www.thinkhr.com Question: Our self-funded plan includes exclusions for hazardous activities and hobbies, including injury or illness arising from use of snowmobiles, personal aircraft, personal watercraft, four wheel recreational vehicles, etc. Does the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibit this type of exclusion or limitation for grandfathered and nongrandfathered plans? Answer: Federal regulations under the Health Insurance […]
Posted by Jennifer Kupper As mentioned in the first posting, wellness programs must be analyzed under a myriad of laws and regulations. This post will discuss generally the wellness program landscape in light of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)/Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA), the Patient Protection […]
www.thinkhr.com On September 11, 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a final rule which updates the reporting and record-keeping requirements for injuries and illnesses, found at 29 C.F.R. 1904. The rule goes into effect on January 1, 2015. Changes to record-keeping requirements Under OSHA’s record-keeping regulation, certain covered […]
Posted by Linda Rowings The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued its proposed Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2016. While these amounts and dates are not yet final, they may be of help for planning purposes. At this time, HHS expects: Open enrollment for coverage through the Marketplace in 2016 will be […]
www.thinkhr.com H3N2 influenza viruses led to record numbers of deaths in 2004, 2008, and 2013 flu seasons. Doctors are concerned because this type of virus appears dominating the 2015 flu season. Employers should stress optimal health and hand-washing behaviors in that workplaces to avoid the threat of flu and keep their workplaces healthy and germ-free. […]
Posted by Linda Rowing Many employee benefit limits are automatically adjusted each year for inflation (this is often referred to as an “indexed” limit). The Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration have released a number of indexed figures for 2015. Limits of particular interest to employers include the following. For health and Section […]
Posted by Linda Rowings Premium tax credits are only available to individuals who obtain health coverage through a Marketplace. A dispute has arisen as to whether the IRS has the ability to interpret PPACA to allow the subsidy to individuals who obtain coverage through any Marketplace, or whether the language of PPACA limits eligibility to […]
(NewsUSA) Americans catch approximately 1 billion colds each year, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 20 percent of people in the U.S. will get the flu this cold and flu season. A majority of people (seven in 10) will use over-the-counter (OTC) medicines to treat their symptoms, and […]
Posted by Linda Rowings The employer-shared responsibility (“play or payâ€) requirements do not apply to small employers and have been delayed until 2016 for most mid-sized employers. This raises the question – what exactly is included in the play or pay requirement, which a small employer may be able to ignore and that mid-size employer […]
Posted by Bill Olson Since 2005, United Benefit Advisors® (UBA) has surveyed thousands of employers across the nation regarding their health plan offerings, their ongoing plan decisions in the face of significant legislative and marketplace changes, and the impact of these changes on their employees and businesses. The UBA survey represents the nation’s largest health […]
