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Information for All Employers

Reform or no reform, healthcare is complicated. At Hickok & Boardman HR Intelligence, we have always recognized the complexity of healthcare and have consistently made it our priority to expertly assist you in understanding its many intricacies. Below you will find a wealth of resources that we have compiled for the express purpose of making the healthcare process easier for you to navigate.

Available Documents

Leadership Course Summary

Leading organizations, teams and individuals in today’s workplace is becoming ever more challenging with the changes in worker needs and the speed at which business is moving.

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Coronavirus Employer Compliance

This document contains information on compliance issues employers are facing during this unprecedented time. It goes through some action steps, as well as containing links to information resources.

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Coronavirus Paid Leave

This document contains information on new coronavirus relief laws as well as actions steps employers should familiarize themselves with.

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Coronavirus Resources

As things are constantly changing with COVID-19, it is more important than ever to stay up to date on the most current developments. This document contains resources to help keep you informed during this time. Stay healthy during this time!

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Are You a Member of a Control Group?

Why is it important to know if you are a member of a control group? Because if you are a member of a control group, you could become an Applicable Large Employer (ALE) and be subject to the Employer Shared Responsibilities requirements under the ACA.

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60 Day Advance Notice Required

The ACA requires plans and issuers to keep the SBC up to date by giving at least 60 days’ advance notice of changes to information reflected in the SBC. The changes that must be disclosed are material modifications in plan terms or coverage that would affect the content of the SBC and are not reflected in the most recent SBC.

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Understanding Defined Contribution and Private Health Exchange Solutions

As private exchanges get more and more media attention, our firm determined that Vermont employers needed clear information to understand what private exchanges are, and aren’t

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Self-Insured Plans Under The ACA

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes numerous reforms affecting the health coverage that employers provide to their employees. Many of these reforms apply to all group health plans, regardless of their method of funding. Plans that have grandfathered status under the ACA, however, are not required to comply with select ACA requirements. In addition, self-insured plans are exempt from certain ACA requirements.

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Employer Mandate Flowchart

Employer shared responsibility mandate and related penalties for not offering coverage. Does this apply to you?

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Exchange Eligibility Rules for Medicare Beneficiaries

The ACA provides basic eligibility criteria for individuals to enroll in “qualified health plans” (QHPs) through the Exchanges. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued Exchange enrollment guidance for Medicare beneficiaries, which provides that Medicare beneficiaries are ineligible for coverage through the Exchanges’ individual market.

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Important Effective Dates for Employers and Health Plans

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made significant changes to the U.S. health care system and created many new rules for employers and insurance carriers since its enactment in 2010. The ACA’s health care reforms, which are primarily focused on reducing the uninsured population and decreasing health care costs, have been (and continue to be) implemented over several years.

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Definitions of Large Employer and Small Employer

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes different requirements on employers based on whether they qualify as a “large” employer or a “small” employer. However, the healthcare reform law doesn’t use a consistent definition for these terms. This Legislative Brief outlines the differences that apply to key provisions of the ACA.

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Agencies Release Guidance on HRAs, FSAs and Employer Payment Plans

On Friday, September 13, 2013, the IRS released Notice 2013-54 and the DOL issued Technical Release 2013-03 in substantially identical form. This guidance, which is generally effective January 1, 2014, provides much needed clarification on the application of certain provisions of the ACA (annual limits and preventive care) to account-based plans such as HRAs and FSAs, and other types of arrangements that reimburse premiums (referred to in the guidance as “Employer Payment Plans”).

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Employee Communications

 

90-day Waiting Period Limit – Permitted Orientation Periods

This ACA Overview provides a summary of the ACA’s 90-day waiting period limit and the permitted orientation periods that may be imposed for purposes of these rules.

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Q&A: Tax Forms 1095-A, 1095-B & 1095C

The information below is intended to help individuals understand these new forms, including who should expect to receive them and what to do with them.

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Reporting Requirements for Employers and Health Plans

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created a number of federal reporting requirements for employers and health plans. The additional reporting is intended to promote transparency with respect to health plan coverage and costs.

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Health Savings Accounts and Age 65

Health savings accounts (HSAs) are tax advantaged savings accounts that individuals can use to save money for medical expenses.
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Implementation and Checklists

 

2019 Health Care Reform Checklist

This checklist is designed to help employers who sponsor group health plans review their compliance with key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for 2019.
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Overview of Grandfathered Plans

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains many provisions that affect employer-sponsored health coverage. The extent of the ACA’s impact depends, in part, on whether an employer’s health plan has “grandfathered” status. Grandfathered plans can avoid a number of the ACA’s reforms.

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Healthcare Reform and COBRA – Questions and Answers

The Department of Labor (DOL) issued the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to assist in understanding the ACA as it pertains to COBRA. In addition, the Departments have issued information on the impact of the ACA’s Exchanges on COBRA coverage.

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Information for Small Businesses

Being small doesn’t make the healthcare process any less complicated. We deeply value our small business clients and are dedicated to understanding the unique solutions they require. As always, we provide you with the most essential and up-to-date information on healthcare in order to best guide you through this complex process and allow you to get back to business sooner.

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Health Insurance Exchanges

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires each state to have a competitive marketplace, known as an Affordable Health Insurance Exchange (Exchange), for individuals and small businesses to purchase private health insurance.

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Small Employer ACA Toolkit

The health care reform law—the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—has many complex requirements for employers and health plans. Because many of the ACA’s major provisions have now taken effect, it is more important than ever for employers to understand these rules.

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Small Employers Eligible for the Health Care Tax Credit

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created a health care tax credit for eligible small employers that provide health insurance coverage to their employees, effective with the 2010 tax year.

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Employee Benefits Compliance Checklist for Small Employers

Many federal compliance laws apply to all group health plans, regardless of the size of the sponsoring employer. However, there are some compliance exceptions for group health coverage provided by small employers.

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Information for Large Businesses

At Hickok & Boardman HR Intelligence, we recognize that large businesses have unique needs that demand equally unique solutions. As the healthcare system undergoes reform, we will continue to provide your large business with specialized services and resources tailored to the particular needs of your organization.

Available Documents

 

90-day Waiting Period Limit – Permitted Orientation Periods

This ACA Overview provides a summary of the ACA’s 90-day waiting period limit and the permitted orientation periods that may be imposed for purposes of these rules.

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Healthcare Reform Toolkit for Large Employers

This Affordable Care Act Toolkit is your one-stop guide for ACA concerns. It is designed to help you address ACA issues, topic-by-topic, step-by-step.

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Pay or Play Penalty – When to Begin Tracking Employee Hours

To prepare for compliance in 2019, employers that intend to use the look-back measurement method for determining full-time status for 2019 will need to begin tracking their employees’ hours of service in 2018 to have corresponding stability periods for 2019.

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Pay or Play – Employer Shared Responsibility Penalties

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires applicable large employers (ALEs) to offer affordable, minimum value health coverage to their full-time employees (and dependents) or pay a penalty. This employer mandate is also known as the “employer shared responsibility” or “pay or play” rules.

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