cmonfils | May 14, 2012
Source: Deloitte via Benefits.Link.com, 4/30/2012, Benefits.Link Guest Article
Proposed Treasury Regulations lay out the mechanism by which new temporary fees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be imposed on self-insured group health plans and issuers of group health policies. (more…)
cmonfils | May 14, 2012
WASHINGTON—No federal law comes close to the 2010 health care reform law when it comes to its potential impact on employer-sponsored health care plans and the issues confronting them.
http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20120506/NEWS03/120509904
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
The IRS has just issued three notices concerning key aspects of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). Notice 2012-31 proposes three different methods by which sponsors of self-funded health plans could value the coverage they provide to plan participants and their dependents. Notice 2012-32 and Notice 2012-33 then solicit comments on two related employer reporting requirements.
cmonfils | May 10, 2012
Proposed Treasury Regulations lay out the mechanism by which new temporary fees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will be imposed on self-insured group health plans and issuers of group health policies. The fees will begin at $1 per covered life for the first year, increase to $2 for the second year, and for the next five years increase based on increases in the per capita amount of National Health Expenditures. Health FSAs that provide excepted benefits are not subject to the fee. Further, HRAs (and non-exempt Health FSAs) that are integrated with a self-insured major medical plan maintained by the same plan sponsor will be considered a single combined plan and not subject to a separate fee. Where the major medical plan is insured, however, the sponsor of the HRA (or nonexempt Health FSA) will be subject to the fee
cmonfils | May 9, 2012
MyHealthGuide Source:
“Politico is widely read on Capitol Hill,” says Mike Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer, SIIA, “Let there be no mistake, self-insurance is now in primetime. We continue to ramp up our lobbying and media activities accordingly.” (more…)
cmonfils | May 8, 2012
The Internal Revenue Service has issued three new guidance documents related to certain requirements the Affordable Care Act imposes on employer-provided health plans. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also issued a bulletin regarding verification of access to employer-sponsored coverage.
cmonfils | May 8, 2012
In case you had any doubt about the end game the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has in mind for self-insurance nationally, you simply need to look at what is happening on the left coast.
cmonfils | May 8, 2012
The federal government seems to be fishing around for evidence showing that self-insured health plans will siphon off healthy lives from state-run insurance exchanges (a cornerstone of reform).
cmonfils | May 8, 2012
Beginning in 2014, employers that sponsor health plans will have to watch closely if any employees qualify for a premium tax credit, triggered whenever the employer-sponsored coverage is unaffordable, or does not provide minimum value.
cmonfils | May 3, 2012
By Ron E. Peck, Esq.
Self-funding a health benefit plan brings with it many risks and rewards. Before an employer can decide whether to self-fund, however, they must first understand what self-funding is. You may be surprised to learn that more than half of insured Americans are members of a self-funded health benefit plan. Yet, most self-funded plan members likely have no idea that they are self-funded, or if they are aware, they have no idea what that means. (more…)
cmonfils | May 1, 2012
www.myhealthguide.com
MyHealthGuide Source: Hilda L. Solis, Secretary of Labor, April 2012, DOL Full Report
Executive Summary
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “Affordable Care Act”) (P. L. 111-148, as amended) requires the Secretary of Labor to provide Congress with an annual report containing general information on self-insured employee health benefit plans and financial information regarding employers that sponsor such plans. The report must use data from the Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan (the “Form 5500″) which many self-insured health plans are required to file annually with the Department of Labor (the “Department”). The first report was provided to Congress in March 2011. (more…)
cmonfils | May 1, 2012
The Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc. (SIIA) today obtained an advance copy of a Request for Information (RFI) notice regarding stop-loss insurance to be officially issued by The Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services on May 1. The Departments’ stated intent for the request for comments is to contribute to the Departments’ understanding of the current and emerging market for stop-loss products. (more…)
cmonfils | April 26, 2012
April 26, 2012 — The Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc. (SIIA) late yesterday told members of the California State Senate Health Care Committee that legislation now under consideration to impose new regulations on stop-loss is likely to be preempted by federal law and will therefore expose the state to litigation. (more…)
cmonfils | April 25, 2012
Effective April 13, 2012, most Michigan motorcyclists are no longer required to wear a helmet. Employers should review the coordination of benefit provisions in their health plans as a result of this new law.
http://www.millerjohnson.com/pubs/xprPubDetail.aspx?xpST=PubDetail&pub=1964
