group health
Yesterday, IRS officials made a significant announcement that impacts the Employer Shared Responsibility requirements, also known as the Employer Mandate. New guidance issued by the IRS confirms that a new phased approach will be utilized to implement it.
The new approach has 3 significant changes to the previously written rules:
An employer can be fined up to $100 per day for every employee that had a waiting period in excess of 90 calendar days.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a new rule that group health plans cannot have a waiting period of more than 90 calendar days.
New guidance was released on September 13, 2013 that applies to Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) and other employer healthcare arrangements. Much of the guidance impacts employers that want to provide reimbursements to employees to help pay for individual health insurance policy premiums. Many employers have given this idea some consideration instead of offering a traditional group health plan to reduce their costs.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires non-grandfathered plans to impose limitations on out-of-pocket expenses for essential health benefits starting in 2014. The out-of-pocket limitations will be capped next year at $6,350 for single coverage and $12,700 for family coverage.
However, some self-funded plans will be exempt from this requirement until 2015. The guidance indicates that self-funded plans contracting with multiple service providers can delay this requirement for one year.
Opportunity's always knocking. Just open the door.
If everyone knows that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, then why isn’t cross-selling a universal practice? Cross-selling is a great tool for client retention, as well as prospecting. Your clients and prospects may not be aware of the full portfolio of your offerings.
So, don’t think twice about reviewing all options during the renewal/enrollment process. This is your opportunity to suggest how they can enhance their benefits program. And yes, even if they feel satisfied with what they offer currently.
Marketplace recognition increases and enrollment grows - and it's about time!
We continue to see an increase in news, surveys and reports that consumer driven health plans (CDHPs) and tax-advantaged programs are growing in popularity and enabling more Americans to make better health care decisions. We strongly agree, but this is not new to us at Flexible Benefit Service LLC (Flex).
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