New ACA Legislation Good News for Employers on Cusp of ‘Small’
Bipartisan legislation known as the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act (PACE Act) has just passed in Congress—good news for employers with 51 to 100 employees.
Tag: benefits
New Proposed IRS Rule on What Constitutes “Minimum Value” under ACA
As you probably know by now, it’s not enough under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for employer-sponsored health plans to merely provide health coverage to employees—that coverage also has to be affordable and provide minimum value.
Reform Agencies Warn: Don’t Unduly Restrict Preventive Care
Plans may not impose cost-sharing on out-of-network services unless in-network providers are available and the plan member goes out of network in spite of that, federal agencies noted in FAQs on the ACA Part XXIX. But if network provider directories fail to list providers as offering the service in question, then plan members do not […]
Telecommuting is the Benefit that Half your Workforce Wants (and That a Third Would Take a Pay Cut to Get)
If you knew of a benefit that half of your workforce wants, and which they say would boost their productivity, would you embrace it? The results of a new survey show that telecommuting is the benefit half of workers want so much that some are willing to take a pay cut to get it. However, […]
DOL Rescinds ERISA Guidance Discouraging Sustainable Investments
The U.S. Department of Labor on Oct. 21 reversed 2008 guidance that discouraged retirement plan fiduciaries and their investment advisers from considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors when choosing companies for their portfolios. The reversal, made through a new interpretive bulletin that reinstates 1994 guidance, recognizes a growing consensus that fiduciary duty may in […]
Decision Steerage and Targeted Programs Improve Wellness Results
To achieve wellness program goals, employers should make healthier choices easier to access, and target populations that have chronic conditions. Encouragement from trusted leaders is seen as improving buy-in by sick population segments, and unions could in some ways be more effective than employers in achieving results, said a panel of experts at an Oct. […]
Rising Housing Costs a Top Concern for HR When Relocating Employees
Human resources executives of global companies are most concerned about rising housing costs and increasing requests from transferring employees who want additional spouse career assistance, according to a survey from Cartus Corporation, a provider of global relocation services.
Annual Benefits Sign-Up Is Less Popular than Tax Season
Let’s just say it’s not most people’s favorite thing to do. Known in human resources offices as “Open Enrollment,” the annual ritual of choosing your medical plan, opting in or out of dental and vision coverage, and deciding how much money to put in your flexible spending account is, as they say, “part of growing […]
New Proposed Rule Would Bar Health Care Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity
By Jennifer Carsen, JD On September 8, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule that would add gender identity protections for individuals enrolled in coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplaces and certain other health coverage plans.
Investment Adviser Penalized $15M for Failing to Diversify
A novel approach to determining damages owed by an investment adviser to two defined contribution retirement plans in an ERISA fiduciary-duty breach was part of a decision including a $15 million reimbursement request handed down recently by a New York federal judge. Plan sponsors should note that the defendant, WPN Corp., was ordered by the […]