May 2, 2012--Written audit requests to health and welfare plans from the DOL have included inquiries related to various mandates under the Affordable Care Act. This marks the first appearance of ACA-related topics in DOL auditing practices.

May 2, 2012--The IRS may be stepping up their efforts to ensure that employers are complying with COBRA when it recently updated its COBRA audit procedures on its Website last month.

May 1, 2012--The IRS has issued proposed rules addressing the comparative effectiveness research fees imposed by the Patient Protections and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on health insurance carriers and plan sponsors of self-insured health plans.

May 1, 2012--Studies show that working-age adults are more likely to suffer from a disability in a given year than they are to die. Unless it is offered through their employer, most adults have little, if any, disability insurance coverage.

A newsletter bringing readers information about healthy living.

Benefits and HR tips updated on a monthly basis.

April 2, 2012--Sunday’s Star Tribune featured a health care reform Q&A with RJF’s Mary Setter. Based on how the article was edited, there may be some confusion about how health care reform penalties work and are applied to employers.

March 27, 2012--The recently released FAQ's regarding the implementation of the SBC provisions contains 24 questions received by the DOL, HHS and the Treasury. 

March 27, 2012--HIPAA requires that plan participants of employer-sponsored health plans receive a Notice of Privacy Practices. The requirement applies to several different types of health plans.

March 27, 2012--The Department of Health and Human Services published the final rule on Affordable Health Insurance Exchanges to provide states with a framework for establishing their exchanges while preserving flexibility. 

March 5, 2012--The Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued a technical release providing  responses to questions from employers and other stakeholders regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions governing automatic enrollment, employer shared responsibility (sometimes referred to as “play or pay”), and waiting periods.

March 5, 2012--The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 will extend the two percentage point payroll tax cut that has been in effect since the beginning of 2011.

Feb. 15, 2012--The IRS, Department of Labor and Health and Human Services released final regulations regarding the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) requirement contained in the Affordable Care Act.

Feb. 7, 2012--Many employers provide health plan coverage to their employees’ domestic partners. This coverage may be taxable on a federal level to the employee depending on several factors.

Feb. 7, 2012--Certain states mandate short term disability (STD) coverage for employees who work in those states. States have varying eligibility requirements that determine if an individual is eligible for disability insurance.

Jan. 10, 2012--The IRS recently released IRS Notice 2012-9 that provides employers additional guidance on the Form W-2 reporting requirement created under the Affordable Care Act1.

Dec. 21, 2011--The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a bulletin outlining proposed policies that will give states flexibility to define the “essential health benefits” required by the Affordable Care Act.

Dec. 21, 2011--The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued the optional standard mileage rates that are used to calculate the deductible costs of using an automobile for business, charitable, medical and moving purposes.

Dec. 12, 2011--The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced final regulations on the medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements under the Affordable Care Act1.

Nov. 24, 2011--In a short statement released on its Website, the Department of Labor (DOL) has provided a welcomed delay in the implementation of the new Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) Rules contained in the Affordable Care Act.

Nov. 23, 2011--At the request of the Obama administration and the 26 states challenging its legality, the United States Supreme Court agreed to rule whether the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is constitutional.

Nov. 14, 2011--The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is piloting a program to perform up to 150 audits of covered entities to assess privacy and security compliance related to HIPAA requirements.

Nov. 11, 2011--Wisconsin employers no longer need to add the fair market value for health insurance benefits to an employee's income as long as a child has not turned 27 by the end of the tax year.

WHITE PAPER: Section 105(h) nondiscrimination rules are complex; however, a quick review of an employer's benefit, contribution and eligibility strategies will help determine whether or not they need to perform the detailed nondiscrimination tests.

Oct. 31, 2011--The state of Wisconsin has passed legislation that would largely change the state’s definition of dependent for insurance coverage purposes to more closely follow the new federal definition created by the Affordable Care Act.

Oct. 31, 2011--On Oct. 14 Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius released a report regarding the analysis and viability of the CLASS Act and announced that the Administration had decided to not move forward with its implementation.

Oct. 20, 2011--Beginning in 2014, all individual health plans and small employer fully-insured health plans must include coverage for essential health benefits.

Sept. 30, 2011--Employees with a Health Flexible Savings Account (FSA), Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) are able to claim medical care-related mileage for reimbursement at a slightly higher rate.

Sept. 16, 2011 -- Employers that provide prescription drug coverage must disclose to plan participants who are eligible for Medicare Part D whether the prescription drug coverage provided under the group health plan is creditable or non-creditable.

Sept. 14, 2011--Many of your employees rely on your company for all or most of their insurance coverage. Therefore, you may want to consider offering life insurance. Whether group-sponsored or voluntary, this coverage offers protection and security.

Aug. 24, 2011 -- The Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, and Health and Human Services have released proposed regulations for the Summary of Benefits and Coverage requirement (SBC) contained in the Affordable Care Act.

Aug. 23, 2011 -- The Affordable Care Act extended coverage for eligible dependents up to age 26. The value of coverage for adult children can be excluded from the employee’s federal taxable income if the dependent will not reach age 27 during the calendar year.

On July 2, 2011, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee signed legislation that allows same-sex couples to form civil unions effective as of July 1, 2011. The law comes just days after New York passed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage.

The IRS published a request for comments in Notice 2011-25 regarding the implementation provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act related to fees that will be imposed on health plans to help fund research.

Aug. 8, 2011 -- The COBRA subsidy provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) will soon come to an end.

Aug. 8, 2011 -- On August 1, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adopted guidelines that require non-grandfathered health plans to provide women’s preventive services free of charge to participants.