Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter

August 17, 2017

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Employee Benefits Jobs

Client Service Associate (Nonqualified Division)
Milliman
in TX

ERISA Associate Attorney
Durham Jones & Pinegar
in UT

Junior Plan Administrator
My Benefits, LLC
in GA

Senior Plan Administrator
My Benefits, LLC
in GA, Telecommute

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Webcasts and Conferences

Ethics Case Studies for Employee Benefits Practitioners
September 21, 2017 WEBCAST
ftwilliam.com

Being Prepared for a HIPAA Audit
September 25, 2017 WEBCAST
MentorHealth

Advanced IRA Training
September 26, 2017 WEBCAST
Wolters Kluwer

Coverdell Education Savings Account (CESA) IRA Training
September 27, 2017 WEBCAST
Wolters Kluwer

Simplified Employee Pensions (SEP) Training
September 27, 2017 WEBCAST
Wolters Kluwer

IRA Beneficiary Administration Training
September 28, 2017 WEBCAST
Wolters Kluwer

Are Prescription Drug Costs Making You Sick? How to Protect Your Plan
October 5, 2017 in MA
New England Employee Benefits Council

Consumer Experience & Digital Forum
December 5, 2017 in TN
America's Health Insurance Plans [AHIP]

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New Comments and Topics

All Topics, Grouped by Forum


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[Guidance Overview]

Play or Pay Mandates, Employer Reporting, and the Health Insurance Fee
"[IRS] has recently released a series of information letters to clarify that the ACA's individual and employer mandates remain the law of the land.... [IRS] has also released draft forms for use to satisfy the employer reporting requirements under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 and 6056.... HMOs, health insurance issuers and certain other entities will resume paying the health insurance provider fee in 2018 after a one-year moratorium."
Burnham Benefits

[Advert.]

Online Learning Course: HSA and HRA Basics

Sponsored by International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans [IFEBP]

This e-learning course will provide an in-depth look at HSA and HRA programs as well as how these programs interact with an HCFSA.


Poorly Implemented FMLA Policies and Procedures Are Costing Employers Big-Time
"A few nuggets we need to keep in mind when drafting FMLA policies and call-in procedures: [1] Let there be no ambiguity as to whether maternity, parental, caregiver, disability or any other kind of paid leave runs concurrently with FMLA leave.... [2] When employers do not provide the appropriate individual notices (i.e., the Notice of Eligibility and Rights & Responsibilities and the Designation Notice), it is tantamount to strict liability.... [3] Draft and maintain very clear call-in procedures, and ensure they are demanding."
FMLA Insights

Points to Keep in Mind When Introducing Medical Plan Choice
"[1] Offering medical plan choice is a journey -- have a multi-year plan.... [2] Make sure you aren't offering your employees medical plan choice in name only.... [3] Inertia is the enemy of progress -- take steps to prevent it.... [4] If you build it, will they come? Provide decision support for employees."
Fidelity Health Marketplace

2017 Midyear HSA Research Report (PDF)
"The number of HSA accounts surpassed 21 million, holding about $42.7 billion in assets, a year over year increase of 23% for HSA assets and 16% for accounts ... HSA investment assets reached an estimated $6.8 billion in June, up 44% year over year. The average investment account holder has a $15,146 average total balance ... Health plan partnerships continued as the leading driver of new account growth, accounting for 36% of new accounts opened in 2017 so far."
Devenir

Can I Have an HRA and HSA at the Same Time?
"HRA plan types that are compatible with an HSA: [1] Limited purpose HRA ... [2] Post-deductible HRA ... [3] Retirement HRA ... [4] Suspended HRA."
DataPath

[Advert.]

Save $50 – use promo code BLINK2 (not valid for webcast)

Sponsored by World Congress

Executive Forum on On-Site and Near-Site Employee Health Clinics. Employers and health system executives involved in on-site/near-site clinic operation/management, worksite health services, and employee wellness meet to discuss developments and innovations.


Massachusetts Employers Face $200 Million Increase in Health Care Costs Under MassHealth Amendments
"The Act temporarily increases existing employer fees and imposes new fines on employers that together are expected to raise about $200 million. Despite this new revenue, the Act leaves a significant shortfall in projected MassHealth revenues. In light of this budget shortfall, future changes to these rules are all but inevitable. The new law applies in 2018 and 2019, and it sunsets December 31, 2019."
Mintz Levin

White House: Federal Government to Make CSR Payments This Month
"The government will make this month's [cost-sharing reduction] payments to insurers ... a White House official said Wednesday.... The subsidies are snared in a legal dispute over whether the Obama health care law properly approved the payments to insurers. Adding to the confusion, other parts of the law clearly direct the government to reimburse the carriers."
Associated Press, via Insurance News Net

Sen. Cassidy's Repeal-and-Replace Plan Is 'Only Game Left'
"The Cassidy-Graham-Heller legislation, which hasn't yet been scored by the [CBO], would scrap the ACA's individual and employer mandates to buy health insurance while largely block-granting Medicaid funding for states."
InsuranceNewsNet.com

Discussions on
the BenefitsLink Message Boards

Handling a Section 125 Plan During a Corporate Merger
"Let's say you have two non-profit corporations, only one of whom sponsors a cafeteria plan. The two corporations merge to form a new corporation, with a new Employer Identification Number. They do this mid-year. In the qualified plan world, there is certain guidance for merger and acquisition situations, but I haven't seen anything on this for cafeteria plans. Anyone have any experience with this, or know of any guidance? If not, opinions on what is normally (or should be) done?"
BenefitsLink Message Boards

Press Releases

Court Orders $5M to Be Restored to Employee Stock Ownership Plan
Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA], U.S. Department of Labor

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Lois Baker, J.D., President
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor and Publisher
Holly Horton, Business Manager

BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter, ISSN no. 1536-9595. Copyright 2017 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. All materials contained in this newsletter are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., or in the case of third party materials, the owner of those materials. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notices from copies of the content.

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