Regulation

If it “smells like a benefit plan,” you likely have to follow ERISA, said one speaker at the National Association of Health Underwriters annual convention in Scottsdale, Ariz. Here are some general tips benefit advisers need to know about complying with this law, for your clients and their employees alike.

“The majority of Americans, including many small business owners, are still confused about the health reform legislation,” according to Health Partners America, a broker training and education organization. Here are 10 FAQs about the Affordable Care Act and its implications for small businesses.

There are few smiles as the ACA’s effect on dental coverage begins to be better understood. Coupling dental benefits with health care coverage may have unintended consequences — and complicate access for employees.

Over the last year, “skinny plans” have gained some acceptance among employers under the employer shared responsibility provisions of the Affordable Care Act. And while a skinny plan might be limited to preventative services only, the skinny plans appearing in the marketplace generally include a handful of other features.

The president of the ESOP Association calls the Supreme Court’s decision in Fifth Third Bancorp v. Dudenhoeffer a “mish-mash” and says he doesn’t consider it to be a big victory for employers.

Dealing with the compliance and regulatory challenges of the Affordable Care Act and other employment legislation hasn’t left employers much time in recent years to deal with broader benefits strategy issues but the two areas – compliance and strategy – go hand-in-hand.

When he ran for president in 1988, Michael Dukakis infused the phrase “Massachusetts Miracle” into stump speeches to describe the state’s economic transformation. That same description could apply if a costly and controversial plan to fix the state’s Connector exchange succeeds.

Recently, the Internal Revenue Service has focused enforcement activity on examining the implementation of a strong internal control system. The IRS has publicly stated that if a plan is selected for audit the agent will use their evaluation of the plan’s internal controls to determine whether the scope of the examination will be focused or expanded.

A new proposal from the Department of Labor plans to extend the reach of the Family Medical Leave Act to all eligible employees in same-sex marriages, as the federal government continues to offer guidance after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in United States v. Windsor.

Newark is set to join the likes of several other large cities that require employers with 10 or more employees to offer paid sick time.