ERISA Attorney
Kraw Law Group, APC
in CA

Retirement Plan Administrator
Beene Garter LLP
in MI

Defined Contribution Document Ops Supervisor
Transamerica
in CO

Senior Benefits Attorney
Air Line Pilots Association, International
in VA

Pension Plan Administrator
American Pension Advisors, Ltd.
in IN

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Expanding World of HSAs
RECORDED
Ascensus

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts
RECORDED
Ascensus

Encouraging Consumerism by Implementing Compliant Consumer-Driven Health Plans
RECORDED
OneDigital Health and Benefits

Understanding the Role of Rebates in Prescription Drug Pricing
November 28, 2018 in DC
Alliance for Health Policy

►See 80 Upcoming Webcasts and Conferences

►See 1431 Recorded Webcasts

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New Comments and Topics

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[Official Guidance]

Text of IRS Rev. Proc. 2018-57: Inflation-Adjusted Limits for 2019 (PDF)

"For taxable years beginning in 2019,

• "the dollar amount in effect under Section 45R(d)(3)(B) is $27,100. This amount is used under Section 45R(c) for limiting the small employer health insurance credit and under Section 45R(d)(1)(B) for determining who is an eligible small employer for purposes of the credit....
• "the dollar limitation under Section 125(i) on voluntary employee salary reductions for contributions to health flexible spending arrangements is $2,700....
• "the monthly limitation under Section 132(f)(2)(A) regarding the aggregate fringe benefit exclusion amount for transportation in a commuter highway vehicle and any transit pass is $265. The monthly limitation under Section 132(f)(2)(B) regarding the fringe benefit exclusion amount for qualified parking is $265....
• "under Section 137(a)(2), the amount that can be excluded from an employee's gross income for the adoption of a child with special needs is $14,080.... under Section 137(b)(1) the maximum amount that can be excluded from an employee's gross income for the amounts paid or expenses incurred by an employer for qualified adoption expenses furnished pursuant to an adoption assistance program for other adoptions by the employee is $14,080."

Internal Revenue Service [IRS]

[Advert.]

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs): Compliance Obligations Under the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA

Nov. 28 webinar. Although HSAs have numerous tax advantages, it is easy to inadvertently fail to satisfy the requirements. This webinar will help health plan administrators navigate this sometimes treacherous terrain. BenefitsLink discount.

[Guidance Overview]

Proposed Regs for Health Reimbursement Arrangements

"The Departments issued proposed regulations that allow for stand-alone, excepted benefit HRAs [EBHRAs].... The EBHRA is not subject to the Market Reform Rules, and coverage under the EBHRA does not make an individual ineligible for the PTC. There are four requirements for the EBHRA.... Prior to the passage of the ACA, many employers offered HRAs to employees. Due to the limitations in the ACA, these plans became scarce ... Employers will likely welcome having the opportunity to offer employees an EBHRA."
Trucker Huss

[Guidance Overview]

Final Contraceptives Rules Include Religious and Moral Convictions Exemptions

"The final religious beliefs regulations include several clarifications to the October 2017 interim final regulations, based on more than 56,000 comments that the Departments received in response to the interim final rules. The final religious beliefs and moral convictions regulations do not change HRSA's discretion to require contraceptive and sterilization coverage where no recognized objection exists."
Thomson Reuters Practical Law

[Guidance Overview]

Administration Revises State Innovation Waiver Review Standards Under Section 1332 of the ACA

"The new guidance directs the Departments to assess the availability of comprehensive and affordable coverage: a change from past practice where the Departments assessed the coverage that residents actually purchase.... The new guidance directs the Departments to assess the impact of state waiver applications in the aggregate."
Groom Law Group

2018 Benefits Strategy Benchmarking Survey (PDF)

"Attracting and retaining a competitive workforce is the number one operational priority again at 60%, up 2 points over 2017.... [C]ontrolling employee benefit costs (37%) dropped 6 points.... There's a rise in employers that consider their health benefits more competitive within their industry or region -- to 74% from 71% in 2017 -- but they also say employees' satisfaction with these options hasn't budged.... While nearly three-quarters of employers (74%) consider cost management of their health benefits a top priority, just 44% agree they have an effective strategy to support that objective."
Gallagher

[Advert.]

Nondiscrimination Testing for Health Plans: Code Section 105(h) and Post-ACA Design Alternatives

Dec. 5 webinar. Understand rules and develop cost effective strategies to meet the compliance obligation, avoid lawsuits, and develop health benefit offerings that are both facially and operationally nondiscriminatory. BenefitsLink discount.

Poor Health Costs U.S. Employers $530 Billion

"US employers paid nearly $880 billion in health care benefits for employees and dependents. However, illness-related lost productivity costs them another $530 billion per year ... That amounts to 60 cents for every dollar employers spend on health care benefits. Employees covered for sick time, workers' compensation, disability, and family and medical leave benefits are absent about 893 million days due to illness and incur an estimated 527 million lost work days due to impaired performance. This totals almost 1.4 billion days annually of employees absent -- greater than every nurse in the US missing a year of work."
Integrated Benefits Institute

Insurer Participation on ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2019

"The average number of companies per state in 2018 was 3.5, ranging from one company in eight states (Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming) to more than 10 insurers in three states (Wisconsin, California, and New York). In 2018, 48% of enrollees (living in about 18% of counties) had a choice of three or more insurers.... [T]here were no counties without at least one insurer in 2018."
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

[Opinion]

Solutions to Lower Premiums for Hardworking Americans Who Buy Their Own Coverage (PDF)

18 pages. "To provide the kinds of affordable insurance options Americans really want, options that cover preventive care and protect them from financial devastation if they get sick, it is imperative we tackle the real problem -- misaligned incentives and sky-high unit prices."
America's Health Insurance Plans [AHIP]

Big Data, Big Changes for Insurance and Pensions (PDF)

"Because it involves the storage and analysis of large volumes of information, Big Data is creating new opportunities for efficiency and innovation in the insurance and pension sectors. At the same time, Big Data has the potential to disrupt the way insurance and pensions are traditionally marketed, designed, and sold to consumers. As advancements in data analysis and storage continue to evolve, actuaries will play an important role in helping insurers and pension plan sponsors navigate the opportunities and challenges posed by Big Data."
American Academy of Actuaries

Press Releases

Year-End Financial-Planning Content At myStockOptions.com Explains The Impacts Of Tax Reform
myStockOptions.com

Three New Members Elected to AHIP Board of Directors
America's Health Insurance Plans [AHIP]

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Most Popular Items in the Previous Issue

Ten Essential Contract Provisions for Service Provider Agreements
Compliance Dashboard

ACA Penalty Notices Are in the Mail
Thomson Reuters / EBIA

Agencies Release Advance Copies of Form 5500 Annual Return/Report for 2018
Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA], U.S. Department of Labor [DOL]