IRS issues first taste of Cadillac tax implementation
The IRS continues to seek industry input on the Affordable Care Acts excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health plans.
Federal health insurance exchanges
More jurisdictions require paid sick leave
Paid sick leave seems to be gaining traction in some parts of the United States, but it continues to face a lot of resistance.
Benefits Think Its not just the DOL that thinks you may have more employees
Just last week, the DOL provided guidance about people treated as independent contractors, but who may really be your employees. That is just part of the trend. Another way you may have extra employees is through joint employment, most commonly through use of a staffing agency.
Dabney Ware
litigation lawyer
When is a worker an independent contractor?
Commentary: Employers face an uphill battle in classifying a worker as an independent contractor due to DOL guidance that defines employee so broadly that such a classification should only be reserved for a narrow subset of workers.
A united front against the Cadillac tax
A new coalition representing the public and private sectors, as well as Republicans and Democrats, is seeking a full repeal of the ACAs excise tax on high-cost group plans.
Benefits Think Overtime rules might not affect as many as DOL expects
The DOLs proposed rules on overtime do not mean workers will automatically earn more money or even work less.
Comment period closes on DOL fiduciary rule
Many believe the DOL has gone about its fiduciary rule-making in the wrong way and fear the rules, as proposed, will do more harm than good.
Benefits industry asks DOL to revamp burdensome fiduciary rule
Industry trade groups and associations flooded the DOL with suggested amendments and revisions to its proposed fiduciary rule, ahead of the July 21 deadline for comments.
State-based marketplaces lag behind federal exchange
As they struggle to become financially stable, state-based health insurance marketplaces are lagging behind the federally-facilitated marketplace and are likely to continue to do so in the near future.
Benefits Think New ACA reporting requirements self-insured employers should know
The ACA added new employer reporting requirements under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 and 6056, applying to employers that sponsor self-insured plans that provide minimum essential coverage regardless of size, and applicable larger employers.
2016 election to have big impact on public, private exchanges
With 24 Republican senators up for reelection in November 2016, not to mention the presidential election, there is so much set to change for both public and private exchanges.
DOL guidance helps define line between employee, contractor
The Department of Labor issued fresh guidance on how businesses should distinguish between employees and independent contractors, noting misclassification of employees has been on the rise throughout the U.S.
Will domestic partner benefits be a casualty of SCOTUS decision?
As the Supreme Courts recent ruling in favor of gay marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges changed the landscape of employee benefits across the country, the question of how the courts decision would affect domestic partner coverage moved center stage.
Affordable Care Act fine paid by 6.6M taxpayers, above estimate
About 6.6 million U.S. taxpayers paid a penalty imposed for the first time this year for not having health insurance, about 10% more than the Obama administration had estimated though a portion didnt need to.
DOL overtime rules seen as financial, regulatory burden to employers
Simply making more employees eligible for overtime pay may not mean more workers will necessarily earn those benefits, benefits analysts suggest.
Fiduciary ambiguity is primary concern for advisers
The DOLs proposed definition of fiduciary advice remains worrisomely broad, according to financial and legal experts who are calling upon the industry to flood the DOL with letters of concern about the rules possible implications.
Prospect of small group classification for mid-size employers spurs fears, legislative proposals
Employers in the 51-100 employee size bracket are anxious about the prospect of being added to the small group market that under the Affordable Care Act currently cuts off at 50 employees (unless states opt to raise it).
Post-SCOTUS: Industry groups focus legislative efforts on ACA revisions
Although the Supreme Court upheld subsidies on the exchanges, there remain key aspects of the ACA that broker and employer lobbyist organizations continue to seek to amend and/or repeal.
Marriage ruling streamlines benefits administration
Fridays landmark ruling on gay marriage poses both challenges and benefits to employers.
Gay-marriage ruling puts some corporate health benefits at risk
The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision being cheered as a step toward equality is also poised to carry unintended consequences, including some that could make life harder for employees, gay and straight alike.
By
Thomas Black