Skip to main content

Texas Judge Declares the Affordable Care Act Unconstitutional – What’s Next?

As reported in our “2018 End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” List (Part 1) Health & Welfare,” the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act repealed the individual mandate, which spawned a lawsuit challenging the whole of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”).  The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Texas in February 2018 by the […]

| 4 min read | Tagged: , , , ,
NC

Zombie Benefits – Are Health Reimbursement Arrangements (“HRAs”) Back From the Dead?

The Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) has not been kind to health reimbursement arrangements (“HRAs”).  Many employers got rid of HRAs, or integrated them with a major medical plan, in order to avoid significant penalties under the ACA.  At one point it appeared that after-tax HRAs did not have to comply with the ACA.  However, as […]

| 8 min read | Tagged: , , , , , , ,
NC

Count Down to Open Enrollment – Some Quick Thoughts

As open enrollment approaches for the 2019 calendar year, below are some items employers may want to consider: Wellness program changes – Many employers change their wellness programs during open enrollment.  This is a reminder that even small changes to a wellness program may have significant consequences.  For example, if an employer increases wellness rewards, […]

NC

Association Health Plans – A New Frontier?

On June 21, 2018, the Department of Labor published the final association health plan (“AHP”) rule, which can be accessed at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-06-21/pdf/2018-12992.pdf.  83 FR 28912 (June 21, 2018).  The final rule is short, just shy of three pages in length (see page 28961 to 29964), and provides that a bona fide group or association shall […]

| 8 min read | Tagged: , ,
NC

Health Plans – A Pain to Administer But Appreciated by Employees

Administering health plans is not the easiest task.  Such plans are subject to an alphabet soup of laws, including but not limited to ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, COBRA, HIPAA, GINA, Mental Health Parity, the ADA, the ADEA, and Title VII.  However, a November 2017 American Benefits Council survey may make employers feel better about […]

| 5 min read | Tagged: , , , ,
NC

Congress Kicks the Can Down the Road Again – Cadillac Tax On High Cost Employer Health Coverage Delayed to 2022

Section 4980I, which was added to the Internal Revenue Code by the Affordable Care Act, was originally supposed to take effect in 2018.  This tax is commonly called the “Cadillac tax” because it imposes a 40% excise tax on high cost employer sponsored health coverage. The Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law on December 18, […]

| 2 min read | Tagged: , , , ,
NC

Making a List, Checking it Twice – 2017

It’s that time of year when boys and girls start making their lists for the holidays, but we in the employee benefits world make a very different kind of list.  In the rapidly changing world of employee benefits and executive compensation law, checklists can be particularly helpful to make sure important issues do not fall […]

NC

Why Isn’t My “Free” Preventive Health Care Free?

In my opinion, one of the best changes made by the Affordable Care Act is the mandate that requires health plans to provide certain specified preventive services without imposing any cost sharing.  This is sometimes referred to as “free” preventive care.  As a result of this mandate, deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and other cost sharing may […]

NC

Curing What Ails You – Relief for Small Employer HRAs

The impact of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) on health reimbursement arrangements (“HRAs”) has not been favorable.  Many employers got rid of their HRAs or integrated them with a major medical plan in order to avoid significant penalties under ACA.  These rules imposed a significant burden on small employers, because many small employers used HRAs […]

| 4 min read | Tagged: , , , ,
NC