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IRS Releases Information on the Collection Process for §4980H Payments from Employers

The IRS has announced to plans to start collecting 4980H payments from employers for the 2015 plan year. Payments due are associated with the employers’ failure to meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.

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Man’s Best Friend Coming to a Healthcare Facility Near You

It’s a time of stress – violence in our communities, natural disasters, political uncertainty, and personal issues are on everyone’s minds. All this, coupled with geographical distances separating people from family and friends, many individuals are turning to their furry friends for support.

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How Employers Should Handle MLR Rebates

For the sixth year in a row, employers who sponsor an insured group health plan may be receiving a Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) rebate from their insurers. Self-funded medical benefit plans are not subject to these requirements. The rebates raise several fundamental questions for employers, including: How much (if any) of the rebate must be […]

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Interview With Cyber Security Expert
Nick Casillas – Introduction from
Parker, Smith & Feek’s Tim Schmidt

We all remember the first email we received from a “foreign dignitary” offering us a ridiculous sum of money in exchange for paying a small amount of taxes, claiming the funds had come from an unknown distant relative.

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Contraceptive Exemption Expansion

On October 6, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) released two separate interim final rules, with immediate effective dates, broadening the religious or moral exceptions to the general ACA rule requiring that group health plans offer contraceptive coverage with no cost-sharing. The rules were provided in response to President Trump’s executive order issued […]

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Legislation Introduced to Simplify Employer Reporting

As employers prepare for the third year of ACA-related reporting, new bipartisan legislation has been proposed that provides a glimmer of hope for the possibility that changes will be made to current IRS requirements. The “Commonsense Reporting Act of 2017,” introduced by Senators Portman (R-OH) and Warner (D-VA), would significantly simplify ACA-related employer reporting. Background […]

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Employer Reporting –
2017 FINAL Forms and Instructions

The IRS has released the 2017 final forms and instructions for the ACA employer reporting requirement. 

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Graham-Cassidy Update: Senate Tries to Repeal the ACA One More Time

On September 13, 2017, Senate Republicans introduced a bill (referred to as The Graham-Cassidy bill) to try, one more time, to repeal and replace portions of the ACA.

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Common Gaps in Disability Insurance

Disability insurance can be even more important for manufacturing companies than other employers. Manufacturing organizations typically have an older population with long tenure and employees historically suffer with chronic conditions. Employees usually experience higher than average musculoskeletal incidence and absenteeism due to the nature and repetitive motion of their jobs.

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Wellness Program Updates

New developments have arisen in the wellness area recently. One recent court case challenges the validity of the final regulations, and another alleges that Macy’s failed to comply with the final rules. The final rules establish how a wellness program should be structured to avoid violating nondiscrimination rules under HIPAA, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).

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