01/23/2013
The Affordable Care Act health care reform law requires you to provide current employees and new hires with a notice regarding health insurance coverage, beginning March 1.
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01/21/2013
HR Law 101: Drug testing and substance abuse prevention programs can involve substantial legal liability if employers don't manage and administer them properly. If your organization decides to implement a drug testing program, there are ways to minimize the risk of employee lawsuits ...
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01/10/2013
As the legislative wrangling to avert a plunge over the federal budget’s fiscal cliff heated up late last year, the IRS released its list of the nation’s biggest tax breaks. Three of the top 10 involved employee benefits.
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01/09/2013
The Affordable Care Act health care reform law doesn’t fully kick in for another year. But that hasn’t stopped DOL auditors from scrutinizing group health plans for provisions that have already taken effect. Make sure your plan complies with the following requirements.
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01/09/2013
To determine what works in providing medical care, the Affordable Care Act health care reform law created the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). For seven plan years, PCORI will be funded with fees on plan sponsors of self-insured plans, including retiree-only and COBRA plans. Now comes news that sponsors of insured plans that offer employees health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and certain health flexible spending accounts (FSAs) must also pay fees.
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01/09/2013
When employees of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina don’t feel well, they can log onto the Internet and find out why. The company has partnered with American Well and Walgreens Take Care Health Systems to create a telehealth service for employees.
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01/08/2013
To determine what works in providing medical care, the Affordable Care Act health care reform law created the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. For seven plan years, it will be funded with fees on plan sponsors of self-insured plans, including retiree-only and COBRA plans.
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01/03/2013
The Nebraska state government reduced employee health claims by $4.2 million over three years after introducing a wellness program that features 100% coverage of preventive health care and lower premiums. The effort led Nebraska to become the first state to win the C. Everett Koop National Health Award.
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12/24/2012
The IRS has announced final regulations governing new fees—payable by health insurers and employer sponsors of self-insured health plans—that will help fund a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
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12/18/2012
The health care reform law doesn’t fully kick in for another year. But that hasn’t stopped DOL auditors from scrutinizing group health plans for provisions already in effect, such as the grandfathering rules and children staying on parents’ plan until they turn age 26.
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11/14/2012
Locate plans that suit your workforce at finder.healthcare.gov. The site, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, identifies health insurance carriers serving the small business market in your area.
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11/06/2012
If you were waiting until after last week's presidential election to begin implementing health benefit changes mandated by the Affordable Care Act, it’s time to kick your planning into high gear. With President Obama's re-election, the ACA is sure to be fully implemented come 2014. Already, critical compliance deadlines are looming.
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10/30/2012
Under the health care reform law, employers of 50 or more full-time employees during the preceding year will pay free-rider penalties if they don’t offer full-time employees (i.e., those who work at least 30 hours a week) affordable health benefits. How you determine full-time status is the subject of new IRS guidance.
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10/29/2012
Execs at Cleveland-based KeyBank figure there’s something to be said for keeping the same medical administrator on staff for more than a decade. In fact, they call it part of their “commitment to wellness.” The organization’s aim: to drive down medical costs by helping employees improve their health and become more involved in their own well-being.
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10/17/2012
Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $15,745 this year, up 4% from last year, with workers on average paying $4,316 toward the cost of their coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2012 Employer Health Benefits Survey.
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