Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter

April 9, 2015

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Senior Employee Benefits Communications Consultant
Segal
in CA

Client Manager
TWG Benefits, Inc.
in FL, OH

Senior Relationship Manager
Verisight
in CA

Director, Client Executive
Transamerica Retirement Solutions
in IL, MI, MN, MO

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Webcasts and Conferences

Making Sense of MEPs and Other Fiduciary Delegation Models
RECORDED
(ASPPA [American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries])

Pension Plan De-risking: Legal Challenges and Opportunities
April 16, 2015 WEBCAST
(Winston & Strawn)

Feng Shui of Defined Contribution Menu Construction
May 21, 2015 WEBCAST
(Multnomah Group)

View All Webcasts and Conferences



[Guidance Overview]

IRS Issues Additional ACA Guidance on Identifying Full-Time Employees
"To comply with the employer shared-responsibility rules of Sec. 4980H and the related health insurance coverage reporting requirements of Sec. 6056 ... an employer must be able to identify its full-time employees.... For many employers, this process is fairly straightforward; however, for employers that employ a large number of non-full-time, variable-hour, or seasonal employees, determining full-time employees presents a challenge." (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants [AICPA])  


[Advert.]

Join us at the 2015 IHC FORUM & Expo in Atlanta June 23-25

Sponsored by Institute for Healthcare Consumerism [IHC]

The 6th Annual IHC FORUM & Expo Atlanta is part of the ONLY conference series 100% dedicated to HealthCare Consumerism—where employers, brokers, health plans, TPAs, consultants & providers gather under ONE roof to LEARN, CONNECT and SHARE!



CMS Presentation: FF-SHOP Business Development, April 7, 2015 (PDF)
25 presentation slides. Agenda: [1] Marketing Research; [2] Business Development Goals; [3] SHOP Value Proposition; [4] Business Development Strategy; [5] Business Development Tactics; and [6] Outlook for SHOP: 2016-2017. (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS])  

Does FMLA Cover in Vitro Fertilization?
"Leave requested and taken for IVF treatments may very well not be protected by the FMLA unless the employee can establish an absence of more than three consecutive days plus continuing treatment. However, it's likely a different story when the question is analyzed as one of pregnancy or disability discrimination.... [G]iven the growing number of pregnancy accommodation laws at the state level, it is possible that IVF treatments may enjoy certain protection under various state laws." (FMLA Insights)  

Total Rewards and Employee Well-Being Practices
"Ninety-six percent of organizations support well-being components ... and 90% of their active employees, on average, are eligible. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of organizations are increasing or considerably increasing their well-being offerings in the next two years ... with the objectives of impacting health-care costs and increasing productivity as the top reasons for the increase.... [M]ost employers would retain their well-being offerings even if they were to stop offering employer-sponsored health-care." (WorldatWork)  

Essential Health Benefits: List of the Largest Three Small-Group Products by State (PDF)
16 pages. "This document provides information to facilitate States' selection of the benchmark plans that will serve as the reference plan for the essential health benefits (EHB). Using data from Health Care.gov, this document provides a list of the three largest small group insurance products ranked by enrollment in the first quarter of 2014 for each State. In addition, we are providing a list of the three largest nationally available Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) plans, which is another benchmark option, ... [and] the single largest Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) dental and vision plans respectively, based on enrollment in the first quarter of 2014." (Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight [CCIIO], Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS])  


[Advert.]

2015 SALGBA National Conference - May 3-6 in Bonita Springs, FL

Sponsored by State and Local Government Benefits Association [SALGBA]

(SALGBA) is the premier organization providing educational and collaborative support for public sector employee benefits professionals, such as national and regional conferences, member directory, and more. For a complete list visit www.salgba.com.



Plan Selections by ZIP Code in the Health Insurance Marketplace
"The dataset provides the total number of Qualified Health Plan selections by ZIP Code for the 37 states that use the HealthCare.gov platform, including the Federally-facilitated Marketplace, State Partnership Marketplaces and supported State-based Marketplaces for the Marketplace open enrollment period from November 15, 2014 through February 15, 2015 ... The data represent the number of unique individuals who have been determined eligible to enroll in a Marketplace plan and had selected a plan by February 15, 2015[.]" (Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation [ASPE], U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS])  

The National Compensation Survey and the ACA: Preserving Quality Health Care Data
"The [National Compensation Survey (NCS)] tracks the incidence and provisions of employer-provided benefits for workers.... This article provides an overview of efforts to research the effects of the ACA on NCS cost, coverage, and provisions data, including obtaining expert feedback and testing selected elements for potential inclusion in future data collection.... Starting in March 2015, the NCS initiated the collection of data on the ACA grandfathered status of health insurance plans. Other provisions are being considered for future NCS collection. The NCS is also evaluating provisions that are identified in the law but not fully implemented, such as the Cadillac tax." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS])  

MLR Year 3: Consumers Benefit to Tune of $5 Billion
"[In] 2013, insurers paid $325 million in consumer rebates, down from the $513 million paid in 2012 and $1 billion in 2011. In 2011, median rebates ranged from $99 to $116 per member across the three market segments. By 2013, median rebates remained at $100 in the individual market, but dropped to $29 and $61 in the small- and large-group markets, respectively." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)  

Americans Are Confident Health Care Consumers, But Ignore Cost in Care Decisions (PDF)
"Sixty-nine percent say they have enough information to get the right health care for themselves and their family, yet less than half (48%) always ask their doctor how much their care will cost.... Health coverage is a key reason workers stay in their jobs, as 70% indicate they depend on their benefits package; 89% say health benefits play a part in staying at their current employer.... Among employees who say the Affordable Care Act changed their benefits, 73% say the change made a negative impact." (Benz Communications, and Quantum Workplace)  

[Opinion]

A Cadillac Tax for Chevy Health Care
"What we have traditionally considered to be standard health plans -- 'Chevy plans' -- are now considered to be 'Cadillac plans.' These are plans that union members have paid for through forgone wage increases -- wage concessions merely to maintain standard health care coverage, not 'Cadillac' coverage. This attitude that standard coverage is somehow a 'Cadillac' plan shows how much the definition of standard coverage has deteriorated." (Physicians for a National Health Program [PNHP])  

Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

[Guidance Overview]

IRS Provides Limited Section 162(m) Transition Relief for RSUs and Similar Equity-Based Awards
"The clarification as to RSUs was a disappointing but not unexpected result. What was surprising, however, is that the final regulations depart from the proposed regulations by stating that the clarification applies only to RSUs granted on or after April 1, 2015. Thus, RSUs granted before April 1, 2015, will still be exempt even if they are paid out after the end of the transition period." (McGuireWoods LLP)  

Discretionary Clawback Policies: Risk of Variable Stock Plan Accounting
"Existing accounting guidance (ASC 718-10-30-24) would seem to suggest that clawback features should not disrupt fixed accounting treatment because of their contingent nature.... Companies adopting or modifying existing clawback policies should evaluate the potential risks of discretionary provisions ... before adopting or revising those policies. This will be particularly true for public companies when it comes time to evaluate compliance with the much-anticipated SEC guidance on clawbacks that will finally implement the Dodd-Frank legislation of 2010." (Benefits Bryan Cave)  

CEO Pay Rises 9% for Early Filers: Incentive Programs Continue to Demonstrate Pay for Performance
"CEO total compensation among 100 early proxy filers grew +9% in 2014 to a median $6.4 million, driven primarily by increases in short- and long-term incentive pay.... Salaries increased +3% to $960,000; Bonuses increased +8% to $1.4 million; Long-term incentives ... increased by +5% to $4.0 million; [and] Total compensation increased +9% to $6.4 million.... The majority of CEO compensation continues to be delivered through incentive-based pay, comprising 82% of total compensation, with long-term awards and short-term bonuses representing 57% and 25%, respectively. Base salaries accounted for only 18% of CEOs' total compensation in 2014." (Steven Hall & Partners)  

Looking at Executive Compensation Through Activist Lenses (Video)
"There are five key areas that activists consider when examining executive compensation plans. Gerard Leider, partner, Meridian Compensation Partners, explains each of the five areas and what compensation committee members should consider as they work to design a pay package that management and shareholders alike will approve." (New York Stock Exchange)  

Press Releases

PSCA Leadership Meets with Key Congressional Staff
PSCA [Plan Sponsor Council of America]

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