Transitional Reinsurance Fee Filing Date Extended to December 5
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the deadline for group health plans to complete their 2014 transitional reinsurance fee (TRF) submission. The announcement, which was released […]
The Benefit Guardian Makes an Appearance at Halloween
This past Halloween we were honored to see the first ever Innovative Benefit Guardian costume from one of our very own clients. David Liero, an employee from AFS, designed and […]
COMPLIANCE ALERT: Premium Reimbursement Arrangements
The Department of Labor (DOL) has just published a series of FAQs regarding premium reimbursement arrangements. Specifically, the FAQs address the following arrangements: An arrangement in which an employer offers […]
Substance Abuse and Teens: Strategies for Prevention
Every year since 1975, the Monitoring the Future study has measured drug, alcohol and cigarette use among American youth. The study, sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), […]
2015 Cost-of-Living Adjustments
The IRS has issued the cost-of-living adjusted figures for qualified plans and for several fringe benefits for 2015. Of particular interest to many employers are: • An increase in the […]
Requirement to Obtain a Health Plan Identifier (HPID) Delayed
On Friday October 31, 2014 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) quietly updated its Health Plan Identifier information page to delay the requirement that insurance carriers and self-funded […]
Highlights of Wellness Program Requirements
The wellness program rules provide an exception to the general rule that employers may not take a person’s health status into account with respect to eligibility, benefits, or premiums under […]
Frequently Asked Questions about Grandfathered Plans
As employers determine their plan designs for the coming year, those with grandfathered status need to decide if maintaining grandfathered status is their best option. Innnovative, in conjunction with our […]
Essential Health Benefits, Minimum Essential Coverage, Minimum Value Coverage – What’s The Difference?
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) uses terms that sound alike for three very different things. Here’s a closer look at these terms, and when they’re used. Essential […]
Update: Same-Sex Marriages and Group Health Benefits
On October 6, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review seven cases in which the lower appeals court had ruled that a state law or constitutional […]
