Insurance

Get more from high-deductible health plans

04/08/2013

More employers are turning to high-deductible health insurance plans. But don’t automatically assume that they’ll cut your organization’s costs.

Don’t get stung by Obamacare’s play-or-pay provisions

04/03/2013

The IRS has released regulations for determining the hefty penalties that apply when Affordable Care Act-covered employers fail to offer health insurance to employees starting in 2014. The rules seem daunting, but it’s critical to understand them.

Learn how to count employees under ACA’s employer mandate

03/21/2013

Oddly, determining how many employees you have is one of the trickiest parts of the health care reform law. The answer matters: You could wind up paying big penalties next year if you miscalculate.

Health benefit safe harbors put Payroll in the driver’s seat

03/18/2013

The Affordable Care Act requires employers of 50 or more full-time employees to offer them affordable health benefits—or pay free-rider penalties. Benefits are affordable if employees’ contributions don’t exceed 9.5% of their household income and employers pay at least 60%. The IRS has created three optional affordability safe harbors.

Layoff and then a walkout: What’s our COBRA obligation?

03/12/2013

Q. Our business recently was forced to implement layoffs—and most of our remaining employees walked off the job. All were given a COBRA notice, but only one chose to take the coverage. Since this was a group insurance policy and only one person will now be insured, the insurer is canceling our policy. What’s our responsibility to that ex-employee?

The feds say ‘never mind’ on ACA health exchange notices

03/12/2013

The Affordable Care Act health care reform law required employers to begin notifying employees on March 1 about the availability of state-based exchanges as an option for buying health insurance. But the DOL has temporarily rescinded the notice requirement.

Benefits alert: Health insurance exchange notice requirement postponed

03/01/2013

The health care reform law required employers to begin notifying employees on March 1 about the availability of state-based exchanges as an option for buying health insurance. But acknowledging the obvious—that the state exchanges are nowhere near ready to go live—the Department of Labor has temporarily rescinded the notice requirement.

Health exchange employee notice requirement postponed

02/26/2013

If you didn’t provide employees with notice regarding the health insurance exchanges by March 1, you’re off the hook. The DOL has postponed this notice requirement until late summer or fall, which coincides with the exchanges’ open enrollment period.

IRS issues regs on ACA’s employer play-or-pay provision

02/25/2013

A key portion of the Affordable Care Act health care reform law is the employer play-or-pay provision, also known as the employer mandate. Regulations, which are proposed to become effective for months after Dec. 31, 2013, implement this provision. You may rely on these regs until final regs are issued.

TD Bank equalizes taxes for domestic partners

02/21/2013

Starting this year, TD Bank is offsetting the additional federal and state taxes that its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) employees pay for domestic-partner benefits compared with heterosexual married couples.