Individual Coverage HRA: Choice and affordability in employee health benefits

Ed MacConnell

How HRAs work Health Reimbursement Arrangements are employer-funded accounts that reimburse employees for eligible medical expenses. No employee contributions are allowed. Since an HRA is funded only by the employer, the employer sets the rules of the plan. The ICHRA works much the same as other HRAs, with the following important differences: ICHRA rules Traditional group health plans An employer may not offer an ICHRA and a traditional group health plan (GHP) to employees within the same class. However, an employer may offer an ICHRA to one class of employees and a traditional GHP to another class. Also, a traditional GHP may be grandfathered for current employees while all new… Read More

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Notice: White House announces COVID-19 PHE and National Emergency will be allowed to expire

Ed MacConnell

On January 30, 2023, the White House announced its plan to allow the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and National Emergency periods to expire on May 11, 2023. We have provided example scenarios in the Compliance Alert that demonstrate the impact of the national emergency period expiration. We encourage you to review each example to determine the impact on your specific plan(s). Although we encourage you to review the entire Compliance Alert, we have provided a summary of the content for your review: Public Health Emergency During the PHE, group health plans are required to cover the cost of COVID-19 tests and testing-related services without cost-sharing or prior authorization or… Read More

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Small Group – Form 1095-B: Who receives it and why

Ed MacConnell

Form 1095-B is a health insurance tax form used to report certain information to the IRS and taxpayers about individuals who are covered by Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC). What are the IRS reporting requirements? The ACA requires individuals to obtain and report that they had MEC or otherwise qualify for an exemption from the requirement. However, there is no longer an individual tax penalty following the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Individuals may need Form 1095-B to demonstrate MEC for nontax-related purposes. The ACA also requires certain employers to offer all full-time employees and their dependents MEC to meet affordability and minimum value standards. This is known as the… Read More

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Air Ambulance Reporting Update

Ed MacConnell

As previously reported, group health plans will be required to submit information related to air ambulance claims to the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”). In a September 2021 proposed rule, the regulators expected that rulemaking would be finalized during 2021, and that plans and carriers would be required to submit the data for calendar year 2022 by March 31, 2023, and the data for calendar year 2023 by March 31, 2024. However, under the statute, the reporting is not due until regulations are final, and the proposed rule has not been finalized. As a result, absent further guidance, there should be no reporting requirement in 2023. HHS has… Read More

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1095-B Tax Form Available Electronically for Employees of Cigna Fully-Insured Clients

Ed MacConnell

Effectively 1/1/23, Cigna transitioned from physically mailing 1095-B tax forms to on-demand electronic availability for customers on fully-insured client medical plans. Just one way Cigna is making healthcare simpler for customers, enrollees can access their 1095-B tax forms anytime, anywhere via myCigna.com® . Click here to read more. As always contact your Total Benefit Solutions group health insurance specialist at (215)355-2121 if you have any further questions or concerns.

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Blue KC: 2023 member guides and handbooks now available

Ed MacConnell

The 2023 commercial and ACA member guides and Medicare Advantage member handbook are now available. Clients will receive these documents through a variety of touchpoints. Please keep them handy as a quick reference to Blue KC plan benefits and features and to share them with clients as needed. Employer/Group Medicare Advantage ACA Individual and Family Plans Have any questions regarding this notice? Don’t hesitate to contact your Total Benefit Solutions health insurance specialists today at (215)355-2121.

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Prescription drug list updates effective January 1, 2023

Ed MacConnell

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) Medical and Pharmacy Management Committee has reviewed the Prescription Drug Lists (PDLs) and other pharmacy programs for drug safety, effectiveness, clinical outcomes, and cost. As a result, ACA small employer groups, non-ACA small employer groups (including level funded ASO) large employer groups, and ACA individual and family plan members will see the following formulary updates, effective January 1, 2023. Click here to read for more information. As always, please contact your Total Benefit Solutions health insurance specialists today with any questions at (215)355-2121.

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Prescription Drug Reporting Reminder

Ed MacConnell

As previously reported, plan sponsors of group health plans must submit information annually about prescription drugs and health care spending to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”). The first deadline is December 27, 2022, for reporting on calendar years 2020 and 2021. Additionally: To learn more, click here to download the document. Have any questions regarding this notice? Please call your Total Benefit Solutions health insurance experts today at (215)355-2121.

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What is medical underwriting?

Ed MacConnell

A process used by insurance companies to try to figure out your health status when you’re applying for health insurance coverage to determine whether to offer you coverage, at what price, and with what exclusions or limits. As always, please contact your Total Benefit Solutions health insurance specialists today at (215)355-2121.

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Blue KC: Employer/Group Open Enrollment Dates – Mark Your Calendar

Ed MacConnell

Blue KC is pleased to offer two open enrollment deadlines – one for physical ID cards and one for digital ID cards – to provide flexibility to new and renewing groups. Benefit information and open enrollment files/eligibility updates must be submitted to Blue KC based on the following schedule to ensure new ID cards are available to members by January 1, 2023: November 1, 2022 – Paperwork Deadline November 21, 2022 – Eligibility File – Physical ID Card December 16, 2022 – Eligibility File – Digital ID Card Please note: Small groups that make plan changes after this timeframe will receive updated ID cards once their plan changes have been… Read More

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Additional Guidance on New Prescription Drug Reporting Requirement

Ed MacConnell

As previously reported in 2021, Section 204 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“CAA”) requires plan sponsors of group health plans to submit information annually about prescription drugs and health care spending to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) on behalf of the Departments of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Labor (“DOL”), and the Treasury (collectively, the “Departments”). The first deadline is December 27, 2022. CMS recently updated guidance related to this reporting requirements that proves some helpful clarification. Have any questions regarding this notice? Please contact your Total Benefit Solutions health insurance specialists today at (215)355-2121.

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New Jersey New Poster Requirements

Ed MacConnell

On August 1, 2022, the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR) finalized regulations to increase the visibility and effectiveness of posters required by the State of New Jersey. Among other things, these regulations require employers to display posters informing people of their rights under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (“NJLAD”) and Family Leave Act (“NJFLA”). The regulations went into effect immediately. The NJLAD protects New Jersey employees from discrimination in the workplace. It prohibits all employers in the State of New Jersey from discriminating against and harassing employees (and prospective employees) based on their protected status (including, but not limited to, race, national origin, age, sex, gender identification, sexual… Read More

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What is an expected benefit Health Reimbursement Arrangement?

Ed MacConnell

An excepted benefit Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) allows employers to finance additional medical care, like vision or dental coverage, coinsurance and copayments for individual health insurance coverage, short-term limited-duration insurance, or other health care costs not covered by their primary group plan. Excepted benefit HRAs cannot be used to reimburse individual health insurance coverage premiums, group health plans premiums (other than COBRA or other group continuation coverage), or Medicare premiums. However, an excepted benefit HRA can be used to reimburse premiums for individual health insurance coverage or group health plan coverage that consists solely of excepted benefits. This type of HRA, like the individual coverage HRA, allows rollover of unused… Read More

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A new group health insurance offering for small businesses. Introducing CIGNA + Oscar

Ed MacConnell

We’ve partnered with Cigna + Oscar to deliver small business health insurance that brings together Cigna’s most popular provider networks and Oscar’s tech-driven approach to customer service and care navigation. Cigna + Oscar plans are available in the Philadelphia 5 county area beginning with effective dates starting January 1 2023. Your Total Benefit Solutions, Inc health insurance specialists are available to help you quote and compare plans. Call us today to get your quote and compare these newest plans to your current renewal. You might be surprised at the competitive cost and plan designs! (215)355-2121

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Open Enrollment Tips!

Ed MacConnell

As always, please contact your Total Benefit Solutions health insurance specialists at today at (215)355-2121.

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The Employer Shared Responsibility Provision Estimator

Ed MacConnell

The Taxpayer Advocate Service developed the Employer Shared Responsibility Provision (ESRP) Estimator to help employers understand how the provision works and learns how the provision may apply to them. The provision applies to applicable large employers – generally, that means employers that had an average of at least 50 full-time employees (including full-time equivalent employees-FTEs), during the preceding calendar year. If you are an employer, you can use the estimator to determine: The number of your full-time employees, including FTEs, Whether you might be an applicable large employers, and If you are an applicable large employer, an estimate of the maximum amount of the potential liability for the employer shared… Read More

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Further Guidance Issued on Contraceptive Coverage

Ed MacConnell

On July 28, 2022, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury (collectively, “the Departments”) issued FAQ Part to clarify protections for contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”). In January 2022, the Departments had issued guidance on the ACA Preventive Care Mandate, including contraception. The Departments issued FAQ Part 54: In response to reports that individuals continue to experience difficulty accessing contraceptive coverage without cost sharing; To clarify application of the contraceptive coverage requirements to fertility awareness-based methods and to emergency contraceptive; and To address federal preemption of state law. Employers sponsoring non-grandfathered group health plans should review the various preventive care requirements effective… Read More

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IRS Health Savings Account Adjusted Amounts for 2023

Ed MacConnell

The IRS has released the 2023 cost-of-living adjustments for Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution limits, HDHP deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums. To read the official IRS release, click here. As always, please contact your Total Benefit Solutions health insurance specialists at (215)355-2121.

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Defined Contribution Plans

Ed MacConnell

The Issue As one of our long-time group insurance customers grew over the years, their workforce became more diverse and the management team found it difficult to accommodate each employee’s unique insurance needs. As much as the team wanted to provide the necessary coverage for the employees, they also required some control over the employee benefits budget. They came to us for advice. The Solution We proposed that this employer consider a defined contribution strategy. Defined contribution plans build benefit portfolios around a specific dollar amount, rather than around a specific plan or plans. In this way, the management team could select an amount that the company would contribute toward… Read More

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IRS Announces 2023 ACA Affordability Indexed Amount

Ed MacConnell

The IRS recently announced in Revenue Procedure 2022-34 that the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) affordability indexed amount under the Employer Shared Responsibility Payment (“ESRP”) requirements will be 9.12% for plan years that begin in 2023. This is a notable decrease from the 2022 percentage amount (9.61%) and below the original 9.5% threshold. Rev. Proc. 2022-34 establishes the indexed “required contribution percentage” used to determine whether an individual is eligible for “affordable” employer-sponsored health coverage under Section 36B (related to qualification for premium tax credits when buying ACA Marketplace coverage). However, the IRS explained in IRS Notice 2015-87 that a percentage change under Section 36B will correspond to a similar change… Read More

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New Prescription Drug Reporting Requirement

Ed MacConnell

As previously reported in December 2021, Section 204 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“CAA”) requires plan sponsors of group health plans to submit information annually about prescription drugs and health care spending to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) on behalf of the departments of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Labor (“DOL”), and the Treasury (collectively, the “Departments”). The first deadline is December 27, 2022. CMS recently updated guidance related to this reporting requirement that provides some helpful clarification. Employers with fully insured or self-funded (includes level funded) group health plans, including grandfathered plans, church plans subject to the Internal Revenue Code, and governmental plans. The term “group… Read More

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Aetna AFA now allows PEO Employers!

Ed MacConnell

From Aetna: We’re now treating small businesses who use the services of a PEO ( Professional Employer Organization) the same as any other group. This excludes any group headquartered in California or New York, or any group currently on an Aetna PEO master health plan. Here are some important details: 1. We no longer require small businesses to terminate their PEO relationship or fill out extra forms for us during the new business process.2.The entire group must move to Aetna –small businesses can’t move some employees to Aetna and leave the rest on the PEO master health plan. What does this mean to groups? If your company is already part… Read More

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Premium Formulary Adoption Swells Among Large Group Clients

Ed MacConnell

The Premium formulary is an option for large group clients wanting access to a formulary that manages traditional, non-specialty drug costs without compromising clinical outcomes. In many cases it saved early adopters nearly 10% per member per month on their plan’s traditional drug spend. Overall, members saved on drug costs without rigorous additional step therapies, prior authorizations, or other invasive utilization management strategies. Members transitioning to the Premium formulary will receive communications about the change, potential disruptions to their drug therapies, and clinically appropriate and cost-effective alternatives. Blue KC will continue to make quarterly updates to the Premium formulary and will send subsequent member communications about those changes and appropriate… Read More

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