Jul. 7, 2023. "You are receiving this Form 1095-C because your employer is an Applicable Large Employer subject to the employer shared responsibility provisions in the [ACA]. This Form 1095-C includes information about the health insurance coverage offered to you by your employer. Form 1095-C, Part II, includes information about the coverage, if any, your employer offered to you and your spouse and dependent(s)." [Also available: Draft 2023 IRS Form 1094-C: Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns (Jul. 7, 2023)]  MORE >>

"The Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and [HHS] issued a proposal ... that would limit the amount of time employers can use short-term health coverage and indemnity plans to no more than four months, instead of the 12 months set by the administration of former President Donald Trump."  MORE >>

"Effective December 29, 2022, self-insured non-federal governmental plan sponsors could no longer make new opt-out elections for MHPAEA compliance, although CMS provided some relief to plans subject to multiple collective bargaining agreements ... [A recent CMS Insurance Standards Bulletin] provides the process by which sponsors may extend their opt-out elections when they are subject to the special CBA rule. To take advantage of this rule, the plan sponsor must both notify CMS and submit a renewal "  MORE >>

"The benefits committee board of the Kraft Heinz Company has sued Aetna Life Insurance Company, claiming that Aetna violated ERISA in numerous ways when serving as [TPA] to two of the company's self-funded group health benefit plans.... This case is one of a growing number of lawsuits against TPAs involving who owns or has a right to access a plan's medical claims and payment data and what types of TPA activities are covered under ERISA's fiduciary duty provisions." [ Kraft Heinz Co. Employee Benefits Administration Bd. v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., No. 23-0317 (E.D. Tex. complaint filed Jun. 30, 2023)]  MORE >>

"As group health plan sponsors consider the fee disclosures mandated by the CAA, attorneys representing plan participants will likely do so also, seeking to determine if plans have been paying excessive service fees and whether those excessive fees have been passed on to plan participants in the form of insurance premiums, service charges, or other costs. Prudent group health plan sponsors would be wise to be proactive in addressing the compliance implications of the disclosure rules."  MORE >>

"The average American spends an average of 27.6 minutes traveling one way ... [N]early a quarter of Americans spend more than 30 minutes on a one-way commute, which adds up to lost time and money. This CEO believes if employers want their workers in the office, they should be doing whatever it takes to make it less taxing."  MORE >>

"A 65-year-old retiring this year can expect to spend an average of $157,500 on health and medical costs over a roughly 20-year retirement ... The estimate is the same as it was in 2022 -- the first time in almost a decade that [Fidelity's] year-to-year projection has stayed flat.... This year's estimate is almost double the company's estimate of $80,000 in 2002."  MORE >>

30 pages; rev. July 2023. "This publication: [1] Provides general information needed to avoid penalties ... for information return documents that are filed or furnished with missing or incorrect taxpayer identification numbers (TINs). [2] Describes the actions that must be taken, or should have been taken, to solicit (request) a TIN. [3] Explains the requirements for establishing reasonable cause."  MORE >>