The U.S. Congress is considering legislation to extend eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits and subsidized COBRA through December 31, 2010; the same legislation also closes tax loopholes for wealthy investment fund managers and foreign operations of multi-national companies. Read more

The COBRA health insurance subsidy has been especially important for middle class families by helping them maintain health insurance coverage during the recession, according to a U.S. Treasury Dept. report. Read more

Bills have recently been introduced in Washington to extend the COBRA subsidy provisions originally provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Read more

The U.S. Dept. Read more

Continuation of medical coverage enrollments under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act have doubled since the enactment of subsidized payments for involuntarily terminated employees, according to a recent Hewitt analysis.

COBRA enrollment activity for 200 large U Read more

The Internal Revenue Service has added to its question and answer page on the COBRA subsidy requirements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Under the Q&A for Administration and Eligibility, the IRS answers questions such as: how acceptable is an employer’s determination that there was an involunt Read more

The U.S. Dept. Read more

The U.S. Dept. Read more

New questions and answers on the implementation of the subsidized medical premiums for involuntarily terminated employees have been added to the Internal Revenue Service’s COBRA: Answers for Employers webpage.

The new questions include how the reimbursement for the COBRA premium subsidy claimed if there are no payroll Read more

Employers cannot claim the new medical premium assistance tax credit under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act until they receive the 35 percent payment from the former employee, CCH reports, citing Treasury Department and IRS officials who spoke during an April 6 webcast.

According to CCH, the officials also said being called up to military duty may be an involuntary termina Read more

Hawaii Medical Service Association has posted a special webpage outlining its policy on the premium reductions under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act for “assistance eligible individuals” and employer group health plans with HMSA.

( Categories : COBRA )

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Spencer's Benefits Reports, a publication of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business (CCH), is asking for employer participation in its 2009 COBRA Continuation of Coverage survey.

This year's survey, which has a total of 23 questions, requests information concerning the costs, administrative procedures, and problems associated Read more

The Internal Revenue Service has issued its guidance on implementing the medical premium subsidy under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act for involuntarily terminated employees. Read more

Addressed primarily to those who were on subsidized COBRA, the U.S. Dept. of Labor has issued a new fact sheet on what to do once the subsidy expires, and an updated FAQ on the continuation of COBRA after the premium subsidy expires. Read more

The Internal Revenue Service should conduct a compliance initiative project to determine if employers are claiming individual COBRA subsidies for longer than 15 months, and if individuals are properly receiving COBRA, the General Accounting Office says.
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