Understanding Employee Benefits and key developments in the employee benefits field and items of interest to our clients. MORE

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Only applicable large employers may be assessed a penalty under the employer shared responsibility mandate of the Affordable Care Act.  An applicable large employer is defined by the regulations as one that has employed an average of at least 50 full-time employees (taking into account full-time equivalent employees or FTEs) on business days during the…

The Affordable Care Act requires most health plans to cover certain women’s preventive services, including contraception, without charging a co-pay or deductible. On January 30, 2013, the Obama Administration released proposed rules that continue to implement provisions in the health care law providing women contraceptive coverage without cost sharing, while at the same time respond…

My colleague, Jessica Kracl, has written an Alert  for our health care clients about the recently issued privacy and security regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Employer group health plans are covered entities under HIPAA and therefore must comply with the new regulations. Jessica’s Alert is a good summary of the…

In early January, the Internal Revenue Service published proposed regulations on “Shared Responsibility for Employers Regarding Health Coverage.”  These regulations incorporate the provisions of many previous Notices with some modifications, and also propose guidance on additional issues under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  The regulations provide rules and examples for determining: status as…

Those of us who work in the benefits area understand that the distinction between employee and independent contractor is an important one, but one in which the determination is not always clear. In many cases, the IRS takes the position that a particular worker is an employee, rather than an independent contractor, thereby requiring the …

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires employers who issue 250 or more W-2s in a year to report the aggregate cost of coverage under an employer-sponsored group health plan in Box 12 of each employee’s Form W-2, using code DD. In general, the amount reported should include both the employer and employee-paid portions …

The Affordable Care Act establishes a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute as a private nonprofit corporation to assist patients, clinicians, purchasers and policy makers in making informed health decisions using evidence based medicine. The Institute is to be funded through a trust fund called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund. Under the Affordable Care Act, both …

Here’s a brief timeline highlighting important health care reform dates for employers…I expect some dates will change as 2014 draws nearer, and I will update the timeline accordingly.

9/23/12 – Group health plans must provide all eligible employees a standard Summary of Benefits and Coverage so members can compare medical plans.

12/31/12 – Form W-2…