November 27, 2018

When employees take leave from work for an extended period due to injury, illness or another reason, employers may be unsure if they must continue providing health insurance during the absence. The answer depends upon the circumstances, including the reason for the employee’s absence, the terms of the health plan, the size of the employer, and the applicability of one or more federal laws including FMLA and COBRA.

November 27, 2018

Open enrollment season is here and employees electing a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) with a health savings account (HSA) must decide how much to contribute to their HSA for 2019. What’s a good recommendation? Employees should prioritize their HSA ahead of their 401(k), maxing out their HSA contributions if possible. Here’s why:

November 27, 2018

The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates to notify patients and other parties following a breach of unsecured protected health information (PHI). Similar provisions implemented and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) apply to vendors of personal health records and their third-party service providers.

September 12, 2018

The Department of Labor (DOL) announced increased 2018 penalties for employee benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The increases generally apply to penalties that involve employee benefit reporting and disclosure failures if the penalty is assessed after January 2, 2018, and if the violation occurred after November 2, 2015. As a background, the 2015 Inflation Adjustment Act directs the DOL to annually adjust for inflation certain penalties for specified ERISA violations.

September 12, 2018

Last year, I noticed that a drug I used to pay less than $10 a month for suddenly became subject to a $10 copay when I purchased it at my normal pharmacy. I questioned the pharmacist, who said I needed to call my insurer to find out why the cost had gone up. However, when I read my pharmacy bag tag, I noticed that it was missing the “your insurance saved you $XX” line, which I have made a habit of noting through the years. I questioned the pharmacist again and received a quick, “Ma’am, you’re going to have to question your insurance company.”

September 12, 2018

With the beginning of Open Enrollment season, it may be helpful for potential FSA enrollees to consider some key questions to assist them in accurately projecting their annual FSA or Limited FSA election for 2019.

September 12, 2018

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Breach Reporting Portal, by the end of June the number of 2018 reported breaches had already surpassed the total of breaches reported in 2017. As of August 2018, 3.7 million individual records had been reported as compromised compared to the approximate 2.7 million in all of 2017. The causes for the increase in reported breaches cannot entirely be confirmed, but education on reporting requirements along with an emphasis on high-profile data breaches in the media are likely some of the reasons for the increase.

May 17, 2018

The IRS has recently released answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for employers who want to claim a business credit on wages paid to an employee (who earned up to $72,000 in 2017) on paid family and medical leave, who met certain conditions. The IRS has adopted Section 45S, also referred to as Employer Credit for Paid Family and Medical Leave. To claim the business credit, employers must have a written policy that meets certain requirements, including the following items:

May 17, 2018

It’s what we call “appeal season” here at Chard Snyder. Most of the plans we administer have a deadline of March 31 to submit claims incurred during the previous calendar year.