Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter

February 8, 2021

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Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program
February 18, 2021 WEBCAST
Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA], U.S. Department of Labor

COBRA Compliance
February 18, 2021 WEBCAST
Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA], U.S. Department of Labor

What It Means to be a Group Health Plan Fiduciary
March 18, 2021 WEBCAST
Employee Benefits Security Administration [EBSA], U.S. Department of Labor

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[Official Guidance]

Text of IRS Publication 15-B: Employer's Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits, for Use in 2021 (PDF)

34 pages, Feb. 5, 2021. "What's New: Cents-per-mile rule.... Qualified parking exclusion and commuter transportation benefit.... Contribution limit on a health flexible spending arrangement (FSA).... New Form 1099-NEC." Icon to read more

Internal Revenue Service [IRS]

[Official Guidance]

Exceptional Usefulness and Quality iconNew IRS Form Available for Self-Employed Individuals to Claim COVID-19 Sick and Family Leave Tax Credits Under FFCRA

"Eligible self-employed individuals will determine their qualified sick and family leave equivalent tax credits with the new IRS Form 7202, Credits for Sick Leave and Family Leave for Certain Self-Employed Individuals PDF. They'll claim the tax credits on their 2020 Form 1040 for leave taken between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, and on their 2021 Form 1040 for leave taken between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2021." Icon to read more

Internal Revenue Service [IRS]

[Guidance Overview]

Upcoming Deadline iconConnecticut's Paid Family Medical Leave Act: 2021 Deadlines

"[B]eginning in 2022, eligible employees will be entitled to paid family and medical leave.... [T]here are a number of 2021 deadlines about which employers should be aware." Icon to read more

Epstein Becker Green

Seventh Circuit: Employer May Be Required to Provide Paid Leave During Military Service

"Becoming the first federal appeals court to address the issue, the Seventh Circuit held ... that USERRA's requirement that employees on military leave receive the same 'rights and benefits' as those on comparable, nonmilitary leave types mandates that employers provide paid military leave to the same extent that they provide pay during other absences, such as jury duty and sick leave." [White v. United Airlines, Inc., No. 19-2546 (7th Cir. Feb. 3, 2021)] Icon to read more

Morgan Lewis

Managing the Risks of Incentivizing COVID-19 Vaccines for Employees

"[M]any employers have begun exploring incentive-driven voluntary programs, including offering additional PTO, gift cards, and even cash 'bonuses' to employees who provide proof of vaccination. While such a voluntary system avoids many of the pitfalls of a mandatory system, it also carries its own complexities and risks in an already complicated and unsettled area of law." Icon to read more

Reed Smith

Senators Introduce Bill to Require 100% Subsidy for COBRA Premiums for Unemployed Workers During Pandemic

"The Worker Health Coverage Protection Act [S 263] ... would provide a 100 percent subsidy of COBRA health insurance premiums owed by unemployed workers to ensure that they do not lose coverage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furloughed workers whose health benefits continue while pay is suspended would also have their employee contributions 100 percent subsidized." Icon to read more

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen [D-NH]

Cost and Coverage Implications of Five Options for Increasing Marketplace Subsidy Generosity

"Accounting for potential offsets due to reduced demand for uncompensated care, we estimate $23 to $26 billion in additional spending in 2022 would be necessary to implement one of these options. This roughly equals $289 to $322 billion over 10 years, depending on the approach chosen." Icon to read more

Urban Institute

New Mexico Paid Sick Leave Bill Clears First Legislative Hurdle

"The bill would require employers to offer paid sick-leave benefits to all employees, both full-time and part-time. Workers would earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked." Icon to read more

Las Cruces Sun News

[Opinion]

The Limitations of Provider Quality Ratings

"Patient-reported quality measures are largely based on bedside manner and amenities; patients don't have the scientific basis to evaluate how good a job a physician did. Outcome measures would solve the problem, but there are numerous challenges ... A similar issue arises when evaluating health plans." Icon to read more

Healthcare Economist

Press Releases

Most Popular Items in the Previous Issue

Health Benefit Provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
Groom Law Group, for American Benefits Council

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BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter, ISSN no. 1536-9595. Copyright 2021 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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