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Two PPACA Taxes Might Get the Ax | NY Employee Benefits

May 19th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in PPACA

By Jennifer Kupper In-house Counsel for iaCONSULTING, a UBA Partner Firm Health Insurance Providers Fee Section 9010 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) imposes a fee on each covered entity engaged in the business of providing health insurance for United States health risks. This is known as the Health Insurance Providers (HIP) […]

Proposed Rule on Wellness Programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act | New York Benefits Broker

May 14th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Industry News

By Danielle Capilla, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Federal agencies recently released a Proposed Rule to amend regulations and provide guidance on implementing Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to employer wellness programs. Title I of the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees, prohibits […]

Region Matters When It Comes to HSA Funding, CDHP Adoption | New York Employee Benefits

May 12th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Health Insurance, Health News

By Bill Olson Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors We’ve already discussed Health Savings Account (HSA) activity at length, looking first at the correlation between generous HSA contributions and increased enrollment in consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs). Second, we looked at how HSAs have performed in recent years across different industries. Now, we’ll look closer […]

Stroke Awareness month | Brio Benefits

May 7th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Health News

April 2015 is Stroke Awareness month. About 795,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke. That means, on average, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds. Stroke kills more than 137,000 people a year. That’s about 1 of every 18 deaths. It’s the No. 4 cause of death. On average, every 4 minutes someone […]

Top 5 Questions about Medicare Secondary Payer Rules | New York Benefits Broker

May 4th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in PPACA

By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Under federal regulations, Medicare is a secondary payer for many individuals who have an employer group health plan available to them, either as an employee or the dependent spouse or child of the employee. Generally the Medicare Secondary Payer rules prohibit employers with more than […]

HRAs, HSAs, and Health FSAs – What’s the Difference? | NY Benefits Broker

April 30th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Industry News, Surveys

By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), health savings accounts (HSAs) and health care flexible spending accounts (HFSAs) are generally referred to as account-based plans. That is because each participant has their own account, at least for bookkeeping purposes. Under the tax rules, amounts may be contributed to […]

Wraparound Excepted Benefits to Launch with Two Pilot Programs | NY Employee Benefits

April 27th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Health Insurance, Health News

By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Health plan sponsors would be permitted to offer wraparound coverage to employees purchasing individual health insurance in the private market, including the Marketplace, in limited circumstances, under a new Final Rule issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) and other federal agencies. The Final Rule, […]

Industry Differences Among Health Savings Accounts | New York Benefits Broker

April 24th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Health Insurance, Industry News

By Bill Olson Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors While recent survey data shows that, on average, employers are decreasing the amount they’re willing to contribute to employee Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), there are some industries that have not seen such trends. On average, employees saw a 10 percent decrease in their average single […]

What Is the Definition of Wellness Programs? | New York Employee Benefits

April 21st, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Wellness

By Jessica Sapp www.livestrong.com Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence. This healthy balance of the mind, body, and spirit results in the overall feeling of well-being. Wellness programs are designed to help achieve a state of well-being by providing services focused on […]

Congress Taking (Small) Steps for Employee Wellness Programs | Brio Benefits

April 17th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Wellness

by Jennifer Kupper In-house Counsel for iaCONSULTING, a UBA Partner Firm The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) specifically encourages and promotes the expansion of wellness programs in both the individual and group markets. In the individual market, the secretaries of the departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Treasury, and Labor are directed […]