12 Nov Affordable Care Act Update: IRS Extends ACA Reporting Deadline and Good-Faith Relief from Penalties

Posted at 20:02h in Affordable Care Act, Commercial Insurance, Employee Benefits, Group Benefits, Health Insurance

Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk This seemingly endless year is almost over…finally. That means it’s time for Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) to start focusing on the Affordable Care Act’s annual information-reporting requirements. Fortunately, the Internal Revenue Service extended the deadline for ALEs to furnish 2020 information...

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18 Aug Affordable Care Act: Will Your Group Health Plan be Affordable in 2021?

Posted at 13:42h in Affordable Care Act, Commercial Insurance, Employee Benefits, Group Benefits, Health Insurance, Human Resources

The Affordable Care Act’s affordability threshold for employer-sponsored group health plans will increase to 9.83 percent in 2021. The affordability threshold is currently 9.78 percent. The impending increase primarily affects employers with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees. The ACA generally requires these...

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03 Aug Gender Identity and Sex Stereotyping Under the Affordable Care Act

Posted at 18:43h in Group Benefits, Health Insurance, Human Resources

Did you know that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains a civil rights provision? The ACA prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in certain health programs and activities. Despite becoming law in 2010, final implementation rules were...

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30 Mar Supreme Court Requests Compromise Options in ACA Contraception Case

Posted at 16:50h in Affordable Care Act, Group Benefits, Health Insurance

In Zubik v. Burwell, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether the rights of religiously affiliated nonprofit organizations are violated by the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive-coverage mandate. Given the sensitive, often contentious issues raised in this case, the public is anxiously awaiting the Court’s decision....

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24 Feb Is Telemedicine Right for Your Business?

Posted at 16:27h in Group Benefits, Health Insurance

Industry experts estimate that 80% of employers will offer telemedicine by 2018. So what exactly is this trending health care benefit? Well, telemedicine generally refers to the practice of using telecommunications technologies (phone, Internet, etc.) to diagnose and treat patients, and in case you haven't...

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03 Feb Is Your Group Health Plan Considered ‘Affordable’ under the ACA?

Posted at 14:30h in Affordable Care Act, Group Benefits, Health Insurance

Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) are generally employers that average at least 50 full-time and full-time equivalent employees. Under the Affordable Care Act, ALEs can either provide health insurance coverage to employees or pay a penalty. To avoid a penalty, ALEs must offer health coverage to...

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08 Apr Small Group Health Premiums under the Affordable Care Act

Posted at 13:28h in Affordable Care Act, Group Benefits, Health Insurance

Controlling health insurance premiums was a primary goal of health care reform. Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), small group health insurers could vary premiums for a number of reasons, such as a group's overall health status, size, age, gender, history or industry. As a...

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28 Jan Are You Ready for the New Affordable Care Act Reporting Requirements?

Posted at 13:44h in Health Insurance, Labor & Employment Law

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires Applicable Large Employers (ALEs) with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees to file information returns with the Internal Revenue Service and provide statements to their full-time employees about employer-offered health insurance coverage. This information will be used...

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10 Dec Understanding Excepted Benefits Under the Affordable Care Act

Posted at 20:26h in Employee Benefits, Health Insurance

Many employers offer benefits packages that provide employees with more than just health insurance coverage. Though some of these benefits, like pre-paid legal service plans, are clearly not health-related, others may provide employees with some health-related benefits. Does this mean they are subject to the...

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29 Oct Employee Assistance Programs under the Affordable Care Act

Posted at 14:42h in Employee Benefits, Health Insurance

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are designed to help employees prevent, identify and resolve various personal issues and matters. Many employers include EAPs in their benefits packages to enhance employee effectiveness and maintain workplace productivity. In addition to providing benefits like pre-paid legal, crisis intervention or...

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