Compliance

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.

Only time will tell if the president’s 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?

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.

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.

Among benefits-related cases in 2013, courts addressed offerings to same-sex couples, statute of limitations, remedies under ERISA and 401(k) plan fees. Here’s a look at five cases that could have implications for your benefit plans in the year ahead.

The court agreed with the plaintiff’s 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Republican senators introduced a bill this week that would prevent the exclusion of multi-employer health plans from a $63 reinsurance fee that the ACA imposes on each enrollee.

Flexible spending account advocates expect most employers to embrace rollover provision.

More than a million worksites could be affected if the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration changes who submits work-related injury data and how, but is this just another example of “regulation by shaming”? Meanwhile, OSHA has led the charge attacking employer safety plans which measure their success based on this same injury data.

One HR source says the National Labor Relations Board is on a “crusade” against aggressive social media policies.

For HR professionals, mid-year nondiscrimination testing needs to be at the top of that list. Waiting to test until the completion of the year can have severe negative consequences.

These two new reporting requirements are in addition to the current requirement to report the cost of coverage on Form W-2.

Employee benefits attorneys share how employers facing Affordable Care Act reforms can think outside the box for health plan changes in 2014.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban workplace and hiring bias on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, finally passed the Senate today. Its future in the GOP-controlled House is less certain.

A debrief on the types of changes that trigger the loss of grandfathered status, the concept at the center of the “if you like your plan, you can keep it” issue.