The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is a federal law that sets minimum standards for most voluntarily established employee pension and welfare plans in the private sector. To protect individuals in these plans, ERISA requires plan administrators, which are oftentimes the employers, to provide...
The complexity of group health insurance makes it difficult for employers to shop for health plans and for employees to choose among several employer-provided options. Unfortunately, helpful consumer information is not typically found in the patchwork of various non-uniform and intricate consumer disclosures, such as...
Despite becoming law over four years ago, the Affordable Care Act continues to make headlines. Since it's not easy to keep track of all the changes, let's take a look at some of the more significant recent developments. Elimination of Small Group Deductible Limits A significant ACA...
Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurance issuers in the individual and group markets are generally required to guarantee insurance coverage to every employer and individual that applies. Beginning in 2015, this guarantee will extend to same-sex spouses. On March 14, 2014, the Department of Health...
On February 10, 2014, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final regulations implementing the employer responsibility provisions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Despite being previously delayed, the final regulations provide transition relief to employers with 50 or...
As 2013 comes to an end, many are making plans and resolutions for the New Year. 2014 is also a big year for the Affordable Care Act, as many of the Act’s provisions go into effect, such as: Individual Mandate. Under the Act, most individuals who...