New Jersey becomes first state to mandate employers pay severance following mass layoffs
Prompted by recent closures of big-name companies like Toys R Us, New Jersey is the first state to implement a severance pay requirement for employees experiencing mass layoffs.
DOL updates the model CHIP notice
The Department of Labor (DOL) has again updated the model Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) notice employers are required to provide annually to employees residing in any state, listed in the notice, in which the employer maintains a group health plan.
“Embedded” Out-of-Pocket Limits Might Be Required for 2016 Plan Years
UPDATE: "Embedded" Out-of-Pocket Limits Might Will Be Required for 2016 Plan Years Tri-agency guidance issued May 26, 2015 confirmed that the embedded out-of-pocket limits interpretation explained in the following article applies to non-grandfathered...
CMS Asks Employers to Verify TRF Filings for 2014
An FAQ regarding transitional reinsurance fee (TRF) submissions for 2014 appeared on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) “REGTAP” site on May 12, 2015. (CMS uses REGTAP to provide information on several different programs it administers, including TRF...
More Strategies for Your Payroll Implementation
Last week I started sharing our team’s checklist of items to consider when implementing a new payroll system. And because there were quite a few items (okay, okay A TON of items) to think about, I thought it would be best on all of our brains to finish sharing the...
Plans Must Cover 18 Separate Birth Control Methods With No Cost-Sharing
New frequently asked questions (FAQs), define the contraceptive coverage that a non-grandfathered group health plan must provide in order to comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate to cover certain preventive services without cost-sharing. The FAQs refer to...
Smart Strategies for Your Payroll Implementation
So you’re implementing a new payroll system, and wondering where to start? Well, lookie here, wouldn’t you know your neighborhood HR Tech geeks have compiled a checklist just to help guide you through the implementation of your new HR technology. (It’s like we were...
Why Data is Your Best Defense Against the High Cost of Specialty Meds
According to a recent story in the New York Times (Speedy Drug Approvals Have Become the Rule, Not the Exception), FDA approval timeframes for new specialty drugs are being shortened and the pipeline is filling up with new medications. That’s why it’s more important...
Survey Says: Employers Are Not Ready for ACA
Our dear friend, Ed Fensholt, over in Compliance recently brought a Business Insurance article to our attention. It talks about employer reporting under the Affordable Care Act. Below are a few of his comments about the article that I thought were too important not to...
Overheard Today on Capitol Hill: Repeal the Cadillac Tax
Congressional Democrats today introduced a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s “Cadillac Tax.” Judging by the number of Congressmen moving to co-sponsor the bill, it appears the Cadillac Tax is as largely disfavored on Capitol Hill—at least in the House of...
April 30 Deadline Set for Correcting Certain TRF Overpayments
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that collects the transitional reinsurance fee (TRF) has announced an April 30, 2015 deadline for claiming certain overpayments of that fee with respect to 2014. Specifically, the deadline...
Oh by the way, pay us some more!
Is there a full moon because I have been seeing some interesting things in the HR Tech space recently?! Over the last few weeks, I’ve had two separate clients reach out with questions about billing recovery attempts by their HR Tech vendors. The first, was one of many...
ACA Data You Might Not Be Capturing
Affordable Care Act data you may not be capturing to complete the required IRS forms due first quarter 2016 Below are some of the common pieces of data that HRIS systems are NOT collecting for your IRS forms due the first quarter of 2016: Employee offer of coverage...
The 4 Most Common Employer Goals for Benefits Administration (Cont.)
Welcome back from spring break! Earlier this week, I shared with you the first two of four common goals employers have when looking for benefits administration systems. You can read about the first two goals (the desire for one system and the ability to customize)...