News

04/14/2023

Employee Benefit Acronyms Part 3 of 3

Everybody in the employee benefits field uses acronyms like ALE, MLR, and ACA, but what do these and other employee benefits acronyms stand for?

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04/14/2023

Employee Benefit Acronyms Part 2 of 3

Everybody in the employee benefits field uses acronyms like ADA, MSP, and PHI, but what do these and other employee benefits acronyms stand for?

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04/14/2023

Employee Benefit Acronyms Part 1 of 3

Everyone in the employee benefits field uses acronyms like CDHC, EAP, and VEBA, but what do they stand for?

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04/14/2023

Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Expenses Related to Nutrition, Wellness, and General Health

The IRS has issued FAQs that explain when certain costs related to nutrition, wellness, and general health are medical expenses under Code § 213.

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04/14/2023

The National Emergency Ends

A new wrinkle recently added a potential complication to calculating these deadlines.

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04/14/2023

The National Emergency Ends

A new wrinkle recently added a potential complication to calculating these deadlines.

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10/20/2022

Rev. Proc. 2022-38 (Oct. 18, 2022); IRS News Release IR-2022-182 (Oct. 18, 2022)

IRS Releases 2023 Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Health FSAs, Transportation Benefits, Adoption Assistance, and More

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11/12/2021

Rev. Proc. 2021-45 (Nov. 10, 2021); IRS News Release IR-2021-219 (Nov. 10, 2021)

IRS Releases 2022 Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Health FSAs, Transportation Benefits, Adoption Assistance, and More

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11/10/2021

2022 Annual Inflation Adjustments

Revenue Procedure 2021-45 provides details about these annual adjustments.

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09/15/2021

IRS Notice 2021-26

IRS Issues Additional Guidance on the Tax Treatment of Dependent Care Benefits

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08/19/2021

2022 IRS Limits

The IRS has released the 2022 cost-of-living adjusted limits for health savings accounts (HSAs), high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), and excepted benefit health reimbursement arrangements (EBHRAs).

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06/04/2021

IRS Addresses Tax Treatment of DCAP Benefits Available Under Extended Claims Period or Carryover

Available at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-26.pdf

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06/04/2021

IRS Announces Several 2022 Limits

Available at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-21-25.pdf

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04/06/2021

IRS Announcement 2021-7 Provides Guidance on Covid-19 PPE

Amounts Paid for COVID-19-Related PPE Qualify as Medical Care Expenses

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03/17/2021

Congress Passes Bill Increasing DCAP Maximum

Covid Relief Bill temporarily increases DCAP maximum, expands ACA premium tax credit, and extends tax credit for paid leave.

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03/17/2021

Expansion of Covid-Related Relief for Cafeteria Plans

The IRS has issued a notice clarifying the temporary relief for health FSAs and DCAPs (collectively, FSAs) that was enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

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05/14/2020

The IRS releases guidance for an increase in the FSA carryover amount.

The IRS explains that the guidance addresses unanticipated changes in expenses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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05/14/2020

IRS Provides COVID-Related Cafeteria Plan Relief

Employers and advisors have been seeking cafeteria plan relief in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak and will appreciate being able to offer additional flexibility to employees.

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04/03/2020

Stimulus Package Impacts Employer Benefit Plans

Included in the Act is a provision reauthorizing the ability of participants in health care FSAs, certain Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and health savings accounts (HSAs) to have over-the-counter medications as items eligible for reimbursement without the necessity of a prescription.

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12/03/2019

2020 Limits for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

The IRS has released the 2020 cost-of-living adjusted limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs).

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12/03/2019

The New ICHRA and EBHRA Expand Health Coverage

The Departments of Labor, Treasury, and HHS jointly issued a final rule to expand the flexibility and use of HRAs.

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12/03/2019

2020 Welfare Benefit Plan Limits

The IRS has released the 2020 cost-of-living adjustments

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06/12/2018

2019 HSA Limits Rise, IRS Says

Contribution limits to HSAs have been announced for 2019, the IRS says.

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06/12/2018

IRS Reverts to Prior HSA Limit for Family Coverage

Why the limit change again?

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12/07/2017

IRS Announces Employee Benefit Plan Limits for 2018

Recently the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration announced the cost-of-living adjustments to the applicable dollar limits on various employer-sponsored retirement and welfare plans and the Social Security wage base for 2018

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05/02/2017

Bill headed to Senate would provide ‘safety blanket’ for benefit plans

Nearly half of all employees are covered by a self-insured group health plan. Many companies that offer these plans have separate stop-loss insurance policies to protect them against the risk of catastrophically high claims. Some states and the Obama administration have attempted to regulate stop-loss insurance; a move the Self-Insurance Institute of America says would render it unaffordable.

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01/19/2017

DOL Announces Annual Adjustments to Many Employee Benefit Plan Penalties

The DOL has issued the first annual adjustment of civil monetary penalties for a wide range of benefit-related violations.

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11/29/2016

Should ERISA exemption be sought for voluntary?

As an ever-changing healthcare market continues to drive up demand for voluntary benefits, employers face a strategic compliance choice on which brokers and advisers can help them decide.

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09/12/2016

Cybersecurity and the role of ERISA fiduciaries

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended protects plan participant benefits and account balances by imposing high standards of care on the plan’s fiduciaries. Fiduciaries who do not follow these standards—most notably, the protection of participant personal and plan information—may be personally liable to restore losses to the plan.

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07/13/2016

Department Of Labor

US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES NEW RULES TO ADJUST CIVIL PENALTY AMOUNTS

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05/19/2016

IRS Releases 2017 Health Savings Account Limits

The IRS released the 2017 cost of living adjustments relating to health savings accounts. For 2017, the HDHP annual deductible limits and out-of-pocket limits remain unchanged from 2016 limits; only the individual contribution limit increased slightly.

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03/03/2016

An Employee Benefit Plan Compliance Reminder

With all of the energy being spent on the Affordable Care Act, it is possible that some rules and requirements slip through the cracks. It is as important as ever to make sure employers sponsoring group health plans continue to satisfy all plan obligations.

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01/06/2016

5 Health Insurance Resolutions to Consider for 2016

Health insurance may not be the sexiest New Year's resolutions subject, but thinking about it could be just as important as vowing to drop a few pounds or quit smoking.

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12/31/2015

2016 Will be the Year of the Healthcare Consumer (Again)

2016 may well be the year of the consumer in healthcare.

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11/09/2015

New Transportation Legislation in 2016

Transporation Changes for Plans Using Debit Cards

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10/22/2015

2015 Health IT Leadership Summit

2015 Health IT Leadership Summit to Focus on Consumer-Driven Healthcare in a Digital Age

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08/05/2015

IRS issues first taste of Cadillac tax implementation

Who is Responsible for Paying the Cadillac Tax?

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07/24/2015

Small businesses remain in ACA delay limbo

Changes are Coming for Small-Size Businesses with Large Plans

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06/24/2015

Who Will Be Affected if SCOTUS Rules Against Obamacare?

The Supreme Court tackles the Affordable Care Act again.

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05/26/2015

ACA Exempt Plans

New Legislation Exempts Certain Plans from the ACA

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04/20/2015

FSA vs HSA

Covering the New Copay

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04/16/2015

EEOC Rule Update

EEOC Wellness Rule Eases Fears for Employers

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12/10/2014

Cafeteria Plan Amendments

A Year End Action Item

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10/21/2014

Changes To Cafeteria Plan Election Rules

The IRS recently issued Notice 2014-55

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08/20/2014

ECFC EMPLOYER ALERT

Individual Medical Policy May Result in Significant Excise Tax Liability

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07/16/2014

ECFC ALERT

Take action now to support the Transit Commuter Benefit

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05/27/2014

New Law Signed by President Obama Eliminates Deductible Limits for Small Employer Market Health Plans

Employers Council on Flexible Compensation Heralds Repeal a Huge Victory for Consumer-Based Healthcare and Benefit Accounts

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05/15/2014

ECFC Alert

IRS releases 2014 inflation-adjusted amounts for HSAs and proposed regulations

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