones will be forthcoming in the next few years, and how employers can prepare for them.
Benefits
Feature of the Week
The upcoming new year provides a fresh opportunity to examine company policies, especially pertaining to certain benefits such as paid and unpaid leave time. This week’s Feature from CCH HR Compliance Library offers a checklist for employers in designing and auditing a voluntarily provided leave policy.
Feature of the Week
Spencer’s Benefits, a service provided by our partner CCH, has an “Ask the Experts” function which allows subscribers to ask editorial experts questions relating to benefits questions. This week’s Feature highlights recent benefits questions and answers, including questions on Section 125 changes due to a reduction in wages; health savings account contributions and changes.
Feature of the Week
Sometimes the past can catch up with employers when generous benefits that were provided when times were good don’t get reviewed in light of current economic circumstances. Unless employers are aware of the financial impact that accrued but unused vacation can have on their companies, vacation accrual and its implications sometimes fly under radar, says Christopher J. Boman, partner at Fisher & Phillips LLP. This week’s Feature from CCH HRAnswersNow outlines tips for employers and HR in dealing with vacation accrual issues.
Feature of the Week
The national health reform law has made its one year anniversary, and since then there have been numerous lawsuits, regulations, model notices, and other activities which have transpired. This week’s Feature from CCH News provides a recap for employers on the current state of affairs with the health reform law.
Feature of the Week
When Governor Abercrombie signed the Hawaii civil unions bill into law, it opened up a host of issues concerning employee benefits, what will be required for employers under state law after January 1, 2012, and what federal laws may require or even trump. Hawaii employers will have to navigate a path among the competing requirements, and this week’s Feature is an analysis from HEC General Counsel Clayton Kamida concerning the likely impact on employer health insurance and other benefit plans, Hawaii Family Leave Law requirements, non-ERISA employer benefits, FMLA and COBRA benefits, taxes, and collective bargaining agreements.
Employers’ Retiree Medical to Fall Sharply Due to Health Reform, Survey Says
Most employers in a May 2010 Towers Watson survey believe that the recently enacted health reform legislation will reduce the number of large employers offering employer-sponsored retiree health benefits, and 43 percent of employers that currently offer retiree benefits plan to reduce or eliminate them.
Read more IRS Encourages Small Business to Use Tax Credits, Incentives for Benefits and Hires
The Internal Revenue Service is encouraging small businesses to take advantage of tax-saving opportunities included in recently enacted federal legislation, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act and the Affordable Care Act.
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Read more EBSA Issues FAQs on E-Filing, E-Signatures for 5500 Filing
The EFAST2 electronic filing system for Forms 5500 and 5500-SF employee benefit plan annual reports has a new e-signature option, which is designed to simplify the electronic filing process, especially for small businesses that use service providers to complete and file their annual reports, Employee Benefits Security Administration says.
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Read more Health Risk Assessments for Medical Expense Reimbursements Prohibited by ADA Says EEOC Letter
A prerequisite for employees to complete a health risk assessment that includes disability-related questions in order to obtain reimbursement for health expenses is prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Assistant Legal Counsel.
Buck Consultants Survey Finds More Employee Cost Sharing in Drug Plans
Employers Enlisting Employee Involvement in Reducing Health Benefit Costs
Despite a challenging economic environment, U.S.
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Additional Information On New COBRA Subsidy Requirements
The model COBRA notices incorporating the new subsidy provisions have not yet been published by the federal Department of Labor (“DOL”). HEC members will be immediately notified when they are issued. In the meantime, the following information may be helpful.
Timeline:
Read more One of Every Four Employers Conducting Health Plan Eligibility Audits
According to the nonprofit International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, its recent survey finds that 26 percent of U.S.
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57 Percent of Large Firms OK Domestic Partner Benefits
According to a recent Human Rights Campaign Foundation report, 57 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partner benefits, and the larger employers are increasingly extending COBRA, FMLA and retirement benefits to gay and transgendered employees and their families.
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