January 23, 2019
Proposed 2020 Benefit Payment and Parameters Rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule for benefit payment and parameters for 2020. CMS also released its draft 2020 actuarial value calculator and draft 2020 actuarial value calculator methodology. According to CMS, the proposed rule is intended to ...
January 12, 2019
Compliance Recap | January 2019
January was a relatively quiet month in the employee benefits world. The Department of Labor (DOL) issued its annual adjustment of federal civil monetary penalties. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a proposed rule for benefit payment and parameters for 2020. The ...
January 3, 2019
Court Modifies Order Regarding EEOC Wellness Rules
In August 2017, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia held that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) failed to provide a reasoned explanation for its decision to allow an incentive for spousal medical history and adopt 30 percent incentive levels for ...
January 1, 2019
Compliance Recap | December 2018
December was a relatively quiet month in the employee benefits world. A U.S. District Court issued an order declaring that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued two final rules to remove certain ...
December 7, 2018
Compliance Recap | November 2018
November was a busy month in the employee benefits world. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) extended the due date for employers to furnish Forms 1095-C or 1095-B to individuals, extended “good faith compliance efforts” relief for 2018, and issued specifications for employer-provided substitute ...
November 27, 2018
Culture Questions
With unemployment continuing at historically low numbers, it’s up to employers to win sought-after candidates. During an interview, employers are likely ready for the culture question. When asked about culture directly, according to an article in Fast Company, interviewers are quick to offer ...
November 20, 2018
Happier Holidays, the HR Way
Most people, according to a new survey featured in HR Dive, have the greatest sense of belonging in their own homes. That may not be surprising news, but what is interesting is that one-third of respondents felt the greatest sense of belonging in their workplace. A significant percentage, 40 ...
November 13, 2018
It’s Flu Season…Again
When flu season hits, absenteeism skyrockets and productivity drops. In a recent article, Employee Benefit News points out that the first step is the “ounce of prevention,” the flu vaccine. Providing for vaccination can be a smart benefit to offer employees, and it requires navigating ...
November 6, 2018
Giving Thanks in the Office
While our personal lives may offer plenty of opportunities to give thanks, it’s also important to make a habit of it in our professional lives, according to an article in the Cobb Business Journal. Few people in a study cited expressed gratitude for their work, and that might be because a ...
October 31, 2018
An Employer’s Guide to Annual Group Health Plan Notices
Employers that sponsor group health plans are required to give eligible employees a number of notices each year. Some notices must be given by a particular date, and some must be given as part of the enrollment packet. (This means that non-calendar year plans may need to provide Medicare Part D ...
