Employers

Posted January 30th, 2018 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law on December 22, 2017. It has been making headlines for many reasons over the past few weeks, but some parts of the law aren’t receiving as much attention – such as the provisions pertaining to the use of the Chained Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers, also known as the Chained CPI.
 
Posted January 23rd, 2018 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
Last night, President Donald Trump signed into law a temporary spending bill which ends the government shutdown and funds federal spending obligations for the next few weeks. The spending bill also included a few healthcare surprises. The bill suspends or delays three taxes that were created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
 
    Posted January 18th, 2018 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
    Originally posted on October 13, 2017
     
    President Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 12th instructing the Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Treasury (DOT), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), known as the tri-agencies, to review and potentially revise existing regulatory guidance. This includes:
     
      Posted January 16th, 2018 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
      In a letter sent to state Medicaid Directors on Thursday, the Trump Administration announced that it would allow states to impose work requirements to qualify for Medicaid. States will have the flexibility to design their work requirement eligibility structure, but they must submit details to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for approval. 
       
      Posted January 11th, 2018 in Producer, Employers, Individuals
      In response to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in October of last year, the Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed new rules that aim to expand the availability of association health plans (AHPs) in the small group market.
      Posted January 9th, 2018 in Producers, Employers
      Participating members of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in IL, MT, NM, OK & TX now get direct access to their HSA from Flex
       
      Posted January 4th, 2018 in Producers, Employers

      The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2018-06 which provides some relief for those entities who are subject to reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

      In summary:

      Forms 1095-B and/or 1095-C now must be furnished to employees and individuals by March 2, 2018, for the 2017 calendar year. This is a 30-day extension from the original deadline of January 31, 2018. No additional extensions will be granted by the IRS, even if requested by an employer.

      Posted December 26th, 2017 in Individuals, Producers, Employers

      The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, also known as the Tax Act, was signed into law on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act makes several changes to the existing tax code, including the repeal of the Individual Mandate (kind of, sort of). The Individual Mandate was not literally repealed by the Tax Act, but the penalty for failing to have minimum essential coverage (e.g., health insurance) has been reduced to $0 starting on January 1, 2019. This is effectively the equivalent of repeal; however, the Individual Mandate will still be applicable for the 2017 and 2018 tax years. This change to the Individual Mandate has spurred numerous questions and/or speculations, including:

      Posted December 19th, 2017 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
      The state of Maryland passed a law known as the Contraceptive Equity Act which is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2018. The law requires fully insured health plans issued in the state of Maryland to cover male sterilization procedures (i.e. vasectomies) as preventive care without any copay, deductible or other cost-sharing requirements for the member. 
       
      Posted December 12th, 2017 in Producers, Employers, Individuals
      We haven’t even gotten through the 2018 open enrollment season yet, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has already proposed rules that would impact health insurance markets for 2019. Each year, CMS issues a Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters which explains various rules, inflation adjustments and other changes that will occur with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

      Benefits Buzz

      SUBSCRIBE TO THE FLEX BLOG

      Tag Cloud

      Archives

      Stay Connected