http://www.infinisource.net/News-Channels.aspx Infinisource News & Review Highlights - RSS Channels 10 Health care costs are not going away. Whether we like it or not, as the costs climb higher many employers are shifting more of the financial burden onto employees. While many employees try to take on a good, healthy lifestyle to reduce medical bills, sometimes that’s just not enough. One step employees can take is to lower the after-tax cost of their out-of-pocket expenditures by participating in an employer-sponsored Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=380fab33-4b02-4137-ad97-ffea709d93be Wednesday, November 04, 2009 After months of speculation and murmurings in Washington, D.C., two bills were introduced in the House in late October to expand the COBRA subsidy program created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=159613b6-2c93-4f6f-9667-5f35710fc250 Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Each year thousands of businesses change their payroll provider. Others don’t realize there is a better alternative and become complacent. Take a few moments and read through some of the reasons for changing to a new payroll provider. Do any of these sound familiar? Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=d7529a0b-3230-48f4-ac54-7be47e5ed6ee Wednesday, November 04, 2009 In mid-October, the IRS went through its annual exercise of updating various definitions and thresholds based on inflation. This year, there was a difference: the inflation rate has been relatively flat. Therefore, when the IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2009-50 and News Release 2009-094, for the first time in a long time, the major news was that there was no news at all. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=09a11de2-a2c8-4f65-900b-d71a60a2f45a Wednesday, November 04, 2009 While not all divorces become as difficult as the couple battling it out in the movie The War of the Roses, some give new meaning to the word difficult or never-ending. Some divorces head to court to battle over items such as assets, custody or even who will be paying for the health care coverage after the divorce. When the dust finally settles is when an unsuspecting employer may be brought into the mix when health care coverage ends or COBRA is requested. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=fac50f62-64cf-4075-9186-2e17dc75f39d Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Last year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provided two additional military-related reasons for FMLA leave: qualifying exigency leave and caregiver leave for a seriously injured or ill covered servicemember. In late October, a new law by the same name (the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2010) further expands FMLA by broadening those military-related FMLA reasons. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=ecb7cf1f-c58b-487f-be49-c409373e6dd6 Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Each year, the American Bar Association’s Joint Committee on Employee Benefits (ABA JCEB) meets with the primary federal agencies that administer laws related to group health plans. The 2009 meetings offer insights to benefits and insurance professionals. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=d7179c14-c09f-40d0-bf59-c2141c028b21 Wednesday, November 04, 2009 The following checklist provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits and payroll professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This reminder list does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=6094f73b-a3a1-4573-a0d2-79af1a164c84 Wednesday, November 04, 2009 When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) became law in February, a stated purpose was to “assist those most impacted by the recession.” At the time, the unemployment rate was 8.9 percent. In September, this rate was 9.5 percent. As a result, leaders in Washington, D.C. are strongly considering the extension of the COBRA subsidy program. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=50516b16-98c6-4246-a888-ffad14e1dbc2 Wednesday, October 07, 2009 Our vision is simple: offer a complete suite of benefits and HR/payroll solutions. In 2008, Infinisource added payroll services by acquiring Priority Pay, which was established in 1998. We are now pleased to announce significant enhancements to our Infinisource Payroll product. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=ab1ec21b-893b-46c4-a26f-866f4e3373c1 Wednesday, October 07, 2009 Three federal agencies – the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the IRS – released in early October two sets of regulations for health plans related to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=1f2f31b3-23bf-44ee-842e-8a2dd0b382ff Wednesday, October 07, 2009 As the leaves turn colors and fall ushers in a new season, agents and employers are also ushering in a new season – open enrollment time. There’s no time to rake the leaves, have a bonfire or enjoy apple cider, instead it’s time to review health care plans and see what changes are down the pike. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=984ebeb3-25ce-466d-92f2-d55406e3963c Wednesday, October 07, 2009 A breach of unsecured protected health information (PHI) requires various disclosures under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009. Among the intended recipients is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which recently created an online notice form for this purpose. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=17d8c2fe-6cbd-4946-beef-1a1b66a2da0b Wednesday, October 07, 2009 In early September, the IRS published Final Regulations on employer comparable contributions to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The Final Regulations become effective for employer contributions made to an HSA on or after January 1, 2010. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=854e5520-cd01-4d24-b313-3b6a7f6ebee2 Wednesday, October 07, 2009 The check was in the mail. The problem – from a COBRA perspective – is that the envelope had a postmark date that was one day after the 30-day payment grace period expired. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=3939b890-de88-4a82-8c7f-d316fee595e3 Wednesday, October 07, 2009 FMLA administration has never been more challenging that it is today. Two recent cases demonstrate the variety of issues that an employer faces in managing this difficult law. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=ee603d7c-36b4-4686-bbcf-2bda0b432273 Wednesday, October 07, 2009 Infinisource, Inc., a nationally recognized expert in compliance and benefit solutions, has expanded its sales team with the addition of Alex Lara of Orlando, FL. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=368be842-8f44-4b1a-8470-a2278bc2f347 Wednesday, October 07, 2009 The following checklist provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits and payroll professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This reminder list does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=9a755c27-9cf5-43c7-8eb5-c845dc7558a0 Wednesday, October 07, 2009 Blanket mailings are an important part of health plan compliance. As a good blanket covers every square inch of a bed, a good blanket mailing should be sent to all participants. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=a142a68a-66ff-4649-984f-2aa0f5fe4fbb Wednesday, September 02, 2009 As the 535 elected officials of Congress return to Washington from their summer recess, it is important for benefit and insurance professionals to ensure that their representatives understand the importance of employer-sponsored, tax-excluded coverage. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=92af8c94-aead-4ad9-bfd3-e9429dd39ae6 Wednesday, September 02, 2009 Infinisource Payroll pays tribute to National Payroll Week, celebrating the hard work by America's 156 million wage earners and the payroll professionals who pay them. Together, through the payroll withholding system, they contribute, collect, report and deposit approximately $1.8 trillion, or 65.7%, of the annual revenue of the U.S. Treasury. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=813bd04e-5eba-46b6-91ca-cef05b846153 Wednesday, September 02, 2009 In late August, the Department of Human Services (HHS) issued its Interim Final Rule on breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI). This rule takes effect on September 23, 2009, and clarifies the rules that were part of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The HITECH Act is the HIPAA Privacy and Security provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=2fa5ffe8-d4f1-42d8-9b2f-6a9f79579a36 Wednesday, September 02, 2009 Recently, the IRS issued Information Letter GENIN-126807-09, which provides guidance on whether some over-the-counter (OTC) expenses are medical care. This is the critical issue for deciding whether an expense may be reimbursed by a Health FSA or a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=6360997c-1dde-45e1-be94-88ccbc33e385 Wednesday, September 02, 2009 Infinisource, Inc., a nationally recognized expert in compliance and benefit solutions has expanded its sales team with the addition of Cody Fair of Indianapolis, IN. He is focusing on assisting HR professionals by providing them with the ability to eliminate enrollment paperwork, automate vendor communication and ultimately provide freedom to focus on why they went into HR in the first place. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=e6127b61-cfb8-4dd9-b99d-2e9b9220fc88 Wednesday, September 02, 2009 The following checklist provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits and payroll professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This reminder list does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design. Infinisource/article.aspx?articleId=4d35bae6-6429-4ebf-9c0c-67ed34683ec8 Wednesday, September 02, 2009