The Department of Health and Human Services recently published regulations explaining how plan sponsors may apply for the early retiree reinsurance program in the Affordable Care Act. The upcoming webcast, Early Retiree Reinsurance Program: Information You Need Now to Apply, will discuss the new regulations and focus on what plan sponsors need to do to participate. Register now to attend this webcast on Thursday, June 10.
|
[Guidance Overview]
Limitation on Health FSAs Offered in Cafeteria Plans Under Health Reform
Excerpt: "Sec. 9005 of the Affordable Care Act concerns the limitations placed on health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) offered in cafeteria plans. Effective for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2012, a health FSA will not be a qualified benefit under a cafeteria plan unless the plan provides for a $2,500 maximum annual salary reduction contribution to the FSA. If the plan does not specifically prohibit salary reductions in excess of $2,500, the benefit under the health FSA will not be qualified."
(Wolters Kluwer)
Employers Will Pass Obamacare Costs onto Employees, According to Survey
Excerpt: "90 percent [of benefit specialists surveyed] believe that Obamacare 'will increase their organization's health care benefit costs'; 88 percent intend to pass the increases onto employees by increasing employee premium contributions or other cost-sharing measures; 74 percent intend to 'reduce health benefits and programs' by using stingier health plans, restricting eligibility for health coverage, and using spousal waivers or surcharges."
(National Review)
Obama Administration Sides with City in San Francisco Health Coverage Law Lawsuit
Excerpt: "San Francisco Chronicle: 'The Obama administration took San Francisco's side Friday in a legal dispute over the city's groundbreaking health coverage law, urging the Supreme Court to reject an appeal by restaurant owners who objected to paying part of the cost. In a long-awaited filing, government lawyers said passage of national health insurance legislation 'has dramatically changed the landscape' and reduced the likelihood that cities and states would adopt laws like San Francisco's."
(Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
Graduates May See Health Insurance Coverage Gap After All
Excerpt: "[W]hen parents ask for details from their employers about how to keep their children on a family plan, many are learning that their employers have said 'no thank you' to their insurer's offer to make the change early. Instead of modifying health plans now, they plan to wait to provide the extended coverage until they are legally required to do so."
(The New York Times; free registration required)
Health Care Tax Credit Comes with Benefits and Strings for Small Businesses
Excerpt: "Critics say the credit is too complicated and doesn't solve the underlying problem for small business owners: the rising cost of insurance. 'As long as costs keep going up, the credit is going to become less valuable,' says Bill Rys, tax counsel for the National Federation of Independent Business."
(Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
An employer writes:
"I have to tell you that of all the job boards I’ve ever used, this one has the best quality of candidates. I don’t get flooded with tons of resumes, and even the candidates who aren’t fit for the jobs we have don’t miss the mark by much."
|
Executive Compensation; Benefits in General
[Guidance Overview]
Supreme Court Resolves Conflict on Awarding Attorney Fees in ERISA Cases in Hardt v. Reliance Standard Life
Excerpt: "Resolving a long-standing conflict in the Federal Circuits, the U.S. Supreme Court . . . has held that a party need not 'prevail' in its Employee Retiree Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation for a court to award the party attorneys' fees; rather, the Court held that a party in an ERISA case is eligible for a fee award if it achieves 'some degree of success on the merits' in the litigation."
(Littler Mendelson P.C.)
Webcasts and Conferences
The Basics and More Workshop
in Florida on June 24, 2010
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Press Releases
Newly Posted Employee Benefits Jobs
Handy Links:
Subscribe to the BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, Too!
Sign-up form is at https://benefitslink.com/newsletter (free).
This email has been published by:
BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park FL 32789
(407) 644-4146
Fax: (407) 644-2151
Jeanette Hull, News Editor
jeanette.hull@benefitslink.com
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor and Publisher
david.baker@benefitslink.com
Copyright 2010 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.; except that you can
forward this email in full (including this boilerplate part) or
otherwise reprint this email in full (including this boilerplate
part) without obtaining our permission.
Anyone can receive these emails; just have them sign up
at this web page: https://benefitslink.com/newsletter/
Other useful links:
|