The IRS recently issued guidance expanding the definition of "preventive care" that may be covered—possibly free of charge—by a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) that's paired with a health savings account (HSA). While the changes made by the guidance are relatively simple, they have the potential to make HSAs substantially more...
Federal and state laws governing pregnancy and adoption-related employment issues generally fall into two categories: prohibitions against adverse employment actions and rules covering pregnancy-related leave.
Pregnancy-related leave issues are addressed under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), which amended Title VII of the Civil Rights...
Providing health benefits to your employees is a highly regulated undertaking, and it’s a good idea to get the lay of the legal landscape. The following is an overview of a few of the major laws affecting health insurance plans offered by employers.
Federal benefits laws include:
ERISA. The main purpose of the Employee...
The enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 launched an extended period during which far-reaching changes to the American healthcare system took effect.
Affordable Care Act Overview
The ACA was implemented in stages and encompasses several major areas:
Measures to encourage more employers to provide coverage, such as the...
It’s common for employers to provide certain benefits for their employees, many of which are subject to strict rules under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and other laws.
Employee benefits can include:
Paid holiday, vacation, and sick leave;
Medical, dental, and vision insurance...
There are a number of state and federal laws that protect employees from retaliation for engaging in whistleblowing activity. At the federal level, these include:
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act)
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
The ...
On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Employers have been carefully monitoring the transition to get a sense of how the incoming administration will approach labor and employment issues. On the eve of the inauguration, here's what we know so far and what we expect in the coming days....
Even HR professionals with a good handle on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can be thrown for a loop when an employee's status changes—and as an HR pro, you know such changes take place all the time.
Here we provide some tricky ACA status-change situations—and plain-English answers—for you. Note that many ACA status-change...
Guidance on retirement plan fee disclosure rules released
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has issued guidance meant to help plan administrators and service providers comply with the requirements of new rules improving the transparency of fees and investment expenses in retirement plans....
Although the controversial individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—also known as “Obamacare”—has received the bulk of attention from both legal scholars and the popular press, another important aspect of the law that employers should be aware of concerns wellness programs. The ACA provides new incentives...
