FSAs

Posted June 19th, 2015 in Producers, Employers, Individuals

What happens to Health and Dependent Care FSAs when a merger or acquisition occurs?  

 
Of course the Cafeteria Plan regulations do not specify how this should be treated, but the IRS has provided some guidance in the form of Revenue Ruling 2002-32. Fortunately, for employees, the IRS has taken a position that employees should not be punished as a result of a merger or acquisition, and the guidance suggests two possible options that would be acceptable in their eyes. Both options maintain the salary reduction of the employee and preserve the annual election.
Posted May 15th, 2015 in Producers, Employers
The third installment of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fees will be due on July 31, 2015. As its name suggests, PCORI is a research institute, and it was created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a way to improve clinical effectiveness. It is partially funded by fees charged to health plans. Here is information and some reminders about the upcoming fee that is due.
 
  • The fee is paid on the average number of covered lives for the plan year ending in 2014.
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
Posted October 31st, 2014 in Producers, Employers
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 July 25th, 2014 in Producers, Employers

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) as a way to help improve clinical effectiveness. The research institute is partially funded by fees charged to health plans, including some Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) and some Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). The fees are payable over a seven year time period and started for the first time last year.

The next round of PCORI fees are due to the IRS by July 31, 2014 and are payable via Form 720 by applicable employers for plan years ending in 2013

Posted June 13th, 2014 in Producers, Employers, Individuals

On June 1, 2014, same-sex marriage became legal in the state of Illinois. As a result, we wanted to revisit marriage as a qualifying event for health insurance coverage and discuss how account-based health plans are impacted.

Posted May 30th, 2014 in Producers, Employers, Individuals

Can an individual be covered by more than one “Flex Plan” at the same time?

Yes, Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) can be combined in certain circumstances.

Posted January 17th, 2014 in Employers

After nearly thirty years of lobbying the “Use-It-or-Lose-It” rule has been changed. Now the option is left to you, the plan sponsor, whether or not it is the right thing to implement for your company. Let’s take a look at some of the scenarios and helpful tips for the healthcare flexible spending account (FSA) rollover option in terms of an adoption lifecycle (a model that shows the trend of acceptance to a new concept over time).

Posted November 7th, 2013 in Producers, Employers, Individuals

The U.S. Department of Treasury recently issued guidance announcing a significant change relating to Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) that has many positive implications. The Department of Treasury has modified its “use-it-or-lose-it” provision to allow a limited rollover of unused Healthcare FSA funds. Effective immediately, employers that offer a Healthcare FSA program without a grace period have the option of allowing employees to rollover up to $500 of unused funds at the end of the 2013 plan year. 

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