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Important Dates For Employers Under Health Care Reform: Nov-07-2011 — Important Dates For Employers Under Health Care Reform Except where otherwise indicated, each changes is effective for plan years beginning on or after the stated date. More...
June 30, 2011 Deadline for Cafeteria Plan (FSA) Amendments: Jun-14-2011 — The health care reform law passed last year provides that certain employer health plans, including health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) cannot reimburse expenses incurred for over-the-counter drugs unless they are prescribed by a physician or are insulin. Employers who sponsor FSAs may need to amend their plans by June 30, 2011 to comply with this new restriction. More...
IRS Delays Nondiscrimination Rules For Insured Health Plans: Dec-23-2010 — The Internal Revenue Service announced on December 22, 2010 that insured group health plans will not be required to comply with the new nondiscrimination rules under the health care reform law until the IRS issues further guidance. The new rules were scheduled to take effect for plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010. More...
Stand-Alone HRA May Violate the Health Care Reform Law: Nov-18-2010 — The health care reform law severely restricts the ability of group health plans to impose annual dollar limits on benefits. Surprisingly, the new restriction applies to some health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), even though virtually all HRAs have annual limits. Specifically, the new restriction applies to a "stand alone" HRA unless the HRA secures a waiver from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The waiver application must be filed no later than 30 days before More...
Robert W. Patterson and Michele O. Heffernan to Present on Health Care Reform at Commercial Business Seminar: Oct-25-2010 — BUFFALO, NEW YORK — Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP, a full service corporate law firm announces that Robert W. Patterson and Michele O. Heffernan will serve as a presenters on the topic of Health Care Reform at "Success 2011: Be Prepared for Upcoming Changes," sponsored by Lumsden & McCormick, LLP on Monday, November 1st. More...
Health Care Reform Begins In Earnest Today (September 23, 2010): Sep-23-2010 — The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care reform law, was enacted on March 23, 2010. Although a few provisions took effect immediately, and some fundamental reforms do not take effect until 2014, many of the most important new requirements for employer health plans take effect today — September 23, 2010, six months after the date of enactment. More...
For Retiree Health Plan Sponsors, Immediate Action Is Needed: Jun-30-2010 — As described in our prior Alerts, the new health care reform law provides a federal subsidy for health plans that cover early retirees, to help offset the cost of such coverage. Both private and public sector plans are eligible. Limited funds were allocated to this program and the funds are to be disbursed on a "first come first served" basis until exhausted. Applying early is critical for plans seeking subsidy funds. More...
New Rules on Grandfathered Plans May Limit Health Plan Changes: Jun-22-2010 — One of most controversial provisions of the new health care reform law is the so-called "grandfathered health plan" rule, which exempts health plans in existence on March 23, 2010 (the date of enactment) from many of the new law's requirements. The law itself doesn't state what actions by plan sponsors, if any, might cause a grandfathered plan to lose its protected status. More...
HHS Releases Draft Application for the Retiree Reinsurance Program: Jun-09-2010 — The health care reform law provides a federal subsidy for some health plans that cover early retirees, to help offset the cost of such coverage. The subsidy program became effective as of June 1, 2010. Only limited funds were allocated to the program and are to be disbursed on a "first come first served" basis until exhausted; accordingly, it behooves a health plan sponsor who might qualify for the subsidy to apply as soon as possible. The final application is reportedly to be released later thi More...
IRS Guidance on the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit: Jun-03-2010 — The new health care reform law provides a valuable tax credit to some small employers that provide health insurance coverage to their employees. The credit is available beginning this year to employers that pay at least half the cost of their employees' h More...
Extended Coverage For Young Adult Dependents: May-19-2010 — The Affordable Care Act, the new health care reform law, requires group health plans and health insurance issuers that provide dependent coverage of children to continue to make such coverage available until the child turns 26 years of age. On May 13, 2010 the three federal agencies primarily responsible for administering the Affordable Care Act (the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury) issued interim fina More...
Health Care Reform Alert - Immediate Action Needed Under Retiree Reinsuranc: May-12-2010 — The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the recently enacted health care reform law, establishes a federal subsidy for health plans that cover certain early retirees. Under the Retiree Reinsurance Program, a qualifying plan can receive a subsidy equal to 80% of its annual costs that are more than $15,000 but not more than $90,000 for a retiree. Only limited funds were allocated to the program and they will be disbursed on a "first come first served" basis until exhausted, at which point More...
Immediate and Long-Term Challenges For Employers Under Health Care Reform: May-05-2010 — After a year of heated debate in Congress, Federal health care reform is finally a reality. The new legislation will substantially change the way health care is provided and paid for, and creates both immediate and long term challenges for employers who sponsor group health plans. More...
HIPAA Liability & Reporting Requirements Broaden: Jan-15-2010 — The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R.1), commonly known as the "economic stimulus" bill, included several changes designed to strengthen the security and privacy provisions under the HIPAA. These changes likely will have a direct and significant impact on tort litigation as well. More...
Annual Medicare Part D Notices Must Be Distributed by November 15, 2009: Nov-09-2009 — Under Medicare Part D, a "Notice of Creditable Coverage" must be provided to all Medicare-eligible participants in employer-sponsored group health plans prior to November 15th of each year. More...
NYS Enacts Important Health Law Changes: Aug-28-2009 — New York State recently amended its health insurance laws in order to permit terminated employees and young adult children of covered employees to continue group coverage in certain situations where coverage would otherwise end. These changes will affect nearly all insured employer group health plans in New York. More...
Medicaid Compliance Program Mandate Approaches Deadline: Aug-21-2009 — The New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG), an independent entity within the Department of Health, recently issued final regulations under a 2006 law that requires Medicaid providers to establish "compliance programs" to reduce fraud and abuse. More...

Newsletters

Medicare Part D Notices are Due October 15th: Oct-11-2011 — Under Medicare Part D, a "Notice of Creditable Coverage" must be provided each year to all Medicare-eligible participants in employer-sponsored group health plans. The notice informs participants whether the prescription drug coverage under the plan constitutes creditable or non-creditable coverage for purposes of Part D. More...