Want more information? Call your Total Benefit Solutions account manager today at (215)355-2121.
Continue ReadingVideo: New Individual Dental & Vision Choices
Click here to shop, compare and enroll!
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GOP Pulls AHCA Before Vote
On Friday, March 24, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives pulled the American Health Care Act (“AHCA”) from consideration after not receiving enough Republican support to pass the bill. The AHCA was President Trump’s first attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”). The AHCA, among other things, would have eradicated the penalties associated with the individual and employer mandates, and replaced the ACA subsidies with refundable tax credits. Download GOP Pulls AHCA Before Vote
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Small Businesses May Be Able to Keep Existing Health Coverage Through Calendar Year 2018
Small Businesses May Be Able to Keep Existing Health Coverage Through Calendar Year 2018 A previously extended transitional policy which allows health insurance issuers, at their option, to continue group coverage that would otherwise be terminated or cancelled has been extended further—to policy years beginning on or before October 1, 2018, provided that all policies end by December 31, 2018. Health insurance issuers that renew coverage under the extended policy are required to provide standard notices to affected small businesses for each policy year. Extended Transitional Policy At the option of the states, issuers that have renewed policies under the transitional policy continually since 2014 may be permitted to… Read More
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Compliance Bulletin & Reform Center
Health Care Compliance and Reform Education Center A fundamental change in the way the United States handles health care has arrived. Benefit rules and coverage change faster today than they used to in ten years! Our Compliance and Health Reform Education Center is where we will keep a copy of our health care reform bulletins throughout the year, in an easy to view format where you can download a brief summary or watch a short informative video. Click here to visit totalbenefitscomply.com Please contact your Total Benefit Solutions account manager at (215)355-2121 if you have any further questions.
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MEDICARE PART D: CMS NOTIFICATION REMINDER
Employers sponsoring a group health plan need to report information on the creditable status of the plan’s prescription drug coverage to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Watch a video overview Download a bulletin
Continue ReadingExamining The House Republican ACA Repeal And Replace Legislation
On March 6, 2017, the House Republican leadership introduced Affordable Care Act repeal and replacement budget reconciliation bills in the Ways and Means (W&M) (summary) and Energy and Commerce (E&C) (summary) committees. The bills, collectively titled the American Health Care Act, are the committees’ responses to the instructions they received in the Budget Resolution passed by both houses of Congress in mid-January to prepare budget reconciliation legislation to repeal the ACA. What The Two Bills Do, And What They Don’t Like the leaked bill analyzed here earlier, the two proposed bills do not repeal the ACA. They leave in place the ACA’s titles affecting Medicare, quality of care, program integrity,… Read More
Continue ReadingA Quick Look At The GOP Plan To Repeal & Replace Obamacare
Kelly Phillips Erb, a former client of ours and a friend to our clients is a tax attorney and a columnist for Forbes.com. Her story today is a great overview of the proposed plan changes currently being discussed and we highly recommend it! A Quick Look At The GOP Plan To Repeal & Replace Obamacare
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Stand-Alone HRAs for Small Employers are Back!
Stand-Alone HRAs for Small Employers are Back! The 21st Century Cures Act, signed by President Obama on December 13, 2016, gave small employers a means of providing employees help with their individual insurance premiums and other out-of-pocket qualified medical expenses without violating the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Small employers can now provide a specific kind of Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to help employees with the costs of individual health coverage. According to the statutory language under “Title XVIII – Other Provisions” of the Act, qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements (QSEHRAs) are not considered “group health plans” and do not have to adhere to ACA market reforms,… Read More
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What is Healthcare Blue Book?
Starmark plans adding HealthcareBlueBook! Healthcare Bluebook* is an online tool that lets members: Shop for care by seeing price ranges in the area Compare facilities based on quality data Access on any device (mobile, desktop, tablet) Click here to learn more *Healthcare Bluebook is included with Starmark major medical plan designs with an effective date of 12/1/2016, or later. Healthcare Bluebook is not an affiliate of Starmark® or Trustmark® Life Insurance Company. Before receiving treatment, call the provider network at the toll-free number on your medical ID card to verify that the hospital and/or healthcare provider participates in the network. For more information about StarMark health plans with Healthcare Blue… Read More
Continue ReadingIntroducing Ease Central
In an effort to enhance our client experience even further, Total Benefit Solutions would like to announce that we have entered into a partnership agreement with Ease Central. Ask us today how your organization can benefit from Ease Central! Download an EaseCentral Employer Overview Click here to visit our Ease Central web portal. Employee Onboarding with Ease Central HRIS with Ease Central Benefits-Simple employee benefits quoting, enrollment and management in one place. “Bring your own carrier” HRIS-Powerful PTO tracking, performance reviews and goal setting for managers. Payroll-Robust payroll integrations to cut administrative work.” Bring your own payroll” Benefits-Easy employee insurance rate quoting, enrollment and management in one place.… Read More
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Trump’s First Executive Order Addresses the ACA
Trump’s First Executive Order Addresses the ACA On January 20, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order to minimize the economic burden of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). This Order identifies the new administration’s policy for addressing and enforcing the ACA while Congressional Republicans craft legislation to repeal and replace it. The Order directs the agencies responsible for administration and enforcement of the ACA to exercise the authority and discretion available to them: Download Trump’s First Executive Order Addresses the ACA As always please contact your Total Benefit Solutions account manager at (215)355-2121 if you have any additional questions or concerns.
Continue ReadingTrump Issues Executive Order To Curb Some Parts Of ACA.
Trump Issues Executive Order To Curb Some Parts Of ACA. The New York Times (1/20, Davis, Pear, Subscription Publication) reported that on Friday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to government agencies directing them “to scale back as many aspects of the Affordable Care Act as possible, moving within hours of being sworn in to fulfill his pledge to eviscerate Barack Obama’s signature health care law.” According to the Times, the one-page order “has symbolic as well as substantive significance, allowing Mr. Trump to claim he acted immediately to do away with a health care law he has repeatedly called disastrous, even while it remains in place and he… Read More
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Update on the Status of the ACA
Update on the Status of the ACA With the impending inauguration, recent actions by the Senate and some confusing media reports, we wanted to provide a short Q&A to help you understand current events and what to expect as we head down the health care reform road in 2017… What’s the latest news? Download the bulletin for an update: Download Update on the Status of the ACA As always please contact your Total Benefit Solutions, Inc. account manager at (215)355-2121 if you have any questions or concerns.
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United Healthcare Cost Estimator
The myHealthcare Cost Estimator from United Healthcare helps you gather the information you need to make smart choices about the health care you receive. Learn more with the video below. As always contact your Total Benefit Solutions account manager if you have any questions or concerns at (215)355-2121
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2016 Compliance Year In Review Digest
2016 Compliance Year In Review Digest A complete digest of all our compliance bulletins for the entire year of 2016 from our business partners at Emerson Reid. A handy guide to all of the year’s updates and changes all in one place. Download your copy now and keep it for future reference. Click to Download Compliance Digest 2016 Year in Review As always please contact your Total Benefit Solutions Account Manager at (215)355-2121 if you have any questions or concerns.
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Relief for Small Employers with HRAs
On December 13, 2016, President Obama signed into law the “21st Century Cures Act” which allows small employers without group medical plans to reimburse individual premiums and other medical expenses of employees under health reimbursement arrangements (“HRAs”), effective with the 2017 plan year, and provides relief from penalties to all small employers reimbursing individual premiums of employees for earlier plan years. In addition, the Cures Act provides a medical innovation package that funds medical research, accelerates cutting-edge treatments for rare diseases, and makes significant reforms to the mental health system. The Issue An employer cannot offer employees cash to reimburse the purchase of an individual policy, without regard to whether… Read More
Continue ReadingHealth Reform: 4th Quarter 2016 Compliance Compilation
Download a digest of our fourth quarter compliance bulletins. This digest includes the following bulletins: Transitional Reinsurance Fee Form Now Available 10/14/2016 Final 2016 Forms 1094-C and 1095-C Available 10/25/2016 November 2017 Cost of Living Adjustments 11/01/2016 Relief Extended for Premium Reimbursement Programs for Student Employees 11/02/2016 Updates Regarding the NJ Small Employer Health Benefits Program 11/07/2016 Election Results and the ACA: Preliminary Thoughts 11/10/2016 16 Extension of Deadline for 2016 Forms 1095-C 11/21/2016 Adjusted PCOR Fee for Fifth Filing Year Released 11/22/2016 December Beware of Phishing Email Disguised as HIPAA Privacy Audit Letter 12/13/2016 Click here to download the 4th quarter compliance compilation
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New Law Exempts Certain Small Employer HRAs From ACA Market Reforms
New Law Exempts Certain Small Employer HRAs From ACA Market Reforms Gaddiel Gonzalez-Brown & Brown Consulting President Obama has signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, which, among other things, allows small employers to offer new “qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements” to reimburse employees for qualified medical expenses, including individual health insurance premiums, for years after December 31, 2016. Small employers are defined as those with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees who do not offer a group health plan. Background Under prior agency guidance, stand-alone HRAs (except for retiree-only HRAs and HRAs consisting solely of excepted benefits) and HRAs used to purchase coverage on the individual… Read More
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IRS has provided a limited extension of time for employers to provide Forms 1095-C
The IRS has provided a limited extension of time for employers to provide Forms 1095-C (and carriers to provide Forms 1095-B) to individuals (but NOT to the IRS). Rather than January 31, 2017, the new deadline will be March 2, 2017. Download Extension of Deadline for 2016 Forms 1095-C
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BREAKING NEWS: Texas Court Issues Injunction Blocking New December 1st Overtime Regulations
On November 22, 2016, a federal district court in Texas granted a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from implementing and enforcing its recently revised regulations on the white collar exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The regulations, which were released in May and scheduled to go into effect on December 1, would more than double the minimum salary requirement certain executive, administrative, and professional employees must receive in order to be exempt from overtime. Click here to read the rest
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Health Reform: Cost of Living Adjustments, Individual Penalty, HSA limits & more for 2017
On October 25 and 27, 2016, the IRS released cost of living adjustments for 2017 under various provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code). Some of these adjustments may affect your employee benefit plans. These adjustments include but are not limited to the following: Cafeteria Plans Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits Requirement To Maintain Minimum Essential Coverage (Individual Penalty) Highly Compensated Non-Grandfathered Plan Cost-Sharing Limits H.S.A. Annual contribution limitation, catch up contribution and minimum deductibles Key Employee Click here to download the bulletin As always if you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact your dedicated Total Benefit Solutions, Inc. account manager at (215)355-2121.
Continue ReadingHealth Reform: IRS Extends Due Date for Furnishing Form 1095-B/C.
IRS Extends Due Date for Furnishing Form 1095-B/C. As applicable large employers and employers with self-funded health plans are working on their Affordable Care Act compliance preparations, the IRS announced an extension of a key ACA deadline. Notice 2016-70 extends the due date for furnishing Form 1095-B and Form 1095-C from January 31, 2017 to March 2, 2017. The Notice also extends transition relief from penalties if an employer makes a “good faith effort” to comply with reporting requirements. This relief is welcome news for employers who are still working on their compliance approach. A copy of the notice can be downloaded here.
Continue ReadingElection Results and the ACA
With the outcome of the 2016 elections now official, the Republicans will hold the majority in both chambers of Congress and control of the White House beginning in 2017. Since President-elect Trump ran on a platform of “Replace and Repeal” of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we anticipate that acting on this campaign promise will be one of the top priorities of the new Trump administration. We anticipate there will be significant disruption for individuals, employers, brokers and carriers across the country. Click here to read the latest bulletin
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IBC: Important Information About 2017 Member Renewal Letters
Important Information About 2017 Member Renewal Letters In the coming weeks, members will be receiving renewal letters for their 2017 plans that include updated rate and product information, as required by ACA Guidelines. This letter will show the member’s updated 2017 premium with their 2016 subsidy amount. Because Independence will not obtain updated subsidy amounts until after November 1, we are not able to include the estimated 2017 subsidy amount in the first mailing. This information will be included in the second mailing which will be sent in mid-November. It is anticipated that subsidies, on average, will increase in 2017 for most members. • Updated renewal letters with 2017 subsidy… Read More
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