Benefits Buzz
Posted December 12th, 2014 in Producers, Individuals
Earlier this year the IRS released three revenue procedures (2014-46, 2014-37, 2014-41) which provide guidance to individuals on their obligation to maintain minimum essential coverage and includes information on subsidies available through the Health Insurance Marketplace (Exchange).
The High Cost Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage Excise Tax, more commonly known as the Cadillac Tax, is scheduled to take effect in 2018. The Cadillac Tax is described as an attempt to reduce health care usage and costs by encouraging employers to offer health plans that are more cost effective and that engage employees in the cost of care. Experts estimate that the tax will raise $80 billion over a 10 year time period and will finance various components of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Posted November 26th, 2014 in Individuals
Here's an example eligible expenses that someone with a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) might encounter on Thanksgiving Day:
6:00 AM Wakes up
8:30 AM Picks up prescription medicine* from a local drugstore to be ready for anything
9:15 AM Starts preparing the side dishes
Effective October 31, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of e-Health Standards and Services (OESS), the division of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) that is responsible for enforcement of compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) standard transactions, code sets, unique identifiers and operating rules, announces a delay, until further notice, in enforcement of 45 CFR 162, Subpart E, the regulations pertaining to health plan enumeration and use of the Health Plan Identifier (HPID) in HIPAA transactions adopted in the HPID final rule (CMS-0040-F).
This enforcement delay applies to all HIPAA covered entities, including healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses.
Posted October 24th, 2014 in Producers
We, at the Flex General Agency, are excited about this Medicare sales season and wanted to provide some general insight for insurance professionals regarding this booming marketplace.
Reminder: The 2015 Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period started on October 15 and runs though December 7, 2014.
Posted August 8th, 2014 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) limits the maximum waiting period that employers can use for health coverage to 90 calendar days. However, there is something also referred to as an orientation period which seems to have taken a back seat to the 90 day waiting period. The final ACA rules allow employers to use an orientation period of up to one month (in addition to the 90 day waiting period) for bona fide employment reasons.
What Does That Really Mean?
