Beginning in 2018, plans that provide coverage that exceeds a threshold will owe an excise tax that is frequently referred to as the “Cadillac tax.” The threshold generally will be $10,200 for single benefits and $27,500 for benefits provided to an employee, retiree, or member of a bargaining unit and dependents. The tax is 40% of the value of coverage provided over that threshold level.
Topics: compliance, ACA, IRS, compliance with health care reform, HRA, excise tax, Cadillac Tax
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued an employer because the penalty it applied for not participating in its wellness program was, in the eyes of the EEOC, so high that participation was not, as a practical matter, “voluntary.” Under EEOC rules, an employer may conduct medical examinations, which includes obtaining medical histories and blood draws, only in limited situations. One of those permitted situations is a voluntary wellness program. Because the program did not qualify as “voluntary,” the questions employees were asked about their health on a health risk assessment, a blood draw, and a range of motion assessment violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to the EEOC’s Complaint.
Topics: health care reform, employee benefits, health care, health care costs, employee satisfaction, hr consulting, employee engagement, wellness, ancillary benefits, absence management, disability management, absenteeism, UBA Partner Firm, voluntary benefits, ACA, employee health, insurance solutions, medical plan, self funded health plans, disability insurance, wellness programs, HRA, health risk assessment, PPACA Affordable Care Act, health care reform
By Peter Freska, CEBS, Advisor
The LBL Group
A United Benefit Advisors Partner Firm
Topics: health care reform, employee benefits, health care, health care costs, employee satisfaction, hr consulting, employee engagement, wellness, ancillary benefits, absence management, disability management, absenteeism, UBA Partner Firm, voluntary benefits, ACA, employee health, insurance solutions, medical plan, self funded health plans, disability insurance, wellness programs, HRA, health risk assessment
By Elizabeth Kay
Compliance and Retention Analyst for AEIS, UBA Partner Firm in San Mateo, CA
Topics: PPACA, health insurance exchanges, employee wellness, retirement, health marketplace, FSA, small group employers, Group health plans, private insurance exchange, benefit communication, benefit consultants, benefit management, compliance with health care reform, employee health, group health insurance, healthcare consumerism, health plan compliance, health reimbursement account, insurance solutions, medical plan, self funded health plans, concierge medicine, HSA, flexible spending account, small business, health reimbursement arrangements, health savings accounts, HRA
