Posted by Linda Rowings The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) extended the deadline for group health plans to provide their 2014 transitional reinsurance fee (TRF) submission. Filing is now due by 11:59 p.m. on December 5, 2014. The January 15, 2015, and November 15, 2015, deadlines to pay the fee remain the same. […]
Posted by Linda Rowings To meet federal requirements, large health plans must obtain a national health plan identifier number (HPID) by November 5, 2014. For this requirement, a large health plan is one with more than $5 million in annual receipts. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said that since health plans […]
By Suzanne Fahl, SPHR As awareness of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in our world and specifically now in the United States rises, so does the rise of fear: Fear of how to prevent EVD exposure and how to manage any occurrence in the workplace. When we consider other communicable diseases — H1N1, HIV, hepatitis, and […]
By Linda Rowings Chief Compliance Officer, UBA The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Department of Labor (DOL) released final regulations that explain when dental and vision plans and employee assistance plans (EAPs) will be considered “excepted benefits.†Excepted benefits are health benefits that are limited […]
October 18-19, 2014 Enjoy an extraordinary walking tour of the entire Big Apple. We’ll go up and down the island of Manhattan, through the Upper West and East Sides, Greenwich Village, SoHo, and Chinatown. You’ll see legendary Central Park, Rockefeller Center, and Radio City Music Hall, and take in stunning views of Manhattan as we […]
by Linda Rowings On September 18, 2014, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2014-55 which allows employers to amend their Section 125 plans to recognize several new change in status events. Open Enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace Prior to this new notice, an opportunity to enroll in the health insurance Marketplace (or “exchange”) […]
By Peter Freska, MPH, CEBS Benefits Advisor, The LBL Group A United Benefit Advisors Partner Firm The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is driving companies to look at many aspects of their organization more strategically. With an estimated 2.5 million people in Professional Employer Group (PEO) arrangements totaling $92 billion in annual revenue, […]
by Jennifer Kupper It is back to school time! Universities and colleges across the nation have dedicated time and resources to course planning and curriculum evaluation, but have they prepared for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)? Have they run the numbers, solved for unknown variables, and double-checked their answers? PPACA requires applicable […]
Question: How does an employer go about using the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to address an employee’s performance problems that may be related to issues outside of work? Answer: The employer should contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) directly and request a review of the process for making referrals. In general, during the implementation process, […]
By Elizabeth Kay Focused provider networks (aka skinny or narrow) are nothing new to the health insurance marketplace. Insurance carriers have been using different sized provider networks in their HMO and PPO portfolios for many years now. The concept is familiar to most of us. If you offer a smaller provider network, you can offer […]