http://www.infinisource.net/Rss/Healthcare.ashx Healthcare - News & Review 50 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 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=9a755c27-9cf5-43c7-8eb5-c845dc7558a0 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 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 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 In baseball, the “seventh inning stretch” is a tradition where people take a short break to reflect on what has happened and, in most cases, look forward to the end of the game in a short while. As Congress takes its August recess, we are far from the seventh inning in health care reform. The end of the game appears nowhere in sight. And yet, this does provide a time to assess the scoreboard. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=82ae5a61-967f-4d00-8877-f00cc1c09dce Wednesday, August 05, 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=00114617-2b52-4da2-93fe-fde6fdac41bd Wednesday, August 05, 2009 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits and payroll professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=abd7313f-cf78-4fcc-9c74-3c4582785882 Sunday, July 05, 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=0cdc31ca-8385-47fa-a6e2-d45f4afb246a Wednesday, June 03, 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=79ede750-c650-4b03-be1b-c5869bfd1ca4 Wednesday, May 06, 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=2087f832-20b8-44b0-bf5a-75ee61d4e02e Sunday, April 05, 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=3b059256-31bc-483c-8eb2-8c344abb2dec Wednesday, March 04, 2009 Now that the Obama Administration is in place, Washington, D.C. is a hotbed of activity as the nation’s lawmakers tackle many pressing problems, including health care, benefits and workplace laws. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=8cccdf1d-f23a-4bc5-96d4-13c4eea6ea38 Thursday, February 05, 2009 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=79e88713-d510-45db-b0cb-62452a959de3 Thursday, February 05, 2009 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=7fcd08cb-bafa-4378-b746-5563761cb361 Thursday, January 15, 2009 A great advantage to employer-sponsored health coverage is the tax savings for employee and employer alike: employees receive coverage on a tax-free basis and employers receive a tax deduction for the cost of coverage. An issue sometimes arises for employers with self-funded plans as to which plan year to take the deduction for coverage costs. The IRS recently provided employers some flexibility in this area through a Technical Assistance Memorandum (TAM). ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=940e1389-4344-4398-be0d-dad51f42ef67 Thursday, January 15, 2009 The present is uncertain. The future is unclear. But one thing is assured: health care is about to undergo radical change starting on January 20, 2009, when Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=be0c9350-f874-4ba3-9ea6-51ebf7260be6 Thursday, December 11, 2008 Many people are making a list and checking it twice, for very different reasons than the holiday season. Instead of shopping for two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree, this season is about ensuring that benefit plans are ready for 2009. Here are some helpful reminders from Infinisource: ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=eef3b630-1ab0-4a97-b08f-a833f9932b58 Thursday, December 11, 2008 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=119dab02-c51e-47d0-8206-c2bb3e3da30b Thursday, December 11, 2008 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=250300f0-81b2-48f8-954b-0a6c78a61319 Thursday, November 06, 2008 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=624b2244-4c48-4cd9-873b-0a383276aa93 Tuesday, October 14, 2008 Each year in the fall, the IRS lets employers know about the major projects it will be working on during the next fiscal year. Many of these projects for the fiscal year starting on October 1, 2008, will affect health benefits. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=8d3fa64b-7683-4d5f-8e84-40f9abae9ba5 Tuesday, October 14, 2008 San Francisco’s Health Care Security Ordinance (HCSO) has been in litigation since before its January 1, 2008, effective date. On September 30, 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) does not preempt the HCSO. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=7747dfd8-913d-4238-a91a-c535fd08a97b Tuesday, October 14, 2008 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=1ad63ba7-2f8e-47fb-8d04-f579a94df2f6 Tuesday, September 16, 2008 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=174aaaf5-9411-4609-85b6-e4a9e1a4d38e Tuesday, August 12, 2008 With health care premiums rising at double digit rates, many employers have been forced to reduce benefits, shift more cost to employees or drop coverage completely. Employers rely on agents and brokers to identify ways to control these costs. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=5bb0fc8d-e087-4590-a375-42f57ff11c51 Tuesday, July 15, 2008 The increasingly high cost of fuel has not escaped the notice of the IRS. In Announcement 2008-63, the IRS indicated that, effective July 1, 2008, the business and medical mileage rates are increased through the end of 2008. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=c1789404-2300-4e86-afea-6cb25ee29ed2 Tuesday, July 15, 2008 As of this publication date, Congress had passed and President Bush was expected to sign into law H.R. 493, better known as "The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008" (GINA). Provisions under this bill are effective for group health plan years beginning one year after enactment. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=bc2b8675-d9e9-445c-8672-6e8d96e9ed82 Monday, May 12, 2008 Employer-sponsored health benefits went on trial at the April Employers Council on Flexible Compensation conference. The verdict, after three days of expert testimony, is that the jury is still out on what will happen. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=575af133-aed7-4604-9838-5381f0e0220a Monday, May 12, 2008 The Department of Defense (DoD) recently issued proposed regulations on the prohibition against employers offering financial or other benefits to TRICARE beneficiaries as incentives not to enroll (or to terminate enrollment) in group health plans. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=c2a82a78-2735-4135-b7a1-81f6c62d522b Monday, May 12, 2008 The ERISA preemption doctrine can perhaps be best understood as a triangle. The first side is the premise that federal law trumps state law in the area of benefits. The second side provides an exception for insurance, where states are free to regulate. The third side provides a clarification that self-insured benefits are not insurance. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=24765785-cf9e-441c-b6a5-cbaa9464bd81 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 Breast cancer is a significant health care concern, and many employers provide mastectomy and related benefits through their health plans. While these benefits are subject to federal law, namely, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA), this does not obligate employers to pay for everything, as one court recently pointed out. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=c373be9e-36c6-4d31-ac7a-d6300701812c Tuesday, April 15, 2008 The following provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits and payroll professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This 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=bde7966a-233d-4aca-843d-a9366d932a07 Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Employers can thank the son of a Supreme Court Justice for obtaining needed guidance on an ERISA preemption issue that has been a traditional gray area of group health plan administration. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=c5467a45-b26b-40f6-ae5f-7cf0654bebe1 Tuesday, March 11, 2008 ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=101075c0-3feb-4ab0-8a90-d634908b0350 Monday, February 11, 2008 ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=9986383d-2675-4ff1-9bb9-b16dde9dad95 Monday, January 07, 2008 ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=b3aeadce-a13c-45f9-bff7-496ecee77cd6 Monday, January 07, 2008 ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=b1f5ffe6-9a2a-42fd-9764-d86cdc1cd5d3 Monday, December 10, 2007 How would you like the chance to ask government officials questions about any topic within their authority? The American Bar Association's Joint Committee on Employee Benefits (ABA JCEB) has this opportunity every year, and the 2007 responses provide further guidance to both employers and insurance professionals. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=5d15c5a3-2bc6-4855-8154-543c7acec5cd Monday, September 10, 2007 As the summer winds down, the days of going back to school may bring back vivid memories of classrooms, teachers and studying for exams. Remember being less than prepared as a pop quiz was being distributed? According to a recent survey, these types of memories could be reality for employees when the subject is health care coverage. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=88f50689-6347-49d8-8a65-b57faca2a19c Monday, August 13, 2007 ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=eaa8a406-19a0-4dc7-9f82-902e28021820 Monday, August 13, 2007 We introduced you to HR Benefitsolved last fall. As we continue to expand our services at Infinisource, we have renamed several of them to better reflect our brand. One such service is HR Benefitsolved, which has been renamed Infinisolved. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=13fee56a-d39c-447f-96ec-2f583dc36f38 Monday, July 09, 2007 As previously reported, the Massachusetts "fair share" law became effective on July 1, 2007. In late June, the Massachusetts Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority extended a key July 1, 2007, filing deadline by three months. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=cd0aa552-770f-44f5-90f0-efe584862209 Monday, July 09, 2007 Most employers, insurance agents and brokers in Massachusetts are aware of the state's so-called "fair share" law that becomes effective on July 1, 2007. What may not be as clear is what employers need to do in advance of that date to comply with the law. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=c6bff34c-1983-4e24-9b8a-eefbdb066d6f Wednesday, June 20, 2007 Implementing Consumer Driven Health Care (CDHC) is comparable to running a marathon. Success requires a long-term commitment, training and preparation. Often, the finish line seems beyond reach for both employees and employers alike. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=2859784b-dcc5-408c-918f-3e70acb33244 Monday, May 07, 2007 Why agents need it: Do your clients look to you as a bellwether of trends and events in the marketplace or a knowledge resource for all sorts of benefits information? Are you looking for additional, low-cost ways to bring value to your clients beyond the insurance rates you quote? Are you interested in a branded, web-based solution for easily communicating timely and relevant information to your clients? ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=b6a7e0f3-6c46-4a8e-b553-39a71beee0b9 Monday, March 12, 2007 The forecast for health care benefit administration in 2007 calls for continued cloudiness with more clouds on the way. New Congressional leadership, rising health care costs, an expanding number of benefit options and the accompanying compliance issues are all factors that create problems for administrators. Solving those problems and helping administrators navigate through the clouds requires expert research, advice and service. Founded as COBRA Compliance Systems, Inc. in 1986, Infinisource enters its twenty-first year and continues to build upon its reputation for providing all three. ../Infinisource/Article.aspx?articleId=4ca13b56-57fd-46a8-8fad-d2245b4282cf Tuesday, January 09, 2007