Expat health plans subject to ACA requirements
Much has been made about how the exchanges are playing in Peoria, but what about Portugal, Poland or Peru?
Compliance
Benefits Think Why HR shouldnt be threatened by benefits admin outsourcing
While outsourcing is a dirty word for many U.S. workers, most organizations that outsource benefits administration do so not to reduce HR head count, but rather to achieve legal compliance, reduce burdens on internal staff, gain efficiencies and gain access self-service technology.
4 ACA issues advisers should be discussing with clients
Employers are begging for information on compliance with the Affordable Care Act, and as their benefit adviser you can and should offer them guidance or risk losing them to an adviser who will. Attorney Peter Marathas of Proskauer Rose LLP has outlined four ACA issues you should already be discussing with your clients.
More states look to mandate retirement plans for private employees
Lawmakers in Maryland and Wisconsin are working to make retirement plans more readily available to private sector employees. Their efforts follow recently enacted California legislation that requires employers to contribute 3% of a workers salary to a retirement account.
CBO: Minimum wage increase would cost jobs
Increasing the U.S. minimum wage may lift some workers out of poverty while leading to as many as 1 million job losses, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office.
5 compliance areas where you should be on high alert
If the last few years were an age of reform, then weve definitely entered a new era a time of compliance.
Benefits Think How one piecemeal ACA repeal was killed
Republicans were trying to dismantle the ACAs risk corridor premium stabilization program as recently as this week but several factors, possibly including the insurance industry itself, took them off course.
The aftermath of the employer responsibility ruling
This week started out with the much anticipated employer responsibility ruling and first shocked us with the additional employer mandate delay. But theres much more to the ruling that advisers and plan sponsors need to be aware of in the coming months.
Benefits Think Beware of E&O and D&O claims
Commentary: There are murky new ACA liabilities for your benefit agency. Craig Davidson shares how these potential liabilities lie with insurance protection coverage that you may need.
Benefits Think Act now to ensure compliance with ACAs 2015 employer mandate
The employer coverage mandate and other ACA requirements relevant to employer sponsors of health and welfare plans will be discussed in detail as part of the ACA Update What Went Right, What Went Wrong And What Now? presentation at the Workplace Benefits Renaissance on Feb. 24, 2014.
What will Obamas minimum wage action mean for employees?
Only time will tell if the presidents self-declared year of the executive order will solicit more action from Congress on legislation. But what are the immediate implications for employees who heard his State of the Union call for a minimum wage increase?
Bill to create national broker licensing org. passes Senate
A long-fought battle to ease the burden of insurance brokers licensing procedures moved a step closer to reality on Thursday afternoon. Still, hurdles remain for NARAB, with passage in the House uncertain, and the White House scrutinizing some components of the language.
NARAB gets a shot at passage via flood insurance bill
The legislation meant to cut through the red tape of state-by-state insurance broker licensing is stalled in the Senate as a standalone bill, but has been attached to another bill up for vote soon.
5 legal cases to watch
Among benefits-related cases in 2013, courts addressed offerings to same-sex couples, statute of limitations, remedies under ERISA and 401(k) plan fees. Heres a look at five cases that could have implications for your benefit plans in the year ahead.
Federal court issues unfavorable pension ruling for health care systems affiliated with churches
The court agreed with the plaintiffs contention that while a church-affiliated entity may maintain an ERISA-exempt church plan, only plans established directly by a church or convention of churches qualify as church plans.
Insurers can be sued for profit on denied benefits, court’s ERISA ruling concludes
The case at issue is Rochow v. Life Ins. Co. of N. America. His estate sued for a denial of long-term disability benefits as well as profits allegedly made on the benefits.
IRS provides guidance on in-plan Roth IRA rollovers
The guidance in Notice 2013-74 relates to the expansion of such rollovers under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which settled the expiring tax breaks as part of the fiscal cliff deal around the New Year.
Be careful about what constitutes affordable care
As with other components of the ACA, Congress may have overlooked that ERISA already has something to say about what employees can be charged as a contribution.
25 employee benefit trends for 2014, Part 1
Contributing Editor Ed Bray looks ahead to 2014 and outlines 25 areas to watch. In part 1: Everything from analyzing health data to HIPAA compliance and beyond.
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Ed Bray
Tread lightly with electronic disclosures
With the ACA requiring even more communications to employees, many employers might consider shifting to electronic means for all disclosure notices, but there are many rules here and employers and their advisers should be careful.