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Posted July 25th, 2013 in Employers, Producers

By this time you have probably already heard that the Employer Mandate has been delayed until 2015. In simple terms, no employer will be penalized in 2014 for failing to offer health insurance (or failing to offer affordable health insurance).

Here are 5 key ACA items for employers to know.

Posted July 10th, 2013 in Employers, Producers

The initial Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee for plan years ending after September 30, 2012 will be payable by July 31, 2013. Employers are required to pay this fee on plans that are considered to be self-insured.

Insurance companies will pay the PCORI fee on fully insured plans. However, the updated Form 720 in which the fees are paid gives the impression that employers are also responsible for this fee on fully insured plans.

Posted July 3rd, 2013 in Individuals, Employers, Producers

The U.S. Department of Treasury announced on Tuesday that the Employer Mandate will be delayed until 2015. This rule is also commonly referred to as the Employer Shared Responsibility requirement or the Pay or Play provision.

The Employer Mandate was set to impose financial penalties starting in 2014 on employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees that failed to offer health insurance to employees, as well as those employers that offered health insurance that was considered unaffordable.

Posted May 16th, 2013 in Employers, Producers

Most employers will be required to provide a written notification to employees in regards to the ability to access coverage through the new Health Insurance Marketplaces, also known as the exchanges. Even employers that don't provide coverage to their employees will be required to provide this written notification.

Posted April 2nd, 2013 in Employers

As tax season comes to a close, you might be wondering how to save more next year. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are a great tool that allows you and your employees to save on healthcare and dependent care expenses. Celebrating 25 years as a trusted benefits administrator, we have done the math to help you visualize your potential savings with our FlexFSA® product:

Posted March 22nd, 2013 in Individuals, Employers, Producers

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have jointly issued rules that define affordable coverage. Employers and employees still have several questions about how this affects penalty calculations and subsidy eligibility.

The following offers some insight on these key issues:

Posted February 13th, 2013 in Individuals, Employers, Producers

Important milestones are a special time to reflect on the past, celebrate achievements, create a vision for the future, and express appreciation.

This year, we at Flexible Benefit Service LLC (Flex) expect to do no less as we proudly mark our 25th anniversary.

Posted December 13th, 2012 in Producers

Just like a certain beloved movie from the ‘80s that used a DeLorean to take us to the future, we now have a vehicle that can be used today, in 2014 and well beyond – defined contribution health benefits.

Health insurance producers and consultants should educate their clients on the defined contribution benefits strategy now because this trend is not going away anytime soon. In fact, nearly 50% of employers “definitely or probably will” switch to defined contribution in 2013.

Posted October 3rd, 2012 in Individuals, Employers, Producers

Flexible Benefit Service LLC (Flex) recently joined forces with various associations and insurance companies representing employers, producers and insurers to submit comments on the selection of Illinois’ state Essential Health Benefits (EHB) benchmark plan.

The purpose of the consolidated comments was to underscore the importance of affordability of coverage for individual consumers and small employers in Illinois. The target for this effort was the state’s Health Reform Implementation Council (HRIC) Workgroup, who was considering specific factors in choosing the EHB package. The benchmark plan will eventually determine the cost of future premiums and how broad coverage will be for Illinois consumers.

Posted September 18th, 2012 in Employers, Producers

You are a business owner, human resource or benefits professional, or even an insurance broker. You are trying to help run a business or assist another businesses needs. You do not have time to learn all the ins-and-outs of every employee benefits offering or business process that comes across your desk.

You do, however, want to make available an employee benefits package that engages and retains employees, while promoting wellness. And, you keep reading in the news about account-based health plans, namely flexible spending accounts (FSAs), becoming a staple in offerings across the nation – and rightfully so.

Benefits Buzz

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