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Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter September 18, 2019 |
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Webcasts, Conferences 2019 Fall Tax Meeting
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Discussions |
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This Newsletter:
BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter:
Message Boards Digest:
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[Guidance Overview]
Prepare to Implement Paid Family and Medical Leave Under New Massachusetts Law "Massachusetts employers should make their final preparations for the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program in advance of the Oct. 1, 2019, effective date for payroll deductions.... Over the past several weeks, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave has continued to release developments and additional information regarding PFML and the implementation of the program."
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[Advert.]
Free Event: How to Lower Group Health Insurance Costs (RSVP Now!)
Join WellNet at this free event for brokers & employers in a city near you. Learn learn how to lower group health insurance costs over breakfast or lunch. Events are already underway in 11 different cities, check the schedule and RSVP for one today! |
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Agencies Ease ACA Rule on Drug Coupons and Out-of-Pocket Costs "The 2020 HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters created confusion about the circumstances in which health plans may exclude participants’ drug coupon savings from counting toward the annual OOP cost limits. In [FAQs Part 40, DOL, HHS and IRS] say they won’t enforce the drug coupon provision for nongrandfathered plan years or policies beginning in 2020. Instead, the agencies intend to address this issue in the 2021 payment notice."
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DOL Opinion Letter Addresses Wage Garnishment of Employer HSA Contributions "[DOL Wage and Hour Division (WHD) Opinion Letter CCPA2019-1 states] that HSA contributions that are already part of an HSA account ... are similar to earnings deposited into a bank account (and the WHD has previously indicated that the CCPA does not apply to these bank accounts). As a result, the WHD concluded that the CCPA does not apply to employer HSA contributions that already have been received by an employee's HSA account."
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Serving Rural America: Health Insurance Providers at Work (PDF) "[In this article are] five case studies that spotlight the work of eight insurance providers working in four states to address the challenges of rural health in America. These case studies feature innovative approaches to health care delivery, financing, and community engagement and exhibit the leadership of health insurance providers in delivering high-quality, affordable, accessible care to all Americans, including those in rural areas."
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Health Systems Say Changes Are Needed to Accelerate Adoption of Risk-Based Payment Arrangements "Less than 20 percent of respondents reported having more than half of their population covered by Medicare fee-for-service risk-based arrangements. Furthermore, over the next five years, only 5 percent of respondents expect to have more than 80 percent of their population in risk-based arrangements. Hospitals and health systems, however, remain interested in pursuing risk-based contracts, ranking Medicare Advantage, employer-sponsored health plans and fee-for-service Medicare as the three priority areas."
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Press Releases |
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MBGH Launches Employer-driven Pharmacy Benefits Management Solution
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National Business Group on Health Honors 50 U.S. Employers with "Best Employers: Excellence in Health & Well-Being Awards"
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Most Popular Items in the Previous Issue |
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Health Insurance Tax Will Be Reinstated in 2020
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Can Employee Agreements Mitigate ERISA Fiduciary Exposure?
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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 2019 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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