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Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter December 13, 2018 |
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Jobs
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Webcasts, Conferences 2019 Annual Teleconference Series
Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Reps, Warranties and Indemnification Clauses in M&A Deals
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Discussions |
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This Newsletter:
BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter:
Message Boards Digest:
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Operations Supervisor|
[Guidance Overview]
Preventive Care Coverage Updates Under the ACA "Each year, a new set of refinements and requirements are introduced to plan coverage to reflect changes made to the recommendations on which the ACA relies.... Not every change adds coverage.... The details of most of these modifications go well beyond what is included in most health plans. For this reason, the main concern is one of health plan administration."
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[Advert.]
Utilizing Opt-Out Incentives to Cut Health Care Costs
Jan. 29 webinar. Although these programs may seem simple enough, they are rife with multiple 'compliance landmines' that can trip up unwary employers. Learn how to spot problem spots and develop compliant and effective programs. BenefitsLink discount. |
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[Guidance Overview]
"Much of the discussion in Notice 2018-99 centers on situations where the employer pays expenses related to a [parking] lot it owns, pays for use of a parking places, or leases parking facilities from a third party. In each case, once the amount of the expense is determined, the Notice requires that organizations use a reasonable method for determining the expense (and thus, UBTI) attributable to qualified employee parking."
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[Guidance Overview]
New York State Paid Family Leave Law Update "PFL benefits to employees will increase in the new year.... Employee contributions toward PFL benefits are also scheduled to increase as of January 1, 2019.... The Board published a new Statement of Rights form for 2019.... 'Serious Health Condition' now includes organ donors.... The Board's recent guidance clarifies a number of points relating to the administration of PFL benefits."
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[Guidance Overview]
More Cook County Municipalities Willingly Catching Sick Leave "Following a Cook County, IL voter referendum where voters overwhelmingly expressed support for paid sick leave, certain Cook County municipalities are ... 'opting-in' to the County's Earned Sick Leave Ordinance.... Cook County employers should remember to give employees annual notice of sick leave rights, and keep in mind that the 'grace period' for dismissing investigations against employers who become Ordinance-compliant has been extended through July 2019."
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"[This calendar] presents a schedule of activities that address important upcoming deadlines and [a separate] Reporting and Disclosure Guide will help you identify and address other activities that are event-based and participant-specific."
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Should Independent Contractors Be Allowed to Pool Together for Large-Employer Health Insurance? "Independent contractors, facing ballooning costs in the private market, want more options. The large-employer market harnesses power in numbers to negotiate lower rates because they have a larger pool to spread risk among. [State government] officials believe the Labor Department ruling would leave patients ... less protected.... Leaders of the state and local real estate associations say something has to give."
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The Multiemployer Health Plan Landscape: A Ten-Year Look "The total number of multiemployer health plans in the study declined steadily from 1,811 for the 2006 plan year to 1,594 in 2015. The majority of health plans ... offer dental, vision and life benefits in addition to health benefits.... The majority of plans ... cover both active and retired participants ... The plans in the study cover more than five million active and retired participants.... [and] reported more than 210,000 contributing employers."
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For the Asking, a Check Is in the Mail to Help Pay for Costly Drugs "Drugmakers began using now-popular copay coupons and other forms of assistance more than a decade ago to help patients pay out-of-pocket costs for medicines, particularly high-cost specialty drugs such as those that treat autoimmune disorders. The coupons have a dual purpose: They mask the true costs of a drug for patients and give patients a financial incentive to stay on an expensive drug until their insurance deductible is met."
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Press Releases |
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OneDigital Health and Benefits Hartford Office Expands Consulting Team
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Most Popular Items in the Previous Issue |
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ERISA Class Action Litigation over Fees in Health and Welfare Plans
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Connect
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BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
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Winter Park, Florida 32789
(407) 644-4146
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 2018 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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