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Recently, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Department of Labor (DOL), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (collectively the Departments) issued final regulations regarding the definition of short-term, limited-duration insurance, standards for travel insurance and supplemental health insurance coverage to be considered excepted benefits, and an amendment relating to the prohibition on lifetime […]
Posts Tagged ‘HHS’
Interim Final Regulation on Maximum Civil Monetary Penalties | California Employee Benefits
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued interim final regulations that adjust for inflation the maximum civil monetary penalties (CMP) that fall under HHS’s jurisdiction. The regulations reflect changes required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (the Act). Adjustments under the Act were effective on August […]
FAQs on Tobacco Cessation Coverage and Mental Health / Substance Use Disorder Parity | California Benefit Advisors
Recently, the Department of the Treasury, Department of Labor (DOL), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (collectively, the Departments) issued FAQs About Affordable Care Act Implementation Part 34 and Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Implementation. The Departments’ FAQs cover two primary topics: tobacco cessation coverage and mental health / substance use […]
HIPAA Phase 2 Audits | California Benefit Advisors
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) began a pilot program in 2012 to assess the procedures implemented by covered entities to ensure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). OCR evaluated the effectiveness of the pilot program and then announced Phase 2 of the […]
IRS Proposes Minimum Value Rule Change to Mesh IRS and HHS Rules | CA Employee Benefits
Posted by Danielle Capilla Beginning in 2015, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), large employers must offer affordable, minimum value coverage to their full-time employees or potentially pay a penalty. Some companies have or had been marketing a plan that they state satisfies the minimum value requirement (an actuarial value of 60 […]
Proposed 2016 Benefit and Payment Parameters | California Employee Benefits
Posted by Linda Rowings The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued its proposed Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2016. While these amounts and dates are not yet final, they may be of help for planning purposes. At this time, HHS expects: Open enrollment for coverage through the Marketplace in 2016 will be […]
Can Employers Assist Employees with Premiums for Individual Plans? | California Employee Benefits
Posted by Carol Taylor On November 6, 2014, the collective Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor (DOL) and the Treasury released three Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) directed at employer payment plans for the purchase of individual insurance. While the departments had previously released several other pieces of guidance about these arrangements, this latest […]
Reference-Based Pricing and Cost-Sharing Limits | San Francisco Benefits Broker
Posted by Linda Rowings The Department of Labor (DOL), the IRS, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have jointly issued a FAQ that addresses how “reference-based pricing” works with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) restrictions on out-of-pocket maximums. PPACA limits the out-of-pocket maximum a non-grandfathered plan may impose, and […]
Deadline Approaching for Larger Self-Funded Health Plans To Obtain a Health Plan Identifier Number | San Francisco Employee Benefits
by Linda Rowings To meet federal requirements, large health plans must obtain a national health plan identifier number (HPID) by November 5, 2014. For this requirement, a large health plan is one with more than $5 million in annual receipts. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said that since health plans do […]
