ACA

  • PCORI Fee Filing Deadline

    PCORI Fee Filing Deadline

    The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund fee, often referred to as the PCORI fee, can be a source of confusion for employers offering health insurance plans. This article aims to simplify what the PCORI fee is, why it exists, and how it impacts your business. What is the PCORI Fee? The PCORI fee is an…

  • Compliance Recap May 2024

    Compliance Recap May 2024

    PREPARE NOW TO PAY THE PCORI FEE The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee funds research that evaluates and compares health outcomes, clinical effectiveness, and the risks and benefits of medical treatments and services. Effective through 2029, the IRS treats this fee like an excise tax, applied to all covered lives, including employees, retirees, spouses,…

  • Benefits Buzz May 2024

    Benefits Buzz May 2024

    Prescription Drug Report Is Due by June 1, 2024 Group health plans must annually submit detailed information on prescription drug and health care spending to the federal government. This reporting is referred to as the “prescription drug data collection,” or the “RxDC report.” The next RxDC report is due by Saturday, June 1, 2024, covering…

  • Benefits Check-up: 6 Compliance Issues Affecting Your Clients’ Health

    Benefits Check-up: 6 Compliance Issues Affecting Your Clients’ Health

    A health plan is more than a product or service; it’s a relationship. All productive and healthy relationships—especially in the benefits space—rely on trust. When an employer extends trust in a broker or insurance carrier to purchase something as critical as healthcare—for people as critical as their workers and families—we’re obligated to raise all factors…

  • Benefits Buzz February 2024

    Benefits Buzz February 2024

    ACA Reporting Deadlines Are Approaching Employers subject to Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 or 6056 should prepare to comply with upcoming reporting deadlines. For the 2023 calendar year, covered employers must: Furnish statements to individuals by March 1, 2024 (an alternative method of furnishing statements to covered individuals is…

  • Compliance Recap January 2024

    Compliance Recap January 2024

    NEW EMPLOYEE CLASSIFICATION RULE In January, the Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division introduced a rule that changes the way workers are classified under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This Final Rule, effective March 11, 2024, offers a more comprehensive test to determine a worker’s status, potentially making it more challenging to classify…

  • Compliance Recap December 2023

    Compliance Recap December 2023

    WORKPLACE POSTERS The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) enforces the posting of employee notices in the workplace to comply with various DOL statues. The posters are available for free in multiple languages. To determine which posters are needed for your business, the DOL  FirstStep Poster Advisor can help. Employers can download and print the posters directly from…

  • Benefits Buzz December 2023

    Benefits Buzz December 2023

    IRS Announces Employee Benefit Plan Limits for 2024 Many employee benefits are subject to annual dollar limits that are updated for inflation before the beginning of each calendar year. Most of these annual dollar limits will increase in 2024. Note that some benefit limits are not adjusted for inflation, such as the contribution limit for…

  • Benefits Buzz November 2023

    Benefits Buzz November 2023

    Final Forms and Instructions for 2023 ACA Reporting Released The IRS has released final 2023 forms and instructions for reporting under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 and 6056: 2023 Forms 1094-B and 1095-B (and instructions) will be used by providers of minimum essential coverage, including self-insured plan sponsors that are not applicable large employers (ALEs),…

  • Benefits Buzz August 2023

    Benefits Buzz August 2023

    Draft Forms for 2023 ACA Reporting Released The IRS has released draft 2023 forms for reporting under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 and 6056. Draft instructions for these forms have not yet been released. 2023 draft Forms 1094-B and 1095-B are drafts of the forms used by providers of minimum essential coverage, including self-insured plan…