The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) established national standards to secure and protect the privacy of health information. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) requires the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to conduct audits of covered entities and business associates in order to ensure compliance with the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules.
Topics: compliance, HIPAA, Danielle Capilla, covered entities, HIPAA audit, business associates
Data Match is a program coordinated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to identify Medicare beneficiaries who received Medicare benefits with Medicare as the primary payer when Medicare should have been the secondary payer. We recently covered background on this program in a previous blog posting. Employers are required to complete the Data Match report within 30 days of receipt of the Data Match Personal Identification Number (PIN), unless an extension has been requested and approved. The letter directs employers to the Data Match Secure Website, where the questionnaire can be accessed after entering the employer identification number and PIN.
Topics: compliance, Medicare, Danielle Capilla, IRS-SSA-CMS Data Match Program
With the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal government became much more involved in what had always been a heavily regulated, but predominately private industry. What many people have forgotten is that the ACA was not the first legislation to be passed that involved private and employer-sponsored health and welfare plans.
Topics: compliance, HIPAA, health plan compliance, Elizabeth Kay, PHI, health and welfare plans, protected health information, business associate agreement
UBA offers a comprehensive library of ACA Advisors and white papers to help employers navigate health care cost and compliance. Every year we look at the documents most accessed by employers and remind our audience of these helpful, free resources. Here’s what was most in demand in 2015.
Topics: compliance, ACA, health plan benchmarking, UBA Health Plan Survey, Don't Roll the Dice on Department of Labor Audits, cafeteria plan, Affordable Care Act, annual benefit limits, white paper, health care cost, account-based plans
PPACA created a private non-profit corporation called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The Institute's job is to research the comparative effectiveness of different types of treatment for certain diseases, and to share its findings with the public and the medical community. The goal is to improve quality of treatment and reduce unnecessary spending. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee is to support this research and applies from 2012 to 2019.
Topics: compliance, PPACA Affordable Care Act, PCORI, group health insurance, Danielle Capilla, PPACA fees
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 Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change." ― Heraclitus.
When it comes to health plan compliance, this statement couldn’t be truer. The IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are constantly developing, revising and amending regulations related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). While overwhelming, it’s still crucial for employers to keep pace with the plethora of changes since the regulations affect many facets of employee benefit planning, compensation, and taxes. It seems these days that benefit management needs to keep up with the law in addition to attracting and retaining employees.
Topics: compliance, ACA, UBA, employee benefits, hr consulting, health care reform, PPACA, HR compliance
On Sept. 13, 2013, the IRS issued details on permissible health reimbursement arrangements(HRAs), providing some clarification on minimum essential, minimum value and affordable coverage, and addressing payment of individual premiums through an employer-provided plan.
Topics: compliance, ACA, HRAs, Health Reimbursement Accounts, health care reform, PPACA, HR compliance
Mike Humphrey
Sr. Benefit Advisor
The Wilson Agency, a UBA Partner Firm
Topics: compliance, ACA, UBA Partner Firm, health care reform, PPACA, HR compliance