January 21, 2021
Final 2022 Benefit Payment and Parameters Rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a final rule along with a fact sheet and press release for benefit payment and parameters for 2022. According to CMS, the proposed 2022 benefit payment and parameters rule intended to reduce fiscal and regulatory burdens ...
January 17, 2021
Networking: What’s Mine is Yours
Over the last year, LinkedIn has been painted green – the color of the “open to work” profile frames that pepper our newsfeeds. It seems as if everyone knows someone who has been affected by job loss, underemployment, or furlough. Job search strategy evolves at a rapid speed – what worked years ...
January 17, 2021
Exit Interview Gold
Departing employees are a wealth of information. Unfortunately, exit interviews are often treated by HR as a box to be checked rather than a treasure trove of insights. In today’s technology-heavy corporate world, it has become commonplace for employers to skip this important conversation with ...
January 17, 2021
Healthcare Deductible & Definition Drama
Do you search for a discount code before confirming an online purchase? Or cut coupons out of the weekly paper? If you are shaking your head yes, you are akin to the 92% of respondents in a 2019 Valassis study who reported using coupons. Let’s be honest…It feels good to get a deal. For some,... ...
January 17, 2021
The She-Cession: An Unwanted “Ladies First”
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic affected our work lives in unprecedented ways…workers furloughed, jobs lost, businesses closed, bedrooms converted to home offices. While the Great Recession of 2008 more negatively affected men’s employment rates, the numbers reported last year tell a ...
January 12, 2021
Compliance Recap | December 2020
December was a busy month in the employee benefits world. President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which includes the No Surprises Act and other group health plan provisions. The Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued two ...
January 12, 2021
Proposed Rule Amending the HIPAA Privacy Rule
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (collectively, the Department) issued a proposed rule modifying the Privacy Rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to support HHS’ Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care ...
January 12, 2021
Proposed Rules on Wellness Programs subject to the ADA or GINA
2/23/2021 Update: The proposed rules on wellness programs described below have been withdrawn by the EEOC pursuant to the Biden Administration regulatory freeze. Until further action is taken, the current final rules on wellness programs remain in effect. See our Advisor on the current wellness ...
December 31, 2020
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 | Part 3: Temporary Health FSA and DCAP Relief
Update 2/22/21: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2021-15 clarifying the relief provided under the Appropriations Act for health FSAs and DCAPs and provides additional cafeteria plan relief. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Appropriations Act), enacted on December 27, ...
December 31, 2020
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 | Part 2: Broker and Consultant Compensation Transparency, Prohibition on Gag Clauses
Broker and Consultant Compensation ERISA imposes penalties on prohibited transactions between covered benefit plans and individuals who have a relationship with the plan to ensure that these “parties in interest” do not use their influence with the plan for their own benefit or in a manner that ...
