Click here for PDF PCORI Fee & Form 5500 The PCORI fee and the Form 5500 are coming due. The PCORI fee, which is part of health care reform, is a temporary fee to fund and support clinical effectiveness research. The amount is assessed on health plans but employer sponsored self-funded health plans will have to pay the fee directly. So if you are sponsoring a self-funded health plan, you need to calculate the fee... Read More
Click here for PDF Excepted Benefits Under ACA Most health plans are subject to health care reform and, as result, have to comply with a number of rules. For example, most group health plans have to provide unlimited lifetime benefits for a variety of services. However, excepted benefits are exempt from a majority of the health care reform rules. The government has instituted a pilot program where employers can offer part-time employees and retirees limited... Read More
View pdf EEOC Provides Guidance on Wellness Programs Health care reform encourages employees to adopt wellness programs by increasing the maximum amount of rewards or penalties that can be part of a wellness program. However, the EEOC has put a damper on wellness programs recently by filing lawsuits against employers adopting wellness programs. That is, the EEOC has taken the position that just because the wellness program complies with the rules under health care reform... Read More
Three State Law Changes in Ohio While everyone is focusing on health care reform on the Federal level there have been three major changes on the state level in Ohio that impact employers sponsoring fully insured health plans. 1. The definition of full-time employee in the small group market in Ohio is changing from 25 hours per week to 30 hours per week. A small group employer under Ohio law is an employer with between... Read More
Ohio Legislature brings state laws in line with federal standards.
2015 Checklist I am attaching a really comprehensive checklist for various employee benefit plans for this year. Yes, it is hard to believe it is 2015, but it is time to start focusing in on compliance issues. http://bit.ly/1DFLPW5 There are a lot of compliance tools out there, but this one was prepared by a major consulting house and does a really good job of laying out the requirements. I urge you to print it... Read More